Summary of Positive Findings Evaluation of the Bullysafeusa School-Based Bullying Intervention Summary of Positive Evaluation Findings
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Summary of Positive Findings Evaluation of the BullySafeUSA School-Based Bullying Intervention Summary of Positive Evaluation Findings Program Creator SuEllen Fried, A.D.T.R. Program Facilitators SuEllen Fried, A.D.T.R. Kathy Saucier Lynne Lang, M.H.M. Andrew M. Terranova, Ph.D. Mary Fischer Jan Klein Evaluation Coordinator Andrew M. Terranova, Ph.D. Summary Report Contributors Adam Williams Kari Staley Brendan Rogers This evaluation received partial funding from the creator, SuEllen Fried and the American Psychological Foundation. To request copies of this report or a more detailed summary of the evaluation findings, contact SuEllen Fried at [email protected] or Andrew Terranova at [email protected] (936) 468-1483. Bullying Involves • Intent to harm • Intensity and duration • Abuse of power • Vulnerable targets • Negative consequences to target Bullying is both prevalent and associated with adjustment difficulties for all children involved, which includes the targets of bullies, the bullies themselves, and the small group of youth who both bully some peers and are bullied by other peers (e.g., Nansel et al., 2001; Olweus, 1993). Bullying can be physical (e.g., hitting or pushing), verbal (e.g., calling someone names), emotional (e.g., excluding a classmate), sexual (e.g., teasing about sexual orientation), or even cyber (e.g., send embarrassing pictures of a classmates). A Comprehensive School-Based Bullying Intervention Designed to Reduce Bullying and Promote Prosocial Behaviors The BullySafeUSA program includes a Student Empowerment Session and follow-up activities with students Grades K-12. Students will learn the five kinds of bullying - physical, verbal, emotional, sexual and cyber bullying. They will learn about the roles of the target, the bully and the witness and how those roles interchange. An emphasis on actions that witnesses can take is a key component. A new saying: "Sticks and Stones can break you bones, but words can break your heart" is introduced. Students will learn strategies for dealing with bullies, the difference between tattling and reporting, differences between the ways girls and boys bully and a strong segment on empathy. They will understand that bullying is a form of child abuse - peer to peer abuse. A goal of the BullySafeUSA program is to change the culture of the school by reducing the pain, rage, revenge cycle that is connected to bullying. Staff training and parent seminars are offered to support the student empowerment session, a unique component of the program. An activities guide, "30 Activities for Getting Better at Getting Along" will reinforce the attitude and behavior changes that are anticipated (Fried & Lang). For more information on the BullySafeUSA program, visit the website at www.bullysafeusa.com Evaluation Surveys were collected from over 1000 elementary and middle school students in Louisiana, Florida, and Missouri at the beginning and end of a school year. Between the two assessment periods, the treatment group participated in the BullySafeUSA intervention and the comparison group did not receive any systematic bullying intervention. Treatment Group Comparison Group • 558 Participants • 442 Participants • Mean Age = 10.06 years • Mean Age = 10.17 years • 58% Female/42% Male • 54% Female/46% Male Caucasian African American Caucasian African American Native American Hispanic/Latino Native American Hispanic/Latino Asian/Pacific Islander Multi-Ethnic Asian/Pacific Islander Multi-Ethnic Evaluation Highlights Although bullying was prevalent at the beginning of the school year in both the treatment and comparison groups, students who participated in the BullySafeUSA intervention… 1. learned the material presented in the class discussions. 2. began feeling a growing sense of responsibility to help the targets of bullies. 3. continued to report incidents of bullying to teachers, meanwhile the comparison group was less likely to report incidents of bullying over the course of the school year. 4. evidenced reductions in peer victimization rates in both Louisiana and Florida. 