Bullying: Prevention and Intervention - Research Proposal Example

? Bullying: Prevention and Intervention Proposal Bullying is one of the prominent problems facing the society. Bullying has over the years become a widespread phenomenon within schools globally. The growing diversity of the school population has rendered school environment complex, thus propelling incidences of bullying among students. A large section of society perceives bullying as normal behavior or part of growing up, with some people asserting that bullying can be in some instances productive, or even positive. However, bullying makes the victims feel abandoned, miserable, and frightened. The paper explores the topic of bullying and suggests strategies and intervention programs that can be instituted to minimize the overly negative effects of bullying, and other antisocial behaviors among the youth. Bullying: Prevention and Intervention Proposal Introduction The normative consensus within the society is that bullying is a form of abuse and entirely a negative behavior. Most victims (targets of bullying) paint bullying as something that scars them for lasting periods. As a result, they lose confidence and may even quit school. Thus, policymakers should give adequate attention to matters regarding bullying or children with persistent disruptive behavior since bullying, either at home or school, is injurious to health (both physical and mental), and may even lead to suicide. Over the past decade, researchers have highlighted intervention strategies and program models that minimize bullying and promote the pro-social development. Most multi systematic programs pursue to respond to child delinquency (and applicable to bullying) rely on certain approaches and programs targeting the child, the family, peers, and the school, and community. Some of the school and community prevention programs include classroom and behavior management programs, social competence promotion curriculums, conflict resolution and violence prevention curriculums, afterschool recreation programs, mentoring programs, comprehensive community interventions, and school organization programs (Heilbrun, Goldstein & Redding, 2005). 1. Definitions: Bullying refers to the persistent, unwelcome, aggressive behavior among school aged children evidenced by the use of coercion tactics to manipulate others, and which may encompass an actual or perceived power imbalance (social and/or physical power). Bullying comprises of three fundamental forms of abuse; emotional, physical, and verbal, and manifests through subtle methods of coercion such as intimidation. Bullying may involve verbal aggression or threats and/or physical assault or coercion directed towards certain victims based on grounds such as race, religion, gender, sexuality, or ability (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). Bullying is a common denominator of other degrading behaviors such as harassment, prejudice, discrimination, persecution, abuse, conflict, and violence. Types of bullying There are several forms of bullying; physical bullying, which encompasses any physical contact that is likely to hurt or injure the target. In elementary and middle schools, close to 30% of the bullying is physical. Verbal bullying incorporates name-calling, making offensive remarks, or ridiculing a person’s religion, gender, ethnicity, or socio economic status, or the physical appearance. This is one of the most widespread forms of bullying within learning institutions (close to 45%). Verbal bullying also includes verbal aggression, where the bully teases or makes verbal threats of violence or aggression against the subject (Heilbrun, Goldstein & Redding, 2005). Other forms of bullying include indirect bullying, social alienation, intimidation, and cyber bullying. 2. Purpose The proposal outlines prevention and intervention strategies, policies, and practices that can be implemented to aid students in developing social and emotional competencies essential to confronting bullying in schools. In a special way, the proposal highlights the need to avail a caring and safe school environment in which all students have an opportunity to participate and learn. The proposal explores evidence based delinquency prevention and intervention practices that can be implemented in the pursuit against bullying, especially in schools. 3. Strategies: A. Causal Factors in the Bully Life Bullying, whether at home, school, or workplace, is a despicable behavior that makes the targets feel afraid or uncomfortable. There are many reasons that drive individuals into bullying. Most individuals perceive bullying as a way of being popular, or appear to be in charge (Zins, Elias & Maher, 2007). Some of the factors associated with development of antisocial behavior include; at the individual level (low empathy, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and low intelligence); within the family (poor family management, low income, poor hosing, and family conflict); at school (disengagement, disorganized schools, and low achievement); at the community level (living in deprived neighborhoods, association with delinquent peers, and experiencing feelings of alienation). I Anger Management Bullying can be cited to be partially motivated by inadequacy whereby bullies project their inadequacy onto others. Studies indicate that a significant number of bullies have low confidence and low self esteem, which makes them feel insecure. Some bullies are driven by envy with rejection being a strong motivator for bullying (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). In fact, majority of bullies seethe with resentment, bitterness, anger, and hatred, and frequently utilize a broad range of prejudices as a vehicle for projecting their anger onto others. II Bad Parenting/ Poor Home Environment Parenting style is a significant predictor of bullying and other delinquent acts. In addition to parenting, the home environment significantly influences the development of bullying behavior. Studies have indicated that children growing up in families with absentee fathers are increasing engaging in self harm, as well as juvenile delinquency, driven by frustration and low self-esteem. Delinquency is a widespread cause of adolescents acting out as a response to ineffective parenting (“bad” parenting) techniques and may yield adult criminality (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). For instance, family conflict can propel development of antisocial behaviors such as bullying. III Negative Influence Substance abuse and delinquency are inextricably related. Persistent substance abuse among young people is frequently associated with an array of problems such as poor peer relationships, academic difficulties, as well as delinquency. Drug abuse among young people continues to be a core predictor of antisocial behavior. Peer groups, especially those detailing antisocial peer groups, can be regarded as some of the dominant predictors of delinquency (Zins, Elias & Maher, 2007). B. Intervention/treatment Factors There are diverse reasons to prevent bullying or deter young people from becoming delinquents, or continuing to engage in antisocial behavior. The prominent reason for this is that delinquent behavior puts the youth at risk for drug use and dependency, school drop-out, incarceration, injury, and adult criminality (Jimerson, Swearer & Espelage, 2010). Since the development of bullying and delinquent behaviors within the youth is motivated by diverse factors, prevention efforts should be comprehensive in scope. Mitigating delinquency prevents the onset of adult criminal careers and thus minimizes the burden of crime on its victims and society as a whole. I Counseling Mitigation of delinquency among young people should embrace activities such as substance abuse education and treatment, youth mentoring, family counseling, parenting education, and educational support (Heilbrun, Goldstein & Redding, 2005). In addition, efforts should be directed at improving the home environment by equipping parents with appropriate parenting styles, since parenting style is a significant predictor of bullying and juvenile delinquency. II Coping Skills Coping with bullying can be challenging, especially because the victim is hardly the problem, but the bully. Victims of bullying behavior must pursue the right to feel safe and secure. One of strategies that can be employed is to spend time with friends as bullies rarely pick on people if there are in the company of friends. Furthermore, victims of bullying should confide to an adult they can trust such as parents and teachers regarding the bullying. Other effective coping strategies include child skills training directed at equipping children with emotional and cognitive competence and social skills, besides looking into valuable problem solving and anger management (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). Child skills training are especially effective when employed to smaller (more manageable) class sizes via cognitive and behavioral techniques of instruction and directed at high-risk young people. III Mentoring Programs Within the community, mentoring and after school recreation programs can play a significant role in preventing bullying. Mentoring normally incorporates non professionals drawn from the community spending time with at-risk youth in an accommodating, supportive capacity, besides acting as a role model. Mentoring is principally effective when employed as part of a program of interventions with an emphasis on emotional support (Jimerson, Swearer & Espelage, 2010). Some of the family focused interventions that can be implemented to intervene bullying include behavioral parent training, multisystemic therapy, family functional therapy, and multi dimensional treatment foster care. School based programs should be directed at altering the school environment, rather than focusing on the individuals alone (Twemlow & Sacco, 2012). The interventions include school discipline and management strategies, classroom or instruction management interventions, and the reorganization of curriculum material through employment of cognitive, behavioral techniques. 4. Theoretical Approaches The theories of criminal causation can be divided into early theories, classical school, biological theories, psychological theories, critical theory, and sociological theories. Theories of the classical school centre on choice and responsibility by asserting that humans are intrinsically rational and enjoy free will. The classical school incorporates free will theories of criminal causation, which stipulate that deviant behavior emanate from individual rational choices grounded in the human desire for pleasure and aversion to pain (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). Rational choice theory, for instance, holds that delinquency stems from individual choices, instead of the external environment. The theory stipulates that offenders are primarily motivated by rational self-interest. The theory promotes the centrality of freedom and personal responsibility. Classical theorists hold that the perpetrators