Uppsatsen syftar att undersöka skolhälsopersonalens uppfattning av barns grupperingar och statusordningar, hur skolan och skolhälsopersonalen hanterar utanförskap och mobbing samt hur de arbetar med skolans värdegrund. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med anställda i skolhälsovården. Resultatet visar att skolhälsopersonalen har god insyn i barns statusordningar samt att statusarbetet är komplext. Två typer av popularitet framkom, den negativa populariteten karaktäriseras av en tuff attityd och ett manipulativt beteende. Den positiva populariteten karaktäriseras av hjälpsamhet och vänlighet. Populära barn har sociala förmågor och impopulära barn uppvisar brister på dessa. Barnens grupperingar uppvisar olika mönster, fokus i uppsatsen är på könsskillnader och ledarroller. Negativa konsekvenser av barns statusarbete är exempelvis kränkningar och mobbning. En könsskillnad gällande mobbning är att flickors mobbning är dold och pojkars är synlig. Skolan hanterar utanförskap och mobbning med ett förebyggande värdegrundsarbete, där barn utbildas i människors lika värden. De skolor som aktivt arbetade med värdegrunden tenderade att ha en bättre stämning. Vi uppfattar en förgivettagen sanning där ett normbrott är att inte vara del av en grupp och ensamma barn bör vara missnöjda med utanförskapet. / The purpose of this essay is to study how school health staff perceives grouping and status mechanisms amongst children. It also aims to get an understanding of how the school handles exclusion and bullying. We are also interested in the work with how the school works with values stated in the curriculum for Swedish schools. Qualitative interviews were conducted with employees of the school health staff. The results show that the staff has a good understanding of status among children, it also shows that children’s construction of status is complex. Two types of popularity were revealed, one negative form of popularity that is characterized by an attitude of toughness and manipulative behaviour. The positive popularity, on the other hand, is characterized by kindness and a willingness to be helpful. Popular children have a good social capability and unpopular children show a lack thereof. The groupings among children shows patterns, this essays focus on sex differences and roles of leadership. Negative consequences that derive from the construction of status among children are for example abusive behaviour and bullying. A difference between the sexes is that bullying among girls is less visible than among boys. The school deals with exclusion and bullying through a preventive work with the values stated in the curriculum for Swedish schools, the children are educated in everyone’s equal value. We found that the schools that actively work with these values tend to have a better atmosphere. We perceive an underlying perception that it is in violation with the norm to not be a part of a group and that children who are alone should be discontented with their exclusion.

The present study aimed to investigate the cyber bullying and empathy relationship with respect to gender by utilizing the traditional bullying and empathy relationship. Additionally, the predictive role of traditional bullying, frequency use of information and communication tools, and adult monitoring of the Internet use on cyber bullying was examined. The sample consisted of 717 adolescents (411 females, 302 males) with a mean age of 16.83 (SD=1.46). Cyber Bullying Inventory (Erdur-Baker &amp / KavSut, 2007) was revised, Traditional Bullying Questionnaire was developed and Basic Empathy Scale (Jolliffe &amp / Farrington, 2006) was adapted into Turkish and utilized in the present study. Results of the study pointed that 55.2% of the adolescents reported to engage in traditional bullying and 47.6% of them reported to involve in cyber bullying. Males&rsquo / scores were higher than females&rsquo / for both traditional and cyber bullying. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that traditional bullying and frequent use of ICT predicted cyber bullying well. Finally, results of multiple regression analyses indicated that gender was a mediating factor in the negative relationship between empathy and bullying. In other words, females who have higher empathy scores reported to have less frequent traditional and cyber bullying experience. Males who have lower empathy levels reported to have more frequent traditional and cyber bullying experience. However, gender did not moderate the negative relationship between empathy and bullying. Findings were discussed in the light of the literature.

