Bullying: A Handbook for Educators and Parents (Handbooks for Educators and Parents)

224 Pages·2007·0.77 MB·English

by  Ian Rivers

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Bullying
i
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RecentTitlesin
HandbooksforEducatorsandParents
IncludingChildrenwithSpecialNeeds:AHandbookforEducatorsandParents
DianeSchwartz,editor
HoldingSchoolsAccountable:AHandbookforEducatorsandParents
KrisSloan
ii
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Bullying
A Handbook for Educators and Parents
Ian Rivers, Neil Duncan,
and Valerie E. Besag
HANDBOOKS FOR EDUCATORS AND PARENTS
James T. Sears, Series Editor
iii
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Rivers,Ian.
Bullying:ahandbookforeducatorsandparents/IanRivers,NeilDuncan,and
ValerieE.Besag.
p. cm.—(Handbooksforeducatorsandparents,ISSN1554–6039)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978–0–313–33850–2(alk.paper)
1.Bullyinginschools—Handbooks,manuals,etc. I.Duncan,Neil,1956– II.
Besag,ValerieE. III.Title.
LB3013.3.R58 2007
371.5(cid:1)8—dc22 2007028079
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:2)C 2007byPraegerPublishers
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2007028079
ISBN-13:978–0–313–33850–2
ISSN:1554–6039
Firstpublishedin2007
PraegerPublishers,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
iv
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Contents
Series Foreword vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
PART I: GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1. Introduction: Bullying, What Is It? 3
2. Understanding Bullies and Victims 15
3. Institutional Factors in Bullying 35
PART II: ADVICE FOR EDUCATORS
4. Gender, Sexuality, and Bullying in Schools 55
5. Homophobic Bullying 70
6. Special Needs and Bullying 93
7. Challenging Bullying Behavior in Schools: Current
Approaches 106
PART III: ADVICE FOR PARENTS
8. Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Bullying 129
9. Working with Schools: A Guide for Parents 142
v
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vi Contents
PART IV: THE WAY AHEAD
10. Beyond Childish Antics 177
Glossary 205
Index 207
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Series Foreword
How can I advocate for my child? What are the best school practices in
teaching diverse learners? What programs are most effective in enhancing
learning?Thesesimplebutprofoundlyimportantquestionsareattheheart
ofthisbookseries.
This handbook is a practical guide for parents/families and a standard
reference source for educators and libraries. The entire series provides an
overview of contemporary research, theories, practices, policy issues, and
instructional approaches on a variety of timely and important educational
topics. It also gives straightforward recommendations for evaluating cur-
riculumandadvocatingforchildreninschools.
IanRivers,NeilDuncan,andValBesagcogentlyexamineoneofthemost
pernicious aspects of growing up: bullying. In a time not so long ago, this
phenomenon of childhood insults, innuendo, scuffling, jokes, and rumors
wasconsideredariteofpassage—occasionallyexperiencedbymanychildren
butroutinelyenduredbyjustafew.Bullyingwascondonedifnotembraced
byadultswhovieweditasaschoolboypracticewhichwaseitherharmless
or served a useful function of toughening up lads and building character
of fortitude and, perhaps, empathy for the downtrodden. But as early the
mid-nineteenth century, Thomas Hughes both challenged and embraced
these notions. In Tom Brown’s Schooldays his semiautobiographical hero
empathizeswiththevictimsofthecruelschoolyardbullyFlashmanbutalso
understandsandcomplieswiththecodeofmasculinity.
Discussion about bullying, however, remained the province of novel-
ists and was not seriously undertaken as a research topic or a school
issue until the late twentieth century. Among the earliest scholarly anal-
ysis of school bullying was Val Besag’s Bullies and Victims in Schools
(1989), but public concerns were not elevated until a range of shootings
marredAmerica’sschoolscape.And,eventhen,thesexualizedandgendered
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viii SeriesForeword
components of bullying were ignored in favor of psychological analyses
orpoint-counterpointdebatesoverguncontrol.Here,NeilDuncan’sbook
Sexual Bullying: Gender Conflict and Pupil Culture in Secondary Schools
(2001) was particularly valuable as has been the empirical research of Ian
Rivers (Rivers, 2001a, 2001b; Rivers and Cowie, 2006) on the prevalence
andimpactofhomophobicbullying.
InBullying,thistrioofscholarsoffersaresearchoverviewofthemultiple
forms and facets of bullying, provides specific strategies for educators, and
spells out avenues of action for concerned parents. Ultimately, as they and
others have underscored, bullying is not simply a matter between the bully
and the bullied but one that concerns us all. It is, after all, the onlookers
whoempowerthebullybytheirgazeofcomplacencyoractionofcomplicity
andsociety,encasingtherigidlygenderedandheterosexualizedatmosphere,
