Running head: ACTION RESEARCH BULLYING

Action Research Bullying Cathy Eggleston Heidelberg University Course #596 December 2, 2013

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING Abstract To determine what area to focus on for my action research paper, I first constructed a needs

assessment. This was done by a survey of the staff using Survey Monkey. Once responses were received and analyzed it was determined that the issue of bullying would be addressed. The guidance department and I developed 3 activities that were done school wide. One activity was Unity Day, which included a pledge and show of support. The next activity involved a band aid and students making individual responses. The third activity involved an assembly by our resource officer regarding the dangers of cyber bullying. Once these three activities were completed, a second Survey Monkey was sent out for feedback from all staff. Feedback was reviewed and discussed by the Guidance Department.

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING The Needs Assessment Early in the school year, I developed a needs assessment to determine the needs of the students from the view point of the teachers, administrators and other staff. The needs assessment included seven questions that each offered several check boxes. Questions also had an area which allowed for comments to be written. By having check box areas as opposed to just free flowing comments, Survey Monkey was then able to be used to analyze the data. We were able to get percentages regarding the

feedback and more easily determine areas of focus. Check box areas were determined looking at topics addressed on the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) website and by internet searches regarding common problem areas for Middle School students. Check box areas included: Self Esteem/Self Awareness, Bullying, Problem Solving/Coping Skills, Time

Mgmt/Organization Skills, Behavior/Respect, Peer Pressure, Depression/Suicide, Decision Making Skills, Study Skills, Relationship Issues, Divorce, Substance Abuse, Test Anxiety, Goal Setting, Anger Management, and Career Planning. Staff could select five of these areas that they felt were the most important to be addressed. In addition to the check boxes and the data received from them, we were able to gather additional data from the teachers comments. We looked at the individual comments for trends and patterns regarding themes. The data from the survey showed the top four areas selected were fairly closely aligned in comparison with the other areas. The top four areas with the percentage of votes they received were: Self Esteem/Self Awareness 73%, Bullying 68%, Problem Solving/Coping Skills

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING

62% , Time Mgmt/Organization Skills 57%. Bullying was not the number one issue identified from the survey; it was the number two issue. Although it was the second highest scoring issue, the Guidance Department, consisting of my supervisor, the second counselor and myself, discussed and decided that we would focus on Bullying. There were several reasons. It was something we could implement quickly, as there were many resources available on line, particularly since October is national bully prevention month. We would be addressing several ASCA domains. We would be addressing the personal/social needs of most of the student body, as most students have been effected by or witnessed bullying at some time. According to Jill DeVoe and Christina Murphy (2011) from the National Center for Education Statistics in school year 2008-09, some 7,066,000 U.S. students ages 12 through 18, or 28.0 percent of all such students, reported they were bullied at school, and about 1,521,000, or 6.0 percent, reported they were cyber-bullied anywhere (i.e., on or off school property). (http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED523061.pdf) Addressing bullying could potentially lower anxiety regarding school and have a secondary effect of raising grades and improving academics. It was decided that the issue of self-esteem and self-awareness could be considered when creating or selecting activities for students to do but that the focus at this time would be on Bullying. Per Stopbullying.gov, Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, school, and mental health issues. Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience: depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood.

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING [They are more likely to have] health complaints. [They are more likely to have] decreased academic achievementGPA and standardized test scoresand school participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school. (http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/effects/) Per Stopbullying.gov, bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems. (http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-isbullying/definition/index.html) Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems. Sharon Padgett and Charles E. Notar (2013) did a meta-analysis of 26 anti-bullying programs that are currently being used in schools. Many of the programs they described focus more on using the power of the bystander or the caring majority to change the overall climate of the

school. Padgett and Notar (2013) point out that it may not be the specific interventions that cause a change but rather the investment, commitment, and support of school staff (p. 91) The Interventions We were able to develop three significant events about bullying that reached out to the entire student body. These events were: Unity Day, the Band aid activity, and an assembly regarding Cyber bullying. Red Ribbon week, which is traditionally focused on just drugs and

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING alcohol use was modified to include the theme of making good choices. We were able to include the Band aid activity and the assembly as part of Red Ribbon Week. Unity Day: We discovered Unity Day on the web at Pacer.org. Per the Pacer website, they created the campaign of National Bullying Prevention month in 2006. The website offers multiple activities and resources that can be used to help promote anti-bullying. Unity Day is a national event that focuses on the bystander being one of the most effective ways to help end bullying. Unity Day focuses on students uniting together to stop bullying. The idea is for bystanders to speak up help end bullying. Unity Day was October 9th . Leading up to Unity Day, multiple posters were hung in the halls and around the school letting students know what it was. The Guidance Department began talking with other staff members and with the students about what

Unity Day means. Three days prior to Unity Day, the information about it was put on the school list serv, so that the information went out to all parents and community members who are part of the list serv. The information on the listserv was sent in both English and Spanish. All students and staff were asked to wear orange to show their support. Unity Day happened to fall on parent teacher conference night so parents were also encouraged to wear orange. Messages were read over the announcements to the school. The messages focused on speaking up to help stop bullying. On Unity Day, many of the staff and students wore orange. A pledge was read over the announcements and in each individual classroom. Students were encouraged, but not required, to sign a pledge to stand up to bullying and not just watch it happen. The vast majority of the