5. in the Louisiana evaluation evidenced a 14% reduction in bullying rates. Meanwhile the comparison group evidenced a 26% increase in bullying. Finding 1 Children who participate in the BullySafeUSA intervention learn the material presented in the class discussions. Factual Knowledge about Bullying 80 70 BullySafeUSA Group 66% correct 60 Both groups 50 answered approximately 40 36% correct at Comparison Group 44% 30 pretest. Knowledge correct 20 (Percentage Correct) 10 0 Pretest12Posttest Based on these findings, Timeit is clear that youth who participate in BullySafeUSA learn about the different types of bullying; why their peers bully; and what they should do when they are the victims or witness others being attacked. Explanation of Procedures: Children were asked a series of questions to test their factual knowledge about bullying. These questions asked children to identify examples of physical, verbal, and emotional bullying. They are also asked why some people become bullies, and what is the difference between tattling on someone and reporting bullying. Sample Question What is the difference between tattling and reporting? A) They are the same B) Tattling is when you get people out of trouble and reporting gets people in trouble C) Tattling is when you get people in trouble and reporting gets people out of trouble D) Tattling is telling on someone and reporting is something people do for newspapers Finding 2 Children who participate in the BullySafeUSA intervention reported a growing sense of responsibility to help the targets of bullies. Sense of Responsibility 3.6 BullySafeUSA Group 3.55 3.5 3.45 3.4 Comparison Group Responsibility 3.35 3.3 (Scale 0 = Never to 4 = Always) = 4 to Never = 0 (Scale 12 Pretest Posttest By the end of the year, children participating in the BullySafeUSA Program reported it is ALWAYS important to help the targets of bullies. The comparison group, however, reported it was almost always important, and showed a trend towards a decreasing sense of responsibility. Explanation of Procedures: Children were asked a series of questions inquiring how often it is important to help peers who are being picked on or bullied. Sample Question: How often should the witnesses of bullying help the target? 0) Never 1) Almost Never 2) Sometimes 3) Almost Always 4) Always Finding 3 Children who participate in the BullySafeUSA intervention continued to report incidents of bullying to teachers, meanwhile the comparison group was less likely to report incidents of bullying over the course of the school year. Reporting Incidents of Bullying (Louisiana Evaluation) 2.5 2 BullySafeUSA Group 1.5 1 Comparison Group Reporting 0.5 (Scale 0 = Never to 4 = Always) = 4 to Never = 0 (Scale 0 Pretest12Posttest Reporting incidents of bullying to adults is an important to reducing bullying because of the imbalance of power between bullies and their targets. Additionally, teachers are only aware of approximately 25% of bullying incidents. Thus, in order for teachers to help, students must be willing to report these incidents. Explanation of Procedures: Children were asked when bullied, how often they talk with teachers about the incidents. 0 = Never 1 = Almost Never 2 = Sometimes 3 = Almost Always 4 = Always Finding 4 Reductions in victimization were associated with the BullySafeUSA intervention. Frequency of Peer Victimization (Louisiana Evaluation) 1.8 1.6 BullySafeUSA Group 1.4 evidenced a 20% reduction in peer victimization rates. 1.2 1 Victimization in the Comparison Group Victimization 0.8 remained relatively stable. 0.6 (Scale 0 = Never to 4 = Always) = 4 to Never = 0 (Scale 0.4 Pretest12Posttest Youth participating in the BullySafeUSA intervention reported a 20% reduction in peer victimization experiences in Louisiana and an 18% reduction in Florida! Explanation of Procedures: Children were asked a series of questions inquiring how often they were the targets of physical, verbal, and emotional bullying. Sample Question: How often have other students bullied you by telling lies about you? 0) Never 1) Almost Never 2) Sometimes 3) Almost Always 4) Always Finding 5 Children who participate in the BullySafeUSA intervention evidenced reductions in bullying rates relative to the comparison group, in locations where students continued reporting incidents of bullying to teachers. Frequency of Bullying (Louisana Evaluation) 1 0.8 BullySafeUSA Group 0.6 Comparison Group Bullying 0.4 0.2 0 (Scale 0 = Never to 4 = Always) = 4 to Never = 0 (Scale Pretest12Posttest Whereas youth participating in the BullySafeUSA intervention in Louisiana reported a 14% reduction bullying behaviors, the youth who did not participate in an intervention reported a 26% increase in bullying! Explanation of Procedures: Children were asked a series of questions inquiring how often they engaged in physical, verbal, and emotional bullying. Sample Question: How often have you bullied other students by telling lies about them? 0) Never 1) Almost Never 2) Sometimes 3) Almost Always 4) Always Conclusions Bullying is a serious problem facing children today, and comprehensive intervention is needed to reduce bullying. The current evaluation suggests that the BullySafeUSA program is just such a program that can have positive effects in reducing bullying and peer victimization. For more information on what schools, counselors, parents, teachers, and children can do to reduce bullying or to find out more about the BullySafeUSA program, visit the following website www.bullysafeusa.com . “To all the bullies out there, it’s not worth it. You can’t judge people by their differences because that’s what makes them who they are.” - Teegan Fifield as quoted in Bullies,Targets,and Witnesses (p. 276, Fried & Fried, 2003) .