Effective Bullying Interventions in Schools 

As a teacher, have you noticed students consistently excluding one particular student, whether in group activities, lunch, or playtime? Have you heard hurtful name-calling or mocking laughter echoed in a school hallway? Have you noticed a student who sits alone during the whole school day or appears withdrawn? These at first glance seem small aspects; however, they are much more significant. These could be signs of bullying happening in schools. 

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Bullying 

Bullying is aggressive behaviour, recognised by the imbalance of power, repetitiveness, and the intention of a bully to hurt or harm the victim. It often results in psychological or physical trauma to the individual (Rana et al., 2018). According to Alanan James (2010), five essential components of bullying are intention to harm, harmful outcome, repetition, direct or indirect act, and unequal power (Srisiva et al., 2013).  

Therefore, Bullying involves the following :

• Being mean can be annoying and upsetting for another person.
• Keep going: It goes over and over again, even when the person knows you don’t like it
• Imbalance of power: The Other person feels powerful, and you feel small and in control

Forms of Bullying 

Bullying can have various types:

• Physical bullying: Any unwanted physical contact in which one individual asserts power over the other. Example: hitting, kicking
• Verbal bullying: Any comment that is considered to be hurtful/offensive to the victim. Example: name-calling, commenting about others’ religion, body type, caste, sex, or disabilities.
• Social/relational bullying: Intentionally manipulating other people’s social lives, friendships, or reputations. Example: excluding people on purpose, spreading rumours.
• Cyberbullying: Using electronic platforms to bully, such as Facebook, Instagram, etc. Example: spreading rumours through social media

Read More: CyberBullying and its relation to Suicide Ideation

School Bullying Crisis 

According to the statistics of UNESCO, one-third of youth are bullied globally in schools. 1in 5 young people skip school because of cyberbullying, according to UNICEF, 2019. Research findings point out that approximately 30 per cent of students in grades 6-10 are involved in bullying, are victims, or both. According to research, bullying impacts 35% of adolescents on average worldwide (Rana et al., 2018). Bullying is not an isolated incident rather a pattern of behaviour. Vulnerable children have a higher risk of being bullied, such as children from marginalised communities, children with disability, or migrant and immigrant children (Bullying: What Is It and How to Stop It, How to Prevent and Deal With Bullying, n.d.).

Read More: Being Kind Matters: Stopping Bullying and Ragging

Why Intervention Matters? 

Many studies have examined adverse health and psychosocial problems associated with bullying victimisation. Most commonly reported mental health problems were depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal behaviour (Srisiva et al., 2013). Bullying hurts mental health and social, emotional, and academic development. It is often linked to poor academic performance and interpersonal difficulties. In India, it is highly recommended to focus on anti-bullying programs because the education system is highly achievement-oriented (Rana et al., 2018).

It is a serious, pervasive, and insidious problem among school-age children and adolescents. It impacts the teaching and learning environment in school, increases mental health and behavioural problems, and violates the rights of children to receive an education in a safe environment. School has a legal and ethical responsibility to prevent any kind of bullying as part of school safety and promoting positive behaviour (Rossen & Cowan, 2012).

Read More: Building Resilience After Adverse Childhood Experiences: Psychological Interventions & Healing

Evidence-Based Intervention 

According to research, a positive school environment is associated with fewer bullying instances, reduced peer rejection, and increased academic achievement. Furthermore, students who perceive school as a safe space and more likely to report threats. Thus, an integrated, whole-school approach and ongoing commitment from stakeholders are essential (Rossen & Cowan, 2012).

Olweus Dab developed a school bullying prevention program in the 1980s, commonly known as the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). The program is a whole school-based approach involving all stakeholders and school administration members. It includes raising awareness, improving peer relationships, establishing rules against bullying behaviour, and supporting victims (Srisiva et al., 2013). 

The OBPP has four basic principles: adults at school should show warmth and interest to students, unacceptable behaviour should have firm limits, the violation of rules requires a negative non-physical consequence, and act as a positive role model (Limber, 2011). Although the Program originated in Norway, it has been evaluated in various settings across the globe over the years. The results of research have been positive, although some components work better in some places than others, depending on that place’s culture. The more intensive the Program is, the more significant the effects it shows (Rana et al., 2018).

Read More: Can Teaching Peace in Schools Really Change Young Minds?

School-level Intervention 

An Anti-bullying community needs to be formed, which consists of teachers, parents, non-teaching staff, a counsellor, students, and administrators. This committee will lead to discussion and brainstorming of ideas to be involved in the planning and implementation of the Program in a meaningful manner. Disciplinary policies of the school need to be clear and consistent, avoid harsh disciplinary mechanisms, and be non-punitive. Protocols and systems of reporting concern should be known to all students, and maintain a record of all those reports (Rossen & Cowan, 2012). 