of delinquent acts should be personally held accountable for their criminal and delinquent acts and punished accordingly. Hence, the society must institute policies to enhance the costs for this benefit (pain). As a result, the punishment increasingly becomes harsher as one’s deviance becomes egregious; the costs of crime must constantly outweigh the benefits (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). The foregoing theories of causation of delinquency (early theories, classical school, biological theories, and psychological theories) predominantly elevate personal idiosyncrasies in explaining delinquency and crime. The personal attributes that the approaches highlight include physical or psychological makeup. Sociological theories of delinquent causation, on the other hand, examine the role of societal factors in explaining human behavior. Sociologists explore the interrelationships between individuals, socioeconomic groups, and societal structures. The main focus centers on the association between societal factors and criminal causation, especially on the effects of society on individual and collective behavior (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). Sociological theories of delinquent causation include anomie and strain theories, social ecology (structural theory), and differential association theory. Differential association infers a process of social learning whereby criminals and law abiding individuals learn their behavior from associations with others. Delinquency infers learned behavior acquired from interacting with individuals who engage in criminal lifestyles. Thus, the offenders and non offenders strive to attain similar goals, although they adopt different avenues to achieve the goals (difference lies in individual choices). The choices are informed by lessons acquired from exposure to certain life experiences. 5. Conclusion/recommendations: Bullies often manifest concurrent problems such as antisocial behavior, learning difficulties, mood problems, which necessitate the need for an all encompassing coordination between all stakeholders. Youthful antisocial behavior such as bullying has the capability to progress into adult criminality. Chronic wrongdoing emanate from failure of individuals to overcome the environmental and idiosyncratic factors that initiated them into deviant behavior (Twemlow & Sacco, 2012). Schools should develop and institute bullying prevention curriculum detailing age appropriate instruction that support bullying prevention efforts. The evidence based curricula should involve classroom approaches, whole school initiatives, and social skills development. A. Desired Outcomes I Advocate Against Bullying The most effective way of eliminating bullying within the society is trying to stop it collectively. The failure to concert efforts towards eliminating the behavior is the fundamental reason that bullying is perceived as okay. II Academic and Non-academic Activities In order to fight against bullying, schools should incorporate education programs that stop bullying. This may incorporate research based programs on moral education and directed at developing social competency and educating students on issues such as developing health relationships, problem solving skills, and the dynamics of bullying and cyber bullying. III Training and Professional Development Schools should train their teachers to help them learn more about bullying. Training programs provide a platform on which teachers can share their experiences on bullying, and discuss how best to deal with the problem. Staff should undergo training in matters regarding laws relative to bullying in schools, special education for target/vulnerable children, understanding the differences between bullying, harassment, and conflict, respect for diversity and difference, and aspects such as power differential and imbalance apparent in bullying incidents, among other issue. IV Instituting Policies for Reporting and Addressing Bullying Schools should institute guidelines and practices for reporting and countering to bullying and retaliation such as cyber-bullying policy. There is also a need to highlight resources and services necessary to facilitates programs such as counseling and other services for targets, aggressors, and their families. Schools should institute guidelines for addressing bullying and retaliation, and the law to prohibit against bullying and retaliation. V Legal Issues In most cases, bullies are persons who have not yet learned the consequences of their behavior. Restrictions, sanctions, or punishment can play a significant role in the effort to eliminate this behavior. There is a need to resolve issues concerning bullying and delinquency such as jurisdiction. States differ significantly in their provisions regarding competency of child delinquents, counsel, and parental responsibility. References Heilbrun, K., Goldstein, N. & Redding, R. (2005). Juvenile delinquency: Prevention, assessment, and intervention. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Jimerson, S., Swearer, S. & Espelage, D. (2010). International handbook of bullying. New York, NY: Routledge. Siegel, L. & Welsh, B. (2011). Juvenile delinquency: The core. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Twemlow, S. & Sacco, F. (2012). Preventing bullying and school violence. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Zins, J., Elias, M. & Maher, C. (2007). Bullying, victimization, and peer harassment: A handbook of prevention and intervention. New York, NY: Haworth Press. Read More