scholarly journals The Invisibility of Covert Bullying Among Students: Challenges for School Intervention

2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Barnes ◽  
Donna Cross ◽  
Leanne Lester ◽  
Lydia Hearn ◽  
Melanie Epstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Young People ◽  
School Policy ◽  
School Intervention ◽  
School Level ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Bullying Policy ◽  
Whole School

Covert bullying behaviours are at least as distressing for young people as overt forms of bullying, but often remain unnoticed or unacknowledged by adults. This invisibility is increased in schools by inattention to covert bullying in policy and practice, and limited staff understanding and skill to address covert behaviours. These factors can lead to a school culture that appears to tolerate and thus inadvertently encourages covert bullying. This study explores these dynamics in Australian primary and secondary schools, including the attitudes of over 400 staff towards covert bullying, their understanding of covert bullying behaviours, and their perceived capacity to address these behaviours both individually and at a whole-school level. While most respondents felt a responsibility to intervene in bullying situations, nearly 70% strongly agreed with statements that staff need more training to address covert bullying. Only 10% of respondents described their current whole-school strategies as very effective in reducing covert bullying, and fewer than 40% reported their school had a bullying policy that explicitly referred to covert bullying. These results suggest an urgent need for sustainable professional development to enhance school staff understanding, skills and self-efficacy to address covert bullying through school policy and practice, and the need to identify and consolidate effective strategies to better address these behaviours.

Analysis of whole-school policy changes in Austrian schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-339
Author(s):  
Friedrich Teutsch ◽  
Lisa Gugglberger
Keyword(s):  
School Policy ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
School Staff ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Implementation Processes ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Current Implementation ◽  
Time Structures

Abstract Health Policies with school-wide effects have been shown to improve the health of students and school staff, but in practice, schools struggle with this approach. Ten Austrian schools which had recently adopted new time structure policies were investigated: On the basis of 19 interviews with school staff, we used thematic analysis to identify facilitating and hindering factors for the implementation processes. Furthermore, agency analysis was applied, in which the interviewees’ use of language was interpreted to estimate their perception of their own agency in the context of policy change. We found that in schools where policy changes were perceived as successfully implemented, staff was convinced of the benefits. In these schools, time structures were understood to directly influence learning and teaching processes and staff members showed a strong feeling of agency. On the other hand, schools were confronted with hindering factors similar to those known from the implementation of other health policies. The results are discussed in the light of current implementation practices, and conclusions for practitioners are drawn.

Involving young people in changing their school environment to make it safer

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 322-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Fletcher ◽  
Natasha Fitzgerald-Yau ◽  
Meg Wiggins ◽  
Russell M. Viner ◽  
Chris Bonell
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
School Change ◽  
School Level ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Action Groups

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the process of involving students and staff on school action groups, and staff and student experiences of reviewing local data and initiating school-level changes, to address bullying and other aggression. Design/methodology/approach – The authors draw on qualitative, process data collected at four purposively sampled pilot intervention schools in England via semi-structured interviews with school managers, action group members and facilitators (n=33), focus groups with students (n=16) and staff (n=4), and observations. Findings – School staff used multiple methods to recruit a diverse range of students onto school action groups. Locally tailored data reports were an important catalyst for action groups to identify priorities and plan whole school change – both through the process of “validation” (whereby existing concerns were confirmed) and “discovery” (whereby new problems were identified). An unexpected benefit of providing schools with these data was that it triggered analyses of other data sources, including routine monitoring data. External facilitators were important in promoting student voice and ensuring the intervention retained integrity as a whole-school restorative approach. Practical implications – It was feasible to involve young people using action groups, and there was evidence of school-level actions led by students, including in disadvantaged school contexts. Future Health Promoting Schools interventions could incorporate this approach to support locally appropriate, school-level change. Originality/value – The micro-level processes that were observed, whereby action groups interrogated feedback reports and collected additional data, suggest the responsiveness of such youth-involvement interventions to local needs. Contrary to many public health interventions, implementation appeared to be facilitated rather than hindered by features of the secondary-school “market” whereby parents have some choice between schools.

Building Capacity for System-Level Change in Schools: Lessons from the Gatehouse Project

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndal Bond ◽  
Sara Glover ◽  
C. Godfrey ◽  
Helen Butler ◽  
George C. Patton
Keyword(s):  
School Connectedness ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
School Intervention ◽  
System Level ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Whole School ◽  
School Based ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
Made In

The Gatehouse Project is an innovative, comprehensive approach to mental health promotion in secondary schools. It sets out to promote student engagement and school connectedness as the way to improve emotional well-being and learning outcomes. The key elements of the whole-school intervention are the establishment and support of a school-based adolescent health team; the identification of risk and protective factors in each school’s social and leaning environment from student surveys; and, through the use of these data, the identification and implementation of effective strategies to address these issues. The project evaluation used a cluster-randomized controlled trial design involving 26 schools with initial results demonstrating considerable success in reducing smoking rates among Year 8 children. This article describes and accounts for how system-level changes have been made in schools through a process of capacity building. This encourages teachers, parents, and students to view the core business of education differently.

