Characteristics of Violence in Schools - Research Paper Example

 Characteristics of Violence in Schools: The Specifics of Bullying in Grades Six through Twelve Introduction Violence and bullying are nothing new to schools, and pose one of the biggest challenges for parents and teachers alike. There are estimates that one in three children will be bullied at some point during their school lives (), which suggest that the problem is far reaching and should be at the forefront of child psychology and policy making alike. Studies also show that bullying can have serious long-term consequences on the health of bullies and victims alike, as it can lead to substance abuse, anxiety, depression and later violence (). Bullying in schools has also received a new injection of interest from researchers due to the explosion of technology leading to cyberbullying, an arguably more complex form of bullying () which has changed the face of the problem. School bullying has a very definite relationship with several factors, including socioeconomic status, disabilities, and mental health issues (). All of these elements indicate that research into the specifics of bullying throughout schools could help to indicate risk factors for bullying, and therefore highlight ways that the problem could be more effectively managed. Evidently, students are getting bullied in schools, and the type of bullying involved can differ widely between individuals and areas (). Bullying can focus on an aspect of the victim’s personality which is at odds with what would be considered ‘typical’ in that school, such as their sexuality, dress sense or levels of extroversion (). This focus will then be used as the basis for violence, whether this be physical violence, verbal aggression or online harassment (), although some bullies will use characteristics of all three. This variety in bullying makes it difficult to pin down the specifics of bullying and school violence, which can make it difficult for teachers, school boards and legislators to come to a definition of bullying, let alone a mechanism for targeting bullies and their effects. Problem Statement Evidently, bullying is one of the most problematic elements of school life for many students, meaning therefore that research into the central tenets of bullying may provide an important insight into the problem. The many different types of bullying make it difficult to ascertain what the common characteristics of bullying are. The purpose of this research is to focus on the characteristics of bullies and their victims (both physical and mental) to ascertain a common thread which links bullies in grades six through twelve through all media. It is evident that, whilst bullying can occur on a diverse scale, there are things which bullies and their victims share, which may be important in discovering how to tackle bullying in schools. Rationale As previously mentioned, bullying affects one in three students in school, although this figure may be higher when considering ‘mild’ forms of bullying which may go unreported. Bullying and violence in schools is, therefore, one of the most important areas for research simply because it is so far-reaching and research could have a positive effect on a huge number of lives. One of the most important elements of tackling bullying for parents and teachers is learning the signs of bullying, and it may be useful or interesting to uncover common features of bullies and their victims to help pre-empt the situation or allow parents and teachers to watch more carefully over some students. Such findings would have a huge influence on the work of social psychologists, legislators, parents, teachers, educational psychologists, and the children themselves, making it an extremely important piece of research in the wider field. Statement of Research Objectives The purpose and objectives of this study is to understand the characteristics of bullying in a more specific and deeper context than has been previously, particularly in the grades 6 through 12 age group. A major objective is to understand what underlies all types of bullying, including the controversial emerging form of cyberbulling, and what characteristics are typical of bullies and their victims. This will be done with the aim of trying to find a connecting element, or several features, which may allow teachers and parents to identify children who are at risk of bullying (whether they be bully or victim) and could lead to the emergence of preventative action. Overall, the aim is to contribute to research which could help children in schools to have a better life, free from bullying and bullies and the health and educational problems that go alongside this major issue. Hypothesis There are three main hypotheses for this research. The first hypothesis is that research will show evidence of commonalities between bullies in grades 6 through 12, independent of the form that the bullying takes. This common feature will be linked to self-esteem issues and previous harassment. The second hypothesis is that there will also be a common feature of all victims. This common feature will likely be linked to some form of disability, sexual orientation, or other element of the child’s lifestyle or actions that make them seem like an outsider. Finally, the third hypothesis is that research will indicate that not all bullies and victims will have these ‘typical’ features despite their predominance. Definition of Terms 1. For the purpose of this research, ‘bullying’ will refer to any action with the intent of harming another child, whether this be physically or mentally, including online bullying and use of threats or intimidation. 