whichallowsforthecombustivepowerofrepeatedaggressionofonehuman
beingoveranothertooccur.
REFERENCES
Besag,V.(1989).BulliesandVictimsinSchools.London:OpenUniversityPress.
Duncan,N.(2001).SexualBullying:GenderConflictandPupilCultureinSecondary
Schools.London:Routledge.
Rivers,I.(2001a).Retrospectivereportsofschoolbullying:Stabilityofrecallandits
implicationsforresearch.BritishJournalofDevelopmentalPsychology,19,
129–142.
Rivers,I.(2001b).Thebullyingofsexualminoritiesatschool:Itsnatureandlong-
termcorrelates.EducationalandChildPsychology,18(1),32–46.
Rivers,I.,andCowie,H.(2006).BullyingandhomophobiaatUKschools:Aperspec-
tiveonfactorsaffectingresilienceandrecovery.JournalofGayandLesbian
IssuesinEducation,3(4),23–36.
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Preface
Bullyingisperhapsoneofthemostdifficultissueswefacetodayasparents
and educators. While there is general recognition that all children have
the right to an education safe from the fear of harassment, it is proving
increasingly difficult for us adults to keep pace with changes in language,
fashion,andtechnologythatourchildrenandyoungpeoplevalueandplace
storeby.Ourfailuretomoveinsynchronywithyoungpeopleoftenresults
in periods of time when we are baffled by new words and phrases, fail to
appreciate the social significance of a particular baseball cap, schoolbag,
t-shirt, or pair of sneakers, or find it difficult to understand the power a
threateninge-mailortextmessagehasoveranindividual.Itisonlywiththe
passageoftime,andthewillingnessofsomeyoungpeopletocomeforward,
that we begin to fully understand the significance of those things that once
we did not understand. We begin to appreciate the damage that can be
caused by a name or label, the pain associated with memories of teasing
becauseparentscouldnotaffordtherightdesignerclothing,orthefearthat
atextmessageinstilled.
In writing this handbook, we have endeavored to provide readers with
thoseinsightsgleanedfromourownresearchandeducationalpracticewith
young people in schools. This book is designed to provide parents and
educatorswithaframeworktobetterunderstandthephenomenonweknow
as “bullying,” and to provide some useful tips on how to spot it, deal
with it, and work with a student to overcome the social, emotional, and
educational challenges associated with it. We have written this handbook
with the intention that it constitutes a starting point for reflective practice
amongeducators,informationandadviceforparents,andaquickreference
sourceforadministrators.
Therearefoursectionstothistextandtenchapters,eachchapterprovides
an overview of issues relevant to parents and educators who wish to work
collectivelytochallengebullyingbehavior.
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x Preface
PARTI:GENERALINTRODUCTION
In this part, we provide a review of research on bullying behavior, con-
sideringthedifferentstudiesthathavebeenconducted sincethelate1960s
and now provide us with a holistic view of the phenomenon from various
culturalperspectives.Wediscussthedifferenttypesofvictimsandperpetra-
torsthatcanbefoundwithinschools,providingcasestudiestodemonstrate
thedynamicandcomplexworldofaggressivebehavior.
PARTII:ADVICEFOREDUCATORS
In this part we discuss a number of issues associated with the ethos and
culture of the school. Particular attention is paid to dynamics of the class-
roomandtheplayground,andthewayinwhichstereotypesofmasculinity
and femininity are reinforced. Two chapters focus on the issue of sexual-
ity:oneonsexualbullyingandtheassociatedsubcultureofdominance;the
other on homophobic bullying, a form of aggressive behavior increasingly
prevalentinourschoolsandonethataffectsmanymorestudentsthanthose
whoareperceivedtobegayorlesbian.Inthispartwealsofocusuponissues
associatedwithstudentswhohavespecialneedsandpayparticularattention
tothelegislationsurroundingdisabilityharassment.Finally,weprovidean
overview of current approaches to tackling bullying in schools. This is by
nomeansanexhaustivelist,butprovidesanoverviewofthedifferenttypes
of interventions that are available and have been shown to have an impact
uponlevelsofbullyingbehavior.
PARTIII:ADVICEFORPARENTS
Thispartconsistsoftwochaptersthathavebeenwrittenfortheparents
ofstudentsaccusedofbullyingothers,andthosewhosechildrenarevictims.
The first chapter in this part addresses the long-term effects of bullying. It
provideschecklistsofsymptomsthathavebeenfoundtobeassociatedwith
bullyorvictimstatusinbothelementaryandsecondaryschools.Thesecond
chapterlooksatwaysinwhichparentscanengageproactivelywithschools
to ensure that their child is supported in finding a way out of bullying. It
includesguidancerelatingtokeypiecesoflegislationsuchasTheNoChild
Left Behind Act, and offers a summary of state legislation, directives, and
standards governing the teaching of social skills and antiviolence strategies
inschoolsfromgradesKto12.
PARTIV:THEWAYAHEAD
The concluding part reviews what we have learned about bullying be-
havior,andprovidesparentsandeducatorswithsomethoughtsabouttheir