1. OBPP Teacher Guide, p. xii
What Is Bullying?
“Bullying is when someone repeatedly and on purpose says or does mean or hurtful things to another person who has a hard time defending himself or herself.”
OBPP Teacher Guide, p. xii
It’s important to begin by making sure we have a common understanding of what bullying is—and what it isn’t.
Pioneering researcher Dr. Dan Olweus was one of the first people to study bullying. According to Dr. Olweus [READ SLIDE]
[NOTE: Try to avoid using the terms “bully” and “victim” as much as possible when describing students. This helps avoid labels and focus on behavior. Be sure to encourage this practice in schools as well.]
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group

2. Three Key Components of Bullying Behavior
Involves an aggressive behavior
Typically involves a pattern of behavior repeated over time
Involves an imbalance of power or strength
Bullying is characterized by three key components.
Bullying is a form of aggression
2. The behavior is often repeated, although adults may often not be aware of a pattern until a serious event occurs. (Don’t wait for a pattern before responding.)
3. Unlike other forms of aggression, there is an imbalance of power or strength between the child who is bullying and the child who is being bullied.
—The imbalance of power can be physical, but it is often emotional or verbal, and it can be quite subtle.
—This imbalance of power makes it difficult for the bullied child to defend himself or herself physically, verbally, and emotionally.
Bullying is a form of victimization (or peer abuse) and shares some characteristics (including repetition and power imbalance) with other forms of victimization such as domestic violence and child maltreatment.
[For more information see the Schoolwide Guide (SWG) p. xii; the Teacher Guide (TG) pp. 11–13; SWG CD-ROM Document 1, pp. 3–5; SWG DVD Parts 1 and 2.]
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 2

3. Direct Bullying Hitting, kicking, shoving, spitting
Taunting, name-calling, using degrading comments
Threatening or obscene gestures
Adults are most familiar with direct bullying and are most apt to respond to it.
Common examples include [READ SLIDE]
Most school discipline policies focus on direct forms of bullying.
[For more information see TG pp. 14–15; SWG CD-ROM Document 1, pp. 5–6; SWG DVD Parts 1 and 2.]
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 3 3

4. Indirect Bullying Getting another person to bully someone
Spreading rumors
Causing another person to be socially isolated
Cyber bullying
Bullying can also be more subtle or indirect in nature [READ SLIDE]
Cyber bullying (using , the Internet, and text messages) is a new frontier for bullying. It can be particularly difficult for schools to discover and address.
[For more information see TG pp. 14–15; SWG CD-ROM Document 1, pp. 5–6.]
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 4 4

5. Effects of Being Bullied
Lower self-esteem
Depression and anxiety
Absenteeism and lowered school achievement
Thoughts of suicide
Illness
Bullying may seriously affect (1) psychosocial functioning, (2) academic work, and (3) the health of children who are targeted. Effects can be both short- and long-term.
Being bullied is related to lower self-esteem, higher rates of depression, loneliness, and anxiety.
Children who are bullied are more likely to report wanting to avoid school, and they have higher absenteeism rates.1
Children who are bullied are more likely to report disliking school and receive lower grades.2
Early peer exclusion (during kindergarten) leads to decreased classroom participation and, in turn, to lowered academic achievement in 5th grade.3
Children who are bullied are more likely to report more suicidal ideation than non-bullied peers. Though relatively rare, suicide has been linked to persistent bullying.
Children who are bullied are more likely to develop physical ailments such as stomach pains, sleeping problems, headaches, tension, bedwetting, fatigue, and poor appetite.
1. Rigby, K., Bullying in Schools: And What To Do About It (Briston, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1996).
2. Eisenberg, M. E., D. Neumark-Sztainer, and C. Perry, “Peer Harassment, School Connectedness and School Success,” Journal of School Health 73 (2003): 311–16.
3. Buhs, E. S., G. W. Ladd, and S. L. Herald, “Peer Exclusion and Victimization: Processes That Mediate the Relation between Peer Group Rejection and Children’s Classroom Engagement and Achievement,” Journal of Educational Psychology 98 (2006): 1–13.
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 5 5

6. Concerns about Children Who Bully
Children who bully are more likely to:
get into frequent fights
be injured in a fight
steal or vandalize property
drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes
be truant or drop out of school
report poor academic achievement
perceive a negative climate at school
carry a weapon
There is also reason to be concerned about children who bully their peers. Researchers have found bullying behavior to be related to other antisocial, violent, or troubling behaviors. They are more likely than their non-bullying peers to [READ SLIDE]
[For more information see TG pp. 21–22; SWG CD-ROM Document 1, pp. 14–15.]
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 6 6

7. Effects of Bullying on Bystanders
Bystanders may feel:
Afraid
Powerless to change the situation
Guilty for not acting
A diminished empathy for victims over time
Returning to the question “Why is it important to address bullying in school?” we’ve already discussed:
How bullying affects children who are bullied
Concerns for children who bully
Why else should we be concerned? One other compelling reason is the effect that bullying may have on bystanders or witnesses to bullying, who make up a much larger proportion of students in a school.
Children who observe bullying going on around them may feel [READ SLIDE]
[NOTE: Reduced empathy can result in bystanders joining in or siding with the child who bullies, rather than intervening to help or support bullied students.]
[For more information see TG pp. xii–xiv.]
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 7 7

8. Effects of Bullying on School Climate
Bullying creates a climate of fear and disrespect.
Bullying interferes with student learning.
Students may feel insecure and not like school as well.
Students may perceive a lack of control or caring.
If prevalent, bullying may also affect the climate of the entire school (or a segment of a school) in the following ways [READ SLIDE]
[For more information see TG p. xiv.]
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 8 8

9. Program Components Parents Classroom School Community Individual
Research shows bullying prevention needs to happen on multiple levels to be effective. The four Olweus program components are based on this and consist of:
• a school-level component
• a classroom-level component
• an individual-level component (working with
individual students and their parents)
• a community-level component
[CLICK MOUSE so that “parents” is added to the slide.]
Parents are very important for success of the Olweus program. They are involved at all four levels.
Individual
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 9 9

10. Take-Home Message It is possible to reduce bullying.
It requires a team effort.
It requires a long-term commitment.
© 2007 The Olweus Bullying Prevention Group 10 10

11. CVCS Anti-Bullying Rules
We will not bully others
We will try to help students who are bullied
We will try to include students who are left out
If we know that somebody is being bullied we will tell a trusted adult at school and an adult at home