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ERIC Number: ED501251
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2008-May
Pages: 207
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Reducing Bullying in Middle School Students through the Use of Student-Leaders
DiBasilio, Amy
Online Submission
The purpose of this action research project report was to reduce bullying in middle school students through the use of student-leaders. Twenty-eight 8th graders, two counselors, and 24 teachers participated for a total of 54 participants. The study was conducted between September 11, 2007, and December 20, 2007. This project focused on four types of bullying: physical, verbal, social, and electronic. The three tools that the teacher-researcher used to document evidence of the problem were a counselor survey, a teacher survey, and a student survey. The data gathered on the student survey allowed the students to identify ways in which they had viewed and/or experienced the roles of victim, bully, and bystander. Seventy-one percent of the student-leaders reported being victims of verbal bullying at least once last spring. Twenty-six percent of students reported observing social and verbal bullying a minimum of every week. The data gathered from the teacher and counselor surveys allowed the teachers and counselors to identify ways they had viewed bullying or when it had been brought to their attention. The teacher survey showed that 67% (n=16) of teachers believed that bullying was an average problem last spring (2007). Both counselors believed that bullying was at least an average problem last spring. Student-leaders were enlisted and trained to go into classrooms to share information about bullying. The teacher-researcher included in this program: direct instruction on bullying prevention, team-building activities, and group discussions. These interventions were intended to reduce the amount of bullying school-wide. The students were also taught leadership and pro-social skills that prepared them to go into classes to share what they had learned and pass along the skills necessary to reduce bullying. The post survey results showed some positive changes. Overall, more teachers considered bullying either not a problem or a small problem in the past month as compared to last spring, where 67% (n=16) saw it as an average problem. Students widened their definition of bullying throughout the intervention, and the amount of social and verbal bullying they participated in decreased. There was an 11% increase in student-leaders helping the victim if they were bullied. According to the counselor post survey, based on the students they worked with, bullying improved slightly. The teacher-researcher believes that this intervention needed more time than one semester to make more of an impact. Eight appendixes include: (1) Teacher Survey; (2) Counselor Survey; (3) Student Survey; (4) Sample Training Schedule; (5) Sample Team-Building Activities; (6) Selected articles and record-keeping forms; (7) Safety Incident Report; and (8) Poster and Newsletter Project information. (Contains 59 figures and 36 tables.) [Master of Arts Action Research Project, Field-Based Master's Program, Saint Xavier University and Pearson Achievement Solutions, Inc.]
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Grade 8; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A