2. For the purpose of this research, ‘child’ and ‘student’ refers to those in grades 6 through 12, as this age group is the focus of the study. 3. For the purpose of this research, ‘violence’ refers to physical violence only and is used as a term to differentiate physical bullying from intimidation, threats, sexual violence and verbal humiliation. 4. For the purpose of this research, ‘victim’ applies only to those suffering from bullying in school and does not make any reference to their future status. 5. For the purpose of this research, ‘cyberbullying’ refers to the use of communications media to intimidate or pose threats to others, and includes (but is not limited to) social networking, texting, instant messaging and video calling. Summary In conclusion, bullying is one of the most problematic issues for educators and parents and affects an estimated one in three children, which makes research into violence in schools and bullying extremely important. For this reason, it seems appropriate to attempt to uncover common features of bullies and their victims that can be identified before the onset of bullying, as this information could be used as preventative action through targeted therapy. This research will focus on the common features of bullies and their victims that are present before the bullying starts, as much research focuses on the negative after-effects of bullying, as this will provide a fresh outlook on the field. Literature Review Research into bullying has occupied educational psychologists and school policy makers alike for several years. One study, by Stein, Dukes & Warren (2007) focuses on the characteristics of male bullies and the features that they typically have. This research suggested that there may be some physical characteristics of victims (stating that boys of mixed ethnicity were more likely to be bullied) and that bullies and their victims do not show any significant difference in attitudes towards school and education. The conclusion of this paper was that more research needs to be done into specific elements of bullying, suggesting that there is definitely room for more research into male bullies and male victims. This paper is also important because it highlights that there may be sex differences between bullying characteristics, which could be important for assessment of the results. Baldry & Farrington (2000) made an interesting link between bullies and delinquents, suggesting that there may be a tendency towards inappropriate behavior in other areas in many bullies. The study confirms that boys are more likely to be both bullies and delinquents, and that these two characteristics are likely to be linked in males, which again confirms that sex differences in bullying should play a part in any research. Additionally, the research found that parenting styles between bullies and delinquents vary, and concludes that they are not simply different manifestations of the same psychological issues, again reinforcing the need for a study with the specificity of the current research. Ybarra & Mitchell (2004) focused on one of the most secretive and difficult forms of bullying, cyberbullying. The research reported that there those exposed to aggression online had many of the same characteristics as those exposed to ‘traditional’ bullying, suggesting that the current research will be applicable to many different challenges in bullying prevention. Additionally, those victims of this type of bullying were traditionally high frequency users of technology and were more likely to be victim of ‘traditional’ school bullying, an interesting feature which may be interesting to research further. However, the study also had a strong focus on sexual solicitation from online aggressors, and thus the results may differ slightly when focusing on harassment from those in the victim’s peer group. Haynie et al (2001) made the link between bullies and victims, and highlighted that these two groups, thought of as distinct, may share some similar characteristics as many children are both bully and victim. This study suggests that up to half of bullies have also been victimized in school. These individuals (bullies, victims and bully/victims) all scored lower on psychosocial and attitudinal tests than neutral individuals. Again, this suggests that there is a strong likelihood of a linking factor (or factors) common to nearly all bullies and all victims, and highlights the possibility that there may be one appropriate for all children in these categories. Again, this paper highlights the need for more research into the area, and focuses particularly on the effects of bullying post-incident. Perhaps one of the most relevant studies in the literature to the current research is by Veenstra et al (2005), who looked at a large number of children and included bullies, victims, bully/victims and neutral individuals in their study. This project is beneficial because it highlights the importance that family variables and vulnerability plays in correlating with personality traits associated with bullying. Additionally, the study looked at aggression and likability, which is interesting as this is a measurable interesting trait which may hold important clues. However, the study did focus on elementary school children and therefore