For over a decade national attention to bullying in American schools has increased, fueled by publicity about suicides of severely bullied youth. Schools have the charge of maintaining the safety of all students in order to ensure a positive learning environment, but there is little information about what they are doing to prevent bullying. The purpose of this study was to provide information on principals’ perceptions of bullying and what anti-bullying policies, procedures, and programs exist in Texas middle schools. Ninety-nine principals completed an online questionnaire that addressed: 1) their knowledge of district and campus policies concerning bullying; 2) their direct experience with bullying; and, 3) bullying-prevention strategies and training in place in their schools. Principals reported direct experience with all types of bullying included on the questionnaire in their schools, but had a surprisingly small mean of 14.8 verified bullying incidents during the 2010-2011 year. Over 60% felt the level of physical safety in their school was good or very good, but only 35% rated their school’s emotional safety as good or very good. Students, parents, and teachers reported bullying to the majority of principals; however, few schools conducted annual student surveys that could provide accurate information about bullying in their schools. Procedures required by state law were more likely to be in place than those not required, though not all schools complied with all requirements. Fewer than 10% of schools had implemented a formal anti-bullying program. The most commonly cited obstacles to effectively addressing bullying were lack of time to conduct investigations and getting parents to file written reports (40%); however, despite having anti-bullying training, 27% felt limited by the lack of strategies. This study fills a void in the literature by providing a statewide overview of middle school principals’ knowledge of district and campus policies and procedures on bullying. It also shows the extent to which legal requirements and best practices have been implemented.

Memoria para optar al título de Periodista / 389 son los casos de discriminación homofóbica denunciados desde el 2002 hasta el 2008. Estos atropellos se producen cuando el entorno de un joven gay o una chica lesbiana se enteran de esa orientación sexual y comienzan los malos tratos por parte de familiares, compañeros y amigos. Para efectos de este reportaje, entenderemos como orientación sexual la definición entregada por la organización no gubernamental Movimiento de Minorías Sexuales (Mums), que afirma en su segundo cuadernillo de formación “Sexualidad, Género y Otras Cosas” que la orientación sexual, cualquiera sea esta, se determina por seis elementos: la fantasía, el deseo, el erotismo, la afectividad, la genitalidad y la conciencia de si mismo; es hacia donde una persona se dirige, no importando el sexo biológico.

Today students confront more than writing, reading, and arithmetic in school. Students witness and participate in various forms of bullying at an alarming rate. As educators we must help create an environment that is conducive for all students to learn. This study examines college students' definitions and perceptions of incidents of bullying that they witnessed, or where they were the victim or perpetrator. Through 41 in-depth interviews and utilizing the constant comparative method of analysis, themes were identified including reasons students bully and are bullied, such as: weight, size, clothing, being perceived as different, sexual preferences, and placement in special education. Clothing as a reason for bullying emerged as a theme that was echoed by many of those interviewed. Whether it was the brand name of the clothes, where they were purchased, or the style of the clothes, several participants were bullied and bullied others because of clothing. Participants' definitions of bullying were from the perspective of those who are bullied, bully, and who have witnessed bullying, and included defining emotional bullying. Other students noted in their definitions the role of groups and the role of power in incidents of bullying. Unique to this study were participants' recollections of regrets. These regrets were from those participants who had participated as a bully or as a witness. In addition, themes that emerged in the data included: how students perceive teachers' involvement in incidents of bullying, ways to reduce bullying in schools, where bullying occurs, and why some people bully. / Ph. D.

Repeated instances of bullying plague schools and immobilize the learning environment for many students. Dissimilar views of policies related to bullying make it difficult for school personnel to consistently intervene on behalf of the victim. The purpose of this case study was to bring awareness to the diverse perceptions school personnel have concerning bullying and the constraints those perceptions place on implementing policies and practices set forth by the school. This qualitative case study examined the understanding and knowledge that school personnel had about bullying policies and practices at three private/independent middle schools in the metro Atlanta area. The research questions addressed were: What are school personnel’s understandings of the bullying policies at their school? What were their perceptions of bullying within their school? How does school personnel’s perception of bullying impact their efforts to intervene? Participants for the study included 3 middle school principals, two deans of students, three counselors and nine teachers. Data collected through interviews, non-participant observations, and documentation provided by each school yielded findings that clarity and awareness of bullying policies and practices were not always apparent. Additionally, varying perceptions of bullying impacted intervention efforts by school personnel. The study revealed the need for a clear and concise definition of bullying, along with policies and practices that address the issue. Additionally, school leaders need to monitor and hold school personnel accountable to address bullying consistently within the school.

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Memoria para optar al titulo de Periodista / La presente investigación tiene por objetivo dar a conocer las características particulares del acoso escolar en las comunas de Talcahuano y Coronel, de la región del Bío-Bío, a través del análisis y diagnóstico de los resultados obtenidos por las encuestas aplicadas en el marco del convenio del Instituto de la Comunicación e Imagen de la Universidad de Chile con Columbia Educational Designs para implementar el programa Zero en escuelas de la zona. De esta manera, se pretende demostrar la necesidad de estudios enfocados en localidades específicas que se distingan de aquellos realizados con un enfoque a nivel nacional.

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The aim of this thesis is to study the differences between traditional bullying and cyberbullying among adolescents, focusing on gender, psychosomatic problems, and disability, and to gain insight into health staff’s experience of bullying in schools. The four studies in this thesis were based on surveys undertaken among 3,800 adolescents in Grades 7, 8 and 9 in Sweden, as well as focus groups of 16 people consisting of school social workers and school nurses. While almost no gender differences were found among traditional victims, Study I showed that girls were more likely than boys to be cybervictims. Boys were more likely than girls to be traditional bullies, while girls were equally as likely as boys to be cyberbullies. Study II showed that psychosomatic problems were associated with being a victim, a bully or a bully-victim. Cyberbullying showed no stronger association with psychosomatic problems than traditional bullying. Study III: Three main categories emerged from school health staff’s experience: 1) “Anti-bullying team”; 2) “Working style”; and 3) “Perspectives on bullying”. The last two each comprised two sub-categories: “Team member”/“Single worker”; and “Contextual perspective”/“Individual-oriented perspective”. Study IV showed that, regardless of gender and grade, students with a disability were more likely to be bully-victims and, more particularly, bully-victims involved in both traditional bullying and cyberbullying. No differences between disabled adolescents and others were found with respect to the association between bullying and psychosomatic health. The results show that some adolescents are more likely to experience higher levels of psychosomatic health problems than others. They also show that some adolescents are more likely to be involved in bullying, either as victims, bullies or bully-victims. This thesis also discusses contextual and individual approaches adopted by schools in preventing bullying. / <p>Article 4 was in manuscriptform at the time of the thesis defense.</p>

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Sociology