The current focus in bullying intervention programs has shifted from the traditional attention to bullies or victims of aggression in isolation, and instead focused on systemically targeting the ecology in which the behavior occurs. This study sought to determine if a six session classroom intervention coupled with a teacher education program was sufficient to alter the attitudes and behaviors related to overt aggression of fourth grade students. The treatment manual for this intervention was developed following a review of the literature on ecological intervention for overt and social/relational aggression. The objectives of the study's treatment program were to reduce bullying behaviors through an ecological approach by: 1) educating students on types of bullying (physical and social), the role of the bystander in contributing to the existence of bullying, and the consequences for individuals and the classroom environment when bullying occurs; 2) challenging sympathetic attitudes about the appropriateness of bullying; 3) providing students with strategies for intervening when they observe bullying; 4) modeling bystander interventions; 5) giving students an opportunity to practice bystander interventions; and 6) empowering classrooms to develop a code of conduct for working together to reduce bullying. Participants were 71 fourth grade students from a Central Texas elementary school. Participants completed self-report measures on attitudes related to the appropriateness of aggression and a peer-ratings measure of their classmates' frequency of prosocial behavior and overt aggression. Research questions sought to determine whether participants in the intervention would demonstrate: 1) decreased attitudes favorable to aggression; 2) increased prosocial behavior; and 3) reduced overt aggression. Results of the study supported the hypothesis of reductions in participants' peer-rated overt aggression but did not support hypotheses of reduced favorable attitudes towards aggression and increased peer-rated prosocial behavior. A supplementary analysis found that participants rated as most overtly aggressive by their peers demonstrated significant reductions in overt aggression following intervention. Implications and limitations of the study's findings are provided.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The Swedish school system’s curriculum states that some of the schools goals are to; help to develop pupils’ sense of belonging, solidarity and responsibility for people outside the restricted group, combat discrimination and degrading treatment of individuals or groups and to show respect for individuals. (Lgr 11). Eriksson and other authors in School – an arena for bullying (2002) refer to the professor and psychologist Dan Olweus, who points out that bullying can develop serious consequences for the bullied one. Some of them are being ashamed of themselves and build a poor self-esteem that can take their whole life to recreate. It is probably known as one of the most common social issues in a school environment, whether it’s about younger or older pupils, yet many times also the unsolved ones. For this reason I chose to investigate how the adults at schools have an attitude towards: What bullying is caused by? How they perceive and define its responsibility to detect and counteract bullying? How do the adults work to resolve the bullying-related situations and conflicts at the school? This has been examined by one perspective, through the interviewed councilor’s, principal’s and teacher’s aspects. The results of the study showed that the they take care of the cases that come to them with their action plans but find it difficult to detect what may be hidden. In addition, the hidden bullying is very common among older pupils, where there seems to be a sensitive subject for them to pick up, hence the unsolved cases.

Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing in all segments of our society. While research exists on the physical consequences of obesity, the social implications of childhood obesity require study. Those who are obese are visibly different from their peers and are more likely to experience physical and verbal abuse when compared with their normal weight peers. Objectives: The objectives of the two studies comprising this thesis were to examine, 1) the temporal sequence between adiposity class and bullying involvement, and, 2) to determine whether the relationship between adiposity class and weapon carrying is mediated by bullying. Methods: Objective 1. Participants were administered the Health Behaviour in School-Age Children Survey (HBSC) in 2006 and 2007. Study outcomes were self reports of: 1) physical bullying victimization and perpetration, and 2) relational bullying victimization and perpetration. Relationships between adiposity and the four forms of bullying were investigated in separate analyses using a repeated measures design. Objective 2. A cross-sectional analysis of the health experiences of 7877 Canadian children (11-15 years) using the 2006 HBSC survey was conducted. Relationships between adiposity status and weapon carrying were evaluated using multi-level logistic regression. Mediation by bullying involvement was assessed using standard methods. Results: Objective 1. Adiposity class was shown to precede bullying involvement, with obese males reporting 2-fold increases in both physical and relational victimization, while obese females reported 3-fold increases in perpetration of relational bullying. Objective 2. Results suggest that overweight and obese males report increased odds of weapon carrying compared to their normal weight peers. Among obese males, partial mediation of this relationship was observed by acts of: physical victimization, relational victimization and physical perpetration. No such relationships were observed among female students. Conclusions: Objective 1. Our study demonstrates the importance of adiposity status as a determinant of poor interpersonal relationships. These findings are congruent with previous cross-sectional studies, and confirm that obese youths are at increased risk of social consequences attributable to their appearance. Objective 2. Overweight and obese male students appear to be more likely to carry weapons for defensive and offensive purposes, a behavior mediated in part by bullying involvement. / Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2009-08-20 14:56:57.616