does not provide enough information about te grade 6-12 age group as a whole. Methods Methodology This research will draw quantitative data from children at two age points to help determine the characteristics that are most associated with vulnerability to bullying, victimization, or both. This will be done by using number-based questionnaires answered by the child, their peers, their parents and their educators, which will then be averaged out to give an overall indication of their measures on personality traits. This will be a cross-sectional study as it will look at those in grade 6 and grade 12 at one point in time, and then measure their scores. Children, teachers and parents will also be asked to provide qualitative and quantitative data about their experiences from bullying through semi-structured interviews. Participants The participants are 30 students from grade 6 class who are familiar with each other. These 30 students will then be each other’s peers for the purpose of the study, and will review three other students selected at random. 30 relatives and 3 staff members (only one will provide information for one child) involved in educating the children will be involved. The gender split is roughly equal. The same number of children, staff and relatives will be taken from grade 12 and studied in a similar manner. Care will be taken to ensure that relatives from the children are not the same (even between grade 6 and 12) as this could act as a confounding variable. Research Design After selecting participants, 5 external-type questionnaires will be assigned an anonymous student number that correlates to one of those in the study. These will then be filled out by the relevant individual. The external-type questionnaires will be filled out about the child by those close to the student. Additionally, one internal-type questionnaire will be filled out by the child, given in language that is simple to understand and age-appropriate, which will include personality type measures as in the external-type with additional questions requiring introspection. It will then be possible to compare the way the student sees themselves with the opinions of others, as well as getting an accurate picture of certain traits that may be important in bullying and school violence. The introspective questions will focus on depressive characteristics, anxiety and so on. Data will be collected about socioeconomics, parenting style and disabilities in semi-structured interviews with parents or relatives. Information about bullying will be gained from semi-structured interviews with the children, which will then be coded and analysed. Data Collection Questionnaires will be circulated around the school room to those who have agreed to take part in the study. These will then be collected over time (to ensure students do not waste time on questionnaires and do not get overwhelmed by information) to ensure fairness and to assist the collection of maximal data. Interviews will be conducted in the school as this is the area in which all individuals have in common, to reduce interviewer and environmental bias. The questions will be loosely based around a prompt sheet, although interviewers will be able to ask additional questions if needed. Proposed Data Analysis The variables of the analysis will be the different character traits being assessed by the study, including tendency towards depression, anxiety and violence. Also being assessed will be the socioeconomic background of the parents, as well as use of force in the home towards the child as a punishment. Additionally, a measure of how much punishment and reward will be assessed to see if this has an impact on the child’s tendency towards bullying and/or victim status. The dependent variable is, therefore, the bully, victim, bully/victim or neutral status of the child, and the independent variables are the measures being assessed by the questionnaire. The data will be analysed with a statistical software known as SPSS using pre-determined statistical significances of P>0.05 in all independent variables. The reliability of the results will be measured per inter-item reliability, as there is no chance of test-retest reliability as this increases cost and timescale significantly. Results from studies show that certain types of trait, such as depression and anxiety levels, are often co-morbid and thus we would expect to see these meet inter-item reliability. Full results will be published to allow further test-retest reliability if needed. The validity of the measurements and results will be ensured by making sure that all participants are giving results separately over a period of time. It is impossible to be sure in this kind of study that we are measuring what we intend to measure, but bias will be reduced by wording questions well. These results could infer back to the population the different characteristics associated with bullying. However, we must be careful to recognize the nature of the sample and the sample size to ensure that generalizations are not being made to, for example, small schools in rural Africa, as these individuals will not be in the same environment and therefore traits may differ. However, generalizations can be made to other schools in the Western world, as it is likely there are many similarities between them and the one involved in this study. Discussion Implications & Limitations In this study, we are assuming that the proposed sample, at a minimum, represents