Week 5-2

What caused them being bullied?

Although being bullied can be complex, there are some common causes for the occurrence of bully. As human beings, it is natural for students to form organizations and hierarchy (Smokowski & Kopasz, 2005). As such, the leaders in the organizations tend to show power and control over the weaker ones. Some common causes for bullying are listed as follows:

1)     Dysfunctional family background. Children from dysfunctional family background, such as family violence, are more likely to bully others to meet their inner needs.

2)     Need for power. Children who bully others enjoy the sense of control and power over others.

3)     Rewards from bullying. If children’s bullying behaviors are not prohibited or they even get some sweet fruits from the bullying, they and other children will be very likely to imitate the bullying (Dake et al., 2003).

What went wrong in the school system?

In the school system, the concepts that “kids are kids”, “it’s nothing big deal’, are the root for the bullying actions, which are completely wrong. Teachers and administrators tend to ignore or simply do not care for the bullying, thinking that children are just playing. This philosophy is totally wrong in the school system (Nicolaides & Smith, 2003).

What intervention and prevention strategies would you take if you were the teacher (when and how)? Please do your research first, and then discuss from the following perspectives: school environment, school policy, teachers' intervention, parents' involvement.

If I were the teacher, I would take the following intervention and prevention strategies.

•        Encourage children to speak out about their experience of being bullied (school environment & teachers’ intervention). This should be done prior to the bullying occurrence as a primary intervention.
•               Encourage collaboration and teach children how to solve conflicts properly (teachers’ intervention).
•         Ask parents to watch and talk to their children to learn about their experience of being bullied (parents’ involvement). This should be done prior to the severe bullying occurs.
•       Punish children who conduct bullying to others (school policy). This should be done after the bullying happens to show that bullying is a bad behavior. 

References

Dake, J. A., Price, J. H., & Telljohann, S. K. (2003). The nature and extent of bullying at school. Journal of school health, 73(5), 173-180.

Nicolaides, S., Toda, Y., & Smith, P. K. (2002). Knowledge and attitudes about school bullying in trainee teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 72(1), 105-118.

Smokowski, P. R., & Kopasz, K. H. (2005). Bullying in school: An overview of types, effects, family characteristics, and intervention strategies. Children & Schools, 27(2), 101-110.