Research

paper in
Val-Ed
Passed by: Adrianne Paul O. Naoe

Passed to: Sir Rey Lobaton

What is Bullying?
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged
children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The
behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over
time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have
serious, lasting problems.

In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be

aggressive and include:

An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their powersuch as

physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or
popularityto control or harm others. Power imbalances can
change over time and in different situations, even if they involve
the same people.

Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the

potential to happen more than once.

Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading

rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding
someone from a group on purpose.

Types of Bullying

Where and When Bullying Happens

Frequency of Bullying

Types of Bullying

There are three types of bullying:

Verbal bullying is saying or writing mean things. Verbal bullying
includes:

Teasing

Name-calling

Inappropriate sexual comments

Taunting

Threatening to cause harm

Social bullying, sometimes referred to as relational bullying,

involves hurting someones reputation or relationships. Social
bullying includes:

Leaving someone out on purpose

Telling other children not to be friends with someone

Spreading rumors about someone

Embarrassing someone in public

Physical bullying involves hurting a persons body or possessions.

Physical bullying includes:

Hitting/kicking/pinching

Spitting

Tripping/pushing

Taking or breaking someones things

Making mean or rude hand gestures

Where and When Bullying Happens

Bullying can occur during or after school hours. While most
reported bullying happens in the school building, a significant
percentage also happens in places like on the playground or the
bus. It can also happen travelling to or from school, in the youths
neighborhood, or on the Internet. Why does bullying occur?

A person can engage in bullying behaviour because they:

don't like the person being bullied

find bullying fun

like to feel tough and strong, in control

think it will make them popular.

Bullying behaviour can arise from distrust, fear,

misunderstanding, lack of knowledge or jealousy - all factors that
schools can address in positive and proactive ways.

Bullying can also happen because the student gets a reaction

they like. This is where teaching students ways to effectively
respond to bullying behaviour is helpful.

The following profiles of students who are more likely to be bullied

and those who more like to bully others are based on patterns
found in Australian research; the profiles do not mean all students
with these characteristics will be involved in bullying.

Students who are more likely to be bullied are also more

likely to:

feel disconnected from school and not like school

lack quality friendships at school

display high levels of emotionality that indicate vulnerability

and low levels of resilience
 be less well accepted by peers, avoid conflict and be socially
withdrawn

have low self-esteem

be relatively non-assertive

be different in some way.

Students who are more likely to bully others are more

likely to:

feel disconnected from school and dislike school

demonstrate good leadership skills

demonstrate good verbal skills and ability to talk themselves

out of trouble

demonstrate low levels of moral reasoning and high levels of

egocentric reasoning

believe that the use of aggression is an acceptable way to

achieve their own goals

be preoccupied with their own goals and not concerned

about the rights of others

show more emotional instability, as do those students who

support them

be reasonably popular but more disliked than non-bullying

peers

be less anxious than peers

have high self esteem and an inflated view of themselves,

especially about their social behaviour and influence

have lower levels of empathy than other students

 have poor impulse control and poor anger management
skills

be less likely to consider the negative consequences of their

actions on others or on their own relationships over time.

11 ways to help stop bullying

1) Learn about the issue

Media attention on bullying and cyberbullying is increasing

rapidly. The more informed and better educated you are, the more
effective you can be in impacting the problem. You can
find links to articles on bullying prevention on our
website or do a Google search of terms like bullying,
cyberbullying, etc.

2) Walk the talk

Children learn many social cues from adults, parents/caregivers,

and their peers. By modeling empathy, tolerance and respect in
your actions and communication, you impart these values, and
influence the attitudes and behaviors of your children.

3) Talk with your children

Often, if children are involved in bullying as either targets or

aggressors, they are reluctant to talk about it. Ask your children
about their social experience at school, especially if they seem
withdrawn or are exhibiting unusual changes in their mood or
behavior.

4) Monitor your child online

Cyberbullying is the fastest growing type of peer-on-peer

mistreatment today. It is important for parents to be able to
monitor their childrens use of Facebook, MySpace and other
social media sites, both at home and on mobile devices.
5) Understand your schools policies

Rules, procedures and policies regarding bullying vary greatly

from district to district. Many states have enacted anti-bullying
legislation, but implementation at the school site may be lacking.
Speak with school officials and your school board about what
policies they have in place and what programs they have
implemented to address bullying and cyberbullying.

6) Identify and build alliances in your community

Local service clubs, PTAs, local government and businesses can

be a source of support and funding for bullying and cyberbullying
prevention programs like Safe School Ambassadors. Working with
the various stakeholders in your community is an effective way to
build a coalition and create safer school climates.

7) Advocate for safer schools

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, attend or join your
local PTA or school board, or start a community group dedicated
to addressing bullying and cyberbullying at your local schools.

8) Join our Waking Up Courage Community Online

Join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! Every week

we share tools, inspiration and the latest news on waking up
courage and the anti-bullying movement.

9) Sponsor a workshop

Community Matters offers Parent Workshops that provide

parents and guardians with an understanding of what bullying is
today, the social, emotional and financial costs to students,
parents and schools, and communication tips to effectively
support children and teens.

10) Sponsor Safe School Ambassadors (SSA) at a school

Many schools have the desire to provide proven effective school
climate improvement programs like Safe School Ambassadors,
but lack the funding to implement them. By sponsoring SSA at
your local school or alma mater, you can create positive change
by reducing bullying and cyberbullying, creating a climate of
safety, inclusiveness and respect. Click here to learn how
Spencer Sherman sponsored the SSA program at his alma
mater, Bayside High School in New York.

11) Support Community Matters financially

Community Matters welcomes donations of any amount to help

provide its programs and services to schools in need.