Bullying is a pervasive problem in schools, but more recent attention has been given to bullying that takes place via electronic media. To study electronic bullying and aggression effectively research needs to consider the unique qualities of the electronic medium including its capacity for anonymity, disinhibition, public forum, and under-regulated content. Electronic bullying does not occur in isolation; therefore it must be studied in relation to peer processes that occur in the “real world.” Research has neither uncovered the potential “real world” precursors of electronic bullying and aggression nor has it uncovered how students perceive the harmfulness of electronic aggression. The two studies presented here fill these gaps in the literature. The first study examined the precursors of electronic bullying and victimization in a sample of grade 9 and 10 students who were followed longitudinally. Students were administered questionnaires assessing electronic bullying/victimization, perceived harm of electronic aggression, empathy, normative beliefs, and prosocial behavior. The results indicated that “real world” behaviors such as verbal bullying and prosocial behavior were precursors of electronic bullying, while victimization by social bullying and social aggression were precursors for electronic victimization. In addition, females, older students, and students with less prosocial behavior were at risk for involvement in electronic bullying. Implications for these findings include the importance of integrating interventions that foster positive behavior in the “real world” and online, particularly for students at highest risk for involvement. The second study examined students’ harm perceptions of electronic aggression and how similar behavioral and cognitive factors may also influence perceptions of electronic aggression. Cross-sectional data were collected from students in grades 7 through 9 who were administered the same questionnaires above. Electronic bullying was perceived as more harmful than physical and social aggression, particularly for girls and students with highly prosocial behavior. Thus, electronic aggression is a very serious issue for students and education is needed to change the social norms for acceptable behavior in cyberspace. Consistent with social-cognitive theory, similar demographics and behaviors predicted electronic behavior and perceptions. Future research should continue to extend the social-cognitive model to electronic conflict. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-22 21:15:56.732

Previous studies have established that for some people a typical day at work starts with immense feelings of distress, anxiety and irritability caused by workplace bullying. Not only does bullying behaviour in the workplace have a negative impact on a person’s professional life, but it is also detrimental to the effectiveness of the organisation. A survey focussing on the perceived exposure to bullying and victimisation in the workplace was administered to a sample of 159 employees employed by a mine in Mpumalanga. The results uncovered that more than a quarter of the participants reported that they had experienced workplace bullying. The study also discovered that line managers experienced more negative acts than senior managers. While those who only experience a brief spell of bullying behaviour at work survive their experience relatively unscathed, previous studies have also indicated that others are affected in a significant physical and psychological way. In conclusion this study determined that workplace bullying is an actual occurrence, not only internationally but also in South Africa. Employees and employers can therefore only benefit from understanding this unique workplace phenomenon. This article provides the opportunity for employed people to recognise the nature and prevalence of workplace bullying in order to prevent it from becoming a silent epidemic. Researchers generally accept that bullying is behaviour that is aggressive or negative and carried out repeatedly. Previous research established that bullying can occur in any context where people interact. This article open by synthesising a conceptual framework of negative acts as an interactive form of organisational behaviour from the available literature. Empirical research was done in order to investigate the prevalence of negative acts. The study found that more than a quarter of the participants had experienced bullying at some stage during their career with managers and supervisors predominantly reported as the perpetrators. The study also found that behaviour that tends to isolate individuals was generally reported as the most frequently experienced form of negative acts. By understanding workplace bullying both employers will be able to implement influence strategies aimed at dealing with this workplace phenomenon at levels of protection, intervention and dispute resolution. In conclusion it has been established that workplace bullying is not only a real problem in international workplaces, but also in South Africa. This means that employers not only have to cope with the consequences of employees performing badly but also behaving badly. This article presents an opportunity to understand negative behaviour in the workplace. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-93). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xi, 109 leaves, bound 29 cm

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-113). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.