school management
Part of the problem with bullying interventions is that they often focus on the individual .
Changing the climate
New study puts forward teacher focused anti-bullying method .
By Emilie Lauer
A new approach to bullying focussing on building an “ antibullying climate ” in classrooms could reduce peer pressure at school , education experts have said .
For the past two decades , youth bullying rates in Australia have increased exponentially .
In 2009 , 27 per cent of year 4 to year 9 Australian students reported being bullied every few weeks or more .
In 2017 , around 56 per cent of year 4 students and 43 per cent of year 8 students had reportedly experienced bullying monthly or weekly during the school year .
A global school-based student health survey showed in 2022 , about 42 per cent of teenage boys and 37 per cent of adolescent girls had experienced bullying worldwide .
According to Australian Catholic University educational psychology Professor Herb Marsh general awareness around school bullying has become far more prevalent over recent years .
“ We ’ re only beginning to understand that bullying has significant long-term consequences , for the mental health of bullied students , but also victims and other students ,” Professor Marsh told Education Review .
“ At school , bullied students are more likely to be absent as they develop mental health issues .
“ Bullying is hard to counter in the classroom once it has begun . If teachers can ’ t control the bullying , it will disrupt their lesson and be counterproductive to good teaching .”
In their new study , Australian Catholic University researchers developed a new intervention approach to help stop bullying before it happens .
The new approach shifts the focus from individual students ’ behaviour to group behaviour by encouraging teachers to develop an “ anti-bullying climate ” in their classrooms .
“ Part of the problem with bullying interventions is that they often focus on the individual , and although individuals can stand up to the bully and defend the victim , it is likely to have negative consequences , and they might become a target too ,” Professor Marsh said .
“ What we ’ re saying instead is that the focus needs to be on changing the classroom climate that supports bullying .” Professor Marsh said the goal is to develop ‘ autonomy-supportive ’ teaching to prevent bullying by cultivating a caring , egalitarian classroom that minimises hierarchy , conflict and “ me-vs-you ” competition .
Under ‘ autonomy-supportive ’ teaching , educators can set an anti-bullying climate in their classroom by taking the time to listen to students and understanding their perspective , mind their tone when engaging with the class , take the time to explain to students why their requests are denied and acknowledge and accept students ’ negative feelings if they occur . “ By taking these steps , teachers can change their classroom climate and will reduce bullying ,” Professor Marsh said .
In their study , ACU researchers provided teachers with an eight hour intensive workshop on autonomy-supportive teaching to help educators understand the concept and develop strategies to implement in their classrooms .
They found students learning under this model were more likely to engage in pro-social behaviours and stand up for their peers .
“ The change in classroom climate resulted in a substantial decline in bullying and victimisation ,” Professor Marsh said .
In addition to autonomy-supportive teaching , Professor Marsh said school leaders and educators need to know how to differentiate the different types of bullying : physical , social , and relational , if they want to tackle the issue in the long term .
“ Relational bullying is excluding other students from friendship groups and interaction with students and it is that particular bullying that is the most detrimental to student mental health ,” he said .
“ Regarding the long-term effects , relational bullying is much more detrimental than physical bullying .”
Research has shown that bullying can affect students long-term , leading to depression , anxiety and self-harm .
ACU researchers are now looking to expand their study across Australian schools . ■
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