the school from which the sample was taken. However, as the children will be chosen from those who give consent, there may be a bias towards parents and children who have a tendency towards participation and this must be recognized. Additionally, assumptions are being made that the survey and interviews are assessing the characteristics of the children and parents, and that SPSS is an appropriate statistical instrument for the testing. The assumption is being made that respondents will answer truthfully to the survey. It is expected that more truthful answers will be given during the interview due to pressure from being observed; however interviews may introduce a further level of bias to the proceedings. There are several limitations to the study. The first is that there is no record of a similar study having been conducted, and therefore the study relies on this being an accurate measure of the population’s variables. The population size is also fairly small, so there is a chance that bias will be introduced to the study which may produce confounding variables. Finally, it will be difficult to discern personality traits having existed prior to the bullying and which were introduced as a result of being a victim or a bully. This should be noted during interpretation of the results. Schedule The first stage of the process is recruiting the participants. It is estimated that this stage will take around a month. Then, prospective participants will have to have consent forms circulated. As we have a set number of participants needed, this could take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months. Then, questionnaires will be distributed, taking one week. Interviews will be conducted over a course of a month. The results will then be collected and analyzed over a period of a month, then writing up the research will take an estimated two months including proof-reading. This gives a maximum of 8 months to complete the research. Resources Needed Recruitment will require transportation and telephones. Preparing questionnaires will require the use of computers and IT, as well as a printer. The postal service will be used to circulate these. Conducting interviews will require stationary and the use of a private, neutral room. Analysis of data requires a working copy of SPSS and relevant computer use. Writing up the report will be done using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Personnel Assistance will be required from school staff, as well as perhaps the use of IT staff to assist with correct usage of computers and programs. Budget Assurances/Clearances Needed As the research will be conducted on humans, consent forms will be needed. As minors are involved, consent from a parent/guardian will also be required. Additionally, approval from an ethical committee will be needed. References Baldry, A. C., & Farrington, D. P. (2000). Bullies and delinquents: personal characteristics and parental styles. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 10(1), 17–31. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1298(200001/02)10:13.0.CO;2-M Haynie, D. L., Nansel, T., Eitel, P., Crump, A. D., Saylor, K., Yu, K., & Simons-Morton, B. (2001). Bullies, Victims, and Bully/Victims: Distinct Groups of At-Risk Youth. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 21(1), 29–49. doi:10.1177/0272431601021001002 Stein, J. A., Dukes, R. L., & Warren, J. I. (2007). Adolescent Male Bullies, Victims, and Bully-Victims: A Comparison of Psychosocial and Behavioral Characteristics. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 32(3), 273–282. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsl023 Veenstra, R., Lindenberg, S., Oldehinkel, A. J., De Winter, A. F., Verhulst, F. C., & Ormel, J. (2005). Bullying and Victimization in Elementary Schools: A Comparison of Bullies, Victims, Bully/Victims, and Uninvolved Preadolescents. Developmental Psychology, 41(4), 672–682. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.41.4.672 Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2004). Online aggressor/targets, aggressors, and targets: a comparison of associated youth characteristics. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(7), 1308–1316. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00328.x Appendices Example Questionnaire/Interview Questions Questionnaire Questions: On a normal day, I usually feel happy: All the time Most of the time Some of the time Almost Never Never On a normal day, I usually feel worried: All the time Most of the time Some of the time Almost Never Never I have been teased at school: All the time Most of the time Some of the time Almost Never Never I have teased someone at school: All the time Most of the time Some of the time Almost Never Never Interview Questions: Have you ever seen (Child’s Name) involved in bullying or name-calling during school? Have you ever seen (Child’s Name) crying or distressed about something that’s happened at school because of another child? Example Consent Form I am hereby giving consent for my data/my child’s data to be used in a private analysis regarding bullying. The results will be kept confidential. The study has been designed to avoid all possible harm to myself/my child, and all names will be removed from the final report. No indication of the results will be given prior to statistical analysis. Name_________________________________________ Sign___________________________________________ Date_____/_____/______ Read More