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING students signed the pledge. These were left hanging on the walls to help remind students to speak up. Band aid: The Band aid activity was done as part of Red Ribbon week. This was an activity taken from Tolerance.org. Tolerance.org is a website that focuses on teaching students and teachers equal opportunity and respect for differences in schools. Per the website, A positive school climate promotes student learning and development. A school community where everyone feels safe, respected and engaged prepares children for life in a diverse and democratic society. The Band Aid activity was from the Tolerance Fall 2013 newsletter, issue number 45, p19 and was created by Mary Pennington Ruhter, Landmark Middle School, Moreno Valley, California. All students were given a large paper Band aid that read Im sorry for ____ and Next time I will ____. Students were asked to write about 1. a time when they bullied

someone or that they were a bystander and 2. what they could do differently in the future. There were multiple outlines of large people hung in the class hall ways. Students could then take their Band aid and place it on the person poster. Students and staff can read these anonymous Band aids throughout the halls. Cyber bullying Assembly: The Cyber bullying was also done as part of Red Ribbon week. Per Stopbullying.gov, cyber-bullying is defined as bullying that takes place using electronic technology. Electronic technology includes devices and equipment such as cell phones, computers, and tablets as well as communication tools including social media sites, text messages, chat, and websites. Examples

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING

of cyber-bullying include mean text messages or emails, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles. (http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html) The Guidance Department had decided to add a cyber-bullying component as students in our school are allowed to use smart phones during the day. The Guidance Department also finds that students come to report mean things or bullying online fairly frequently. Cyber-bullying effects students much like more traditional forms of bullying. Per Stopbullying.gov kids who are cyber bullied are more likely to: Use alcohol and drugs, Skip school, Experience in-person bullying, Be unwilling to attend school, Receive poor grades, Have lower self-esteem, Have more health problem. (http://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it/index.html) The assembly was given by our school resource officer. He provided the assembly to each grade level separately. The Deputy focused on the potential dangers of the internet, about how bullying is easier when it is anonymous, and how students need to think carefully about what information they are sending over the internet. The Assessment of Results After these activities were completed, a second Survey Monkey survey was sent to all staff asking for feedback. Staff were asked about each of the three activities, whether or not the felt it was effective and whether or not they would like to see that specific activity again in the future. Staff did not complete as many surveys as they had with the needs assessment, however we did receive feedback from 17 staff.

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING 59% of the staff that responded found that the Unity Day activity was helpful and 77% would like to see the activity done in the future. Most comments were around spending more time explaining the pledge to the students rather than relying on individual teachers for that activity. 82% of the staff found that the activities done during Red Ribbon week were helpful. This activities included the Band Aid activity and the Cyber Bullying assembly. 82% of staff

would like to see these specific activities done in the future. Comments regarding these activities were mixed and minimal. One comment felt Red Ribbon week should only be about drugs and alcohol and a second felt like all staff meetings should be cancelled during these events to allow extra teacher time. Reflections What did I learn Pacer.org is a wonderful resource. While I already was aware, this project helped to reinforce the availability of resources. That many wonderful activities are shared on line or in magazines, allowing interventions to be pulled together quickly. It was also reinforced that, overall, others are more than happy to help with interventions, for example the resource officer. By coordinating and figuring out the simple logistics, ie working with the custodians to have the assembly ready, the resource officer was able to focus on his part and we were able to present to each student in attendance. That being said, in looking at the feedback and processing comments with my supervisor, some teachers did not appear to follow through with activities, particularly Unity Day. This may have been for several reasons: pressure to do well on testing and not wanting to take class time away, not understanding the activity, or a small group (2-3 teachers) who do not necessarily see

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING the value of guidance activities done by teachers. The teachers who were invested and understood the activity had students who were invested and understood the activity. The teachers who did not, did not. I learned the importance of both the teacher buy-in and the guidance teacher relationship.

10

For the next activity that teachers will be asked to complete, I

will attempt to go to team meetings to make sure that they understand not only the activity, but the reasoning and benefit behind it as well. The Guidance Department has begun to work on a plan to help improve the teachers understanding of the importance of activities conducted by teachers.

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING References

11

DeVoe J., and Murphy, C. (2011) Student Reports of Bullying and Cyber-Bullying: Results From the 2009 School Crime supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey National Center for Education Statistics: US Department of Education. From http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED523061.pdf

Padgett, S, and Notar, C. (2013) Anti-bullying Programs for Middle/High Schools. National Social Science Journal; 2013, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p88-93, 6p

Ruhter, M. (2013) Band-Aids for Bullying Teaching Tolerance number 45, p19 Information regarding bullying and cyber-bullying from http://www.stopbullying.gov/index.html Tolerance information from http://www.tolerance.org/professional-development Unity Day information from http://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/

ACTION RESEARCH: BULLYING Unity Day Pictures: 6th, 7th, & 8th grade lunches

12