Your thesis statement: Successful anti-bullying programs do show promise to help prevent bullying in schools despite critic claims that they are a waste of time and money.
Outline:
I. Introduction
II. Anti-bullying programs are important and not a waste of time and money.
A. According to Ferguson, San Miguel, Kilburn and Sanchez (2007), “Although violent behavior among youth and in the schools has declined over the past decade, the victimization of children by other children in school settings remains a major issue of concern” (p. 401).
1. Bullies will probably continue this behavior if not stopped and impact the lives of more victims and potentially cause harm to their own life. According to “Statistics” (n.d.), “60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 will have at least one criminal conviction by age 24” (para. 7).
2. Children can feel unsafe attending school because of this victimization.
B. Victims act out in a variety of ways that are damaging to themselves or to the school.
1. Victims may commit suicide if they feel that their life is over due to the bullying.
2. Victims may also commit violent acts against those that bullied them or their peers that did nothing to help them.
3. According to “Statistics” (n.d.), “Those that are bullied tend to grow up more socially anxious, with less self-esteem and require more mental health services throughout life” (para. 7).
III. Research has found several things that can signify success in a program.
A. There are several common elements that the most successful programs incorporate.
1. According to Lodge and Frydenberg (2005), “Interventions were more successful when implemented in the early years of schooling than in secondary school” (p. 334).
2. According to Lodge and Frydenberg (2005), “Intervention was better than no intervention (i.e., greater increases in bullying were noted in control groups who did not receive antibullying initiatives)” (p. 334).
3. According to Lodge and Frydenberg (2005), “Level of school commitment and staff involvement influenced the success of interventions” (p. 334)
B. Anti-bullying needs to focus not just on bully and victim, but on peer bystanders, as well, and how they should react to bullying situations that they witness or are aware of at school.
1. According to Lodge and Frydenberg (2005), “There are likely to be several reasons for students not to become involved, including a fear of becoming the next victim, a lack of confidence to intervene, and not having effective strategies” (p. 334).
2. According to Polanin, Espelage and Pigott (2012), “This meta-analysis merely demonstrated that explicitly stated bystander programs have the ability to increase bystander intervention behavior” (p. 62).
IV. Examples of successful programs that could be adapted and used in other areas to help combat the problem of bullying.
A. The first is called KiVa™. It was developed in Finland, but is being used in other countries, including the United States.
1. KiVa™ can be described as a process rather than a program as it offers more than one way to combat bullying from having a concentration on peer actions to having fun activities like video games that keep the children engaged in learning about bullying.
2. It also includes a virtual way that students are able to report bullying that happens to them or to a fellow student through the computer without creating that stigmatism of going to a teacher.
3. A research study completed on Kiva had positive results. “Results show KiVa™ was effective in reducing bullying and victimization during the first nine months of implementation. The study also showed that KiVa™ reduced depression and anxiety among students. Additional positive outcomes included an increase in school liking, academic motivation and academic performance” (Rubin, 2012, para. 12).
B. Bully Proofing Your School is the second program that has shown success in reducing the incidents of bullying.
1. Bully Proofing Your School is an intervention program that has three objectives in keeping kids aware of what bullying is, teaching how to deal with bullies, and fostering a positive school outlook that the whole school participates in.
2. A study completed on this program did find that there were some variations to the effectiveness of the program. According to Menard, Grotpeter, Gianola and O’Neal (2008), “The results of the evaluation at the middle school level were inconclusive; but they suggest that the program does no harm and may do some good” (p. 4).
3. According to Menard, Grotpeter, Gianola and O’Neal (2008), “The results of the evaluation at the elementary school level are more persuasive, and they indicate that the program has the intended beneficial effect in reducing bullying behaviors and school violence” (p. 4-5).
V. Conclusion
References
Ferguson, C. J., San Miguel, C., Kilburn, J. C., & Sanchez, P. (2007). The Effectiveness of School-Based Anti-Bullying Programs A Meta-Analytic Review. Criminal Justice Review,32(4), 401-414. Doi:10.1177/0734016807311712
Lodge, J., & Frydenberg, E. (2005). The Role of Peer Bystanders in School Bullying: Positive Steps toward Promoting Peaceful Schools. Theory into Practice,44(4), 329-336. Doi:10.1207/s15430421tip4404_6
Menard, S., Grotpeter, J., Gianola, D., & O’Neal, M. (2008). Evaluation of Bully-Proofing Your School: Final Report. Ncjrs.gov. Retrieved July 13, 2013, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/221078.pdf
Polanin, J. R., Espelage, D. L., & Pigott, T. D. (2012). A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Bullying Prevention Programs' Effects on Bystander Intervention Behavior.School Psychology Review,41(1), 47-65.
Rubin, C. (2012). Finland Pioneers Successful Anti-Bullying Program. Education World. Retrieved July 13, 2013, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/rubin/effective-bullying-prevention-program.shtml
Statistics. (n.d.). Welcome to Antibullying Programs. Retrieved July 13, 2013, from http://antibullyingprograms.org/Statistics.html
I felt that this sequence worked the best for a logical flow to the paper. I felt starting with why bullying programs are important, followed up by general information about what research has found to work, and then focusing on some specific programs that have been deemed successful would allow for each point to build upon the next. The first main point shows why anti-bullying programs are not a waste of time and money. The second main point builds on what can be considered successful anti-bullying programs. Finally, the last main point gives specific examples of programs that are considered successful and why they are successful. I feel that this will allow the reader to be able to understand my thesis without any jumps in logic that are not explained by what has been written. It ensures that each portion of the thesis is covered and supported by the information provided from the research completed and the quotes chosen.