scholarly journals Combating School Bullying through Developmental Guidance for Positive Youth Development and Promoting Harmonious School Culture

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 2266-2277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eadaoin K. P. Hui ◽  
Sandra K. M. Tsang ◽  
Bella C. M. Law
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
School Culture ◽  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
School Bullying ◽  
School Level ◽  
Developmental Guidance ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Development Paradigm

Bullying and violence, which can bring detrimental effects, are situations which young people have to face in their process of development. Though school bullying has been a spreading and explicit problem in Hong Kong schools, most of the programs or guidelines dealing with the problem lack citywide, recognized initiatives and the effectiveness of these programs is unknown due to the lack of evaluation. The present paper discusses preventing school bullying from a developmental guidance perspective, using the positive youth development paradigm and promoting the values of harmony and forgiveness at the whole-school level to cultivate a harmonious school culture as a way of combating school bullying.

Environmental Education: Implementation in a NSW Department of School Education Region

1996 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 61-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith Skamp
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
School Level ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Region Data ◽  
Survey Results

ABSTRACTSurvey results are described for the perceived, implementation of the NSW Environmental Education Curriculum Statement in one School Region. Data provide a picture of the extent to which schools have documented Environmental Education policies and the amount and kind of implementation at school level. Reference is made to the use of field study centres, community involvement, and the extent and possible impact of professional development opportunities on these measures. Comparisons are made between the primary and secondary sectors. Professional development does appear to have had some impact, and the ‘across curricula’ approach seems to have had partial success. Reasons for the limited involvement of secondary schools are suggested. The extent of primary project work which was occurring appeared encouraging but there were unanswered questions about whole school programs. NSW Government initiatives such as Field Study Centres and the Greening of Schools program appeared to be playing important roles.

MindMatters, a Whole-School Approach Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing

2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 594-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Wyn ◽  
Helen Cahill ◽  
Roger Holdsworth ◽  
Louise Rowling ◽  
Shirley Carson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Professional Development ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Mental Health Promotion ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Whole School ◽  
Wide Range

Objective: MindMatters is an innovative, national mental health promotion program which provides a framework for mental health promotion in Australian schools. Its objectives are to facilitate exemplary practice in the promotion of whole-school approaches to mental health promotion; develop mental health education resources, curriculum and professional development programs which are appropriate to a wide range of schools, students and learning areas; trial guidelines on mental health and suicide prevention and to encourage the development of partnerships between schools, parents, and community support agencies to promote the mental wellbeing of young people. Method: A team of academics and health education professionals, supported by a reference group of mental health experts, developed MindMatters. The program was piloted in 24 secondary schools, drawn from all educational systems and each State and Territory in Australia. The pilot program was amended and prepared for dissemination nationally. Results: The program provides a framework for mental health promotion in widely differing school settings. The teacher professional development dimension of the program is central to enhancing the role of schools in broad population mental health promotion. Conclusions: Promoting the mental health and wellbeing of all young people is a vital part of the core business of teachers by creating a supportive school environment that is conducive to learning. Teachers need to be comfortable and confident in promoting and teaching for mental health. Specific, targeted interventions, provided within a whole-school framework, address the needs of the minority of students who require additional support.

A Look Back: Church, state, and Kappan

2021 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 5-7
Author(s):  
Teresa Preston
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
School Policy ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Religious Instruction ◽  
Look Back ◽  
Diverse World ◽  
Supreme Court Rulings ◽  
Role Of Religion

In this monthly column, Kappan managing editor Teresa Preston looks back at how the magazine has covered questions related to the role of religion in public schools. Authors considered how Supreme Court rulings affected school policy and practice, whether religious instruction is necessary for promoting positive values, and how to encourage respect in a religiously diverse world.

scholarly journals Preserving and memorialising relationships: exploring young people’s experiences of foster care through the lens of social capital

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Gain Access

This article presents findings from research into how young people growing up in foster care in the UK manage the relationships in their social networks and gain access to social capital. It is a concept that highlights the value of relationships and is relevant to young people in care as they have usually experienced disruptions to their social and family life. Qualitative methods were used and the findings show that despite experiencing disruption to their social networks, the young people demonstrated that they were able to maintain access to their social capital. They achieved this in two ways. Firstly, they preserved their relationships, often through what can be seen as ordinary practices but in the extraordinary context of being in foster care. Secondly, they engaged in creative practices of memorialisation to preserve relationships that had ended or had been significantly impaired due to their experience of separation and movement. The article highlights implications for policy and practice, including the need to recognise the value of young people’s personal possessions. Furthermore, it stresses the need to support them to maintain their relationships across their networks as this facilitates their access to social capital.

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