Measures to be taken in school – 

• Encourage the school administrators to have a zero-tolerance policy toward bullying.
• Supervising fewer surveillance areas, such as the playground, the corridor, the washrooms, and areas under the staircase, especially during arrival, dispersal, and break time. This can be done by having CCTV or by staff standing at different parts of the school. 
• A system of anonymous reporting can be placed, for example, in a dropbox.
• Conducting awareness workshops not only for students but teachers and parents. Parents are essential components of comprehensive bullying prevention and intervention plans (How Parents, Teachers, and Kids Can Take Action to Prevent Bullying, 2011).

Read More: The Impact of Risk and Protective Factors in Psychological assessments and interventions

Classroom Level Intervention 

It is crucial to hold monthly classroom meetings to discuss any problems, concerns, or issues faced by students, which the class teacher can conduct. This will help provide discussions and problem-solving opportunities and build coherence among the class, leading to better peer relations. This will also help students understand that the anti-bullying committee is not only responsible for preventing bullying. They are equally accountable and should take ownership at their level. These small meetings will help create a fear-free environment for students and promote a sense of belongingness. Teachers need to convey policies regarding anti-bullying clearly in simpler language (Srisiva et al., 2013). 

If a teacher suspects that one of the students is being bullied, then the following steps can be taken: 

• Observe the child while working in group activities
• Make sure that the child is observed in a natural setting outside the classroom, like a break
• time or in a playground.
• Look for any changes in the child’s performance in the classroom
• Child’s behaviour in class in terms of interacting with classmates or seeking attention in class
• If required, refer the child to the school counsellor

If you see a bullying scenario, keep the following things in mind –

• Separate the children involved 
• Make sure everyone is safe, including bystanders 
• Don’t immediately try to sort the issues
• Don’t force the witnesses to say publicly what they saw
• Don’t question the individuals involved in front of others 
• Don’t make them apologise or patch up on the spot

Individual Intervention 

When the child is emotionally impacted by bullying to the extent that it starts interfering with their everyday life. Thus, a referral to a school counsellor for individual intervention becomes essential. During individual counselling, the goal is the help the child express their emotions and thoughts. For this, various counselling techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Play therapy (directive & non-directive), social skill training (assertive skills), etc., could be used.

Some pointers to discuss during the counselling are that this situation is not their fault and has nothing to do with who they are as an individual. Ignoring bullies or leaving that place won’t help; it can even worsen the situation. You can do something that will take just 3 steps

1. Stop bullying,

2. Walk/run

3. Share with a trusted adult

It is crucial to talk to the bully and the victim separately to understand their situation. Most importantly, tell the victim that it’s not their fault and they must not ignore bullying (Rossen & Cowan, 2012). The individual who is bullying also requires support and has needs. Thus, educators or counsellors can give a reflection worksheet to the bully and ask them to fill it out or explain why they engaged in the behaviour.

Understanding their side and giving them a safe space to express themselves is important. If a group of students is bullying, then group counselling would be a significant intervention process. Though schools should not give harsh or punitive punishments, research suggests that the individual must understand and take accountability for their behaviour. To support this, ask the student to write a letter of apology, create a promise bond not to repeat the behaviour, or participate in community service.

Read More: How School Peace Programs Influence Family Communication

Conclusion 

Bullying has become a very common scenario in schools across the globe, which is a serious situation. Bullying is a spectrum; it can be teasing or name-calling to physical, sexual abuse. Thus, schools become places where a child feels invisible, targeted, or unsafe, instead of feeling welcome and supported. Schools must implement prevention and intervention programs.

Schools must implement a whole-school-based (multi-component) intervention strategy that includes students, teachers, parents, and non-teaching staff. OBPP is a well-developed and evaluated Program against bullying in schools. It is comprehensive and involves parents, teachers, leaders, and students, having classroom, individual, and school-based components. The focus is on safety and a positive school environment. Reducing and preventing bullying in school and improving peer relationships are its goals. When a whole school prevention and promotion plan is planned and designed, it is essential that, along with perpetrators and victims, bystanders are also included (Rana et al., 2018).

References +

How parents, teachers, and kids can take action to prevent bullying. (2011). American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/bullying/prevent 

Rana, M., Gupta, M., Malhi, P., Grover, S., & Kaur, M. (2018). Effectiveness of A Multicomponent School-Based Intervention to Reduce Bullying among Adolescents in Chandigarh, North India: A Quasi-Experimental Study Protocol. Journal of Public Health Research, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2018.1304 

Rossen, E., & Cowan, K. C. (2012). A framework for schoolwide bullying prevention and safety [Brief]. Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists https://www.nasponline.org/x53454.xml 

Srisiva, R., Thirumoorthi, R., & Sujatha, P. (2013). Prevalence and prevention of school bullying – a case study of Coimbatore City, Tamilnadu India. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 2(5), 36–45. https://www.ijhssi.org/papers/v2(5)/version-4/F2503645.pdf 

Bullying: What is it and how to stop it. How to prevent and deal with bullying. (n.d.). UNICEF Parenting. https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/bullying