NEWS RELEASE
July 26 2002
What
schools can do about bullying
UniSA’s
internationally renowned authority on bullying in schools, Adjunct
Associate Professor Ken Rigby, will speak on ‘What schools can do about
bullying’ at the Inaugural International Middle Schooling Conference
being held in Adelaide on Sunday, 28 July 2002.
Professor
Rigby will discuss information in his new book, A
meta-evaluation of methods and approaches to reducing bullying in
preschools and early primary schools in Australia, commissioned by the
Federal Attorney General’s Department. The book examines evaluations of
intervention programs to reduce bullying from around the world, in
particular, studies of programs in pre schools and early primary schools.
It includes evaluations of anti-bullying programs undertaken in
Switzerland, the United States, Canada, England, Finland, Norway, Spain,
Belgium and in Australia.
In
addition to describing the programs, Professor Rigby will discuss what has
been discovered about the way in which Australian schools are responding
to the issue of bullying.
Professor
Rigby said that interventions generally do work in reducing bullying, but
some have been shown to work better than others.
“You
cannot relate the success of programs to the specific components of the
programs. Some programs emphasize the use of rules and consequences, while
some use mediation and so-called no-blame methods, such as the Method of
Shared Concern. The evaluation of interventions worldwide does not
conclusively indicate that one approach is better or more successful than
the other,” Professor Rigby said.
“You
cannot attribute the success of an intervention to the specific way in
which children who bully are treated. Both approaches have been used
successfully in anti-bullying programs. Some schools in Australia are now
selective in deciding in which cases a no blame approach can work or where
the more punitive approach appears necessary.”
In
general, anti-bullying programs have been more successful in reducing the
numbers of children being victimised at school than in reducing the
numbers of children engaging in bullying.
“It’s
easier to teach children skills to protect or defend themselves to prevent
them from being bullied than it is to stop children from being aggressive
towards other children.”
Professor
Rigby emphasized that anti-bullying programs work more effectively with
younger children than with older children.
“Research
suggests that the more committed a school is to working on anti-bullying
policies and practices, the greater the reduction in bullying. It appears
that it is the commitment of staff rather than the specific program used
that has led to more significant reductions in bullying,” he said.
“When
children go from primary to secondary school, there is generally an
increase in bullying because the children are going into a new environment
with a new pecking order and older children can be more difficult to cope
with.
“It’s
also more difficult for secondary school teachers to get to know the
children as well as primary school teachers do, largely because secondary
students move between classes and teachers. Generally speaking, teachers
in secondary schools are less able to support children personally, when
compared with primary schools,” Professor Rigby said.
“There
is much discussion now about providing separate middle schools for
children aged from about 10 to 13 years. This may help in making the
transition smoother for more vulnerable children.”
Professor
Rigby believes that it is very important to produce an appropriate
environment for children to move into, especially one which is adequately
supportive so that there is no increase in bullying when they go from one
type of school to another. He will address this and other issues related
to bullying at a conference run by the Department of Education, Training
and Employment, at the Hilton International Hotel in Adelaide on Sunday,
28 July at 10.50 am.
Copies
of the book A meta-evaluation of
methods and approaches to reducing bullying in preschools and early
primary schools in Australia are freely available by telephoning 1800
703 777.
Media
contact: Geraldine Hinter (08) 8302 0963 or 0417 861832
Professor Rigby can be contacted after hours on (08) 8443 8708.
