Peer-led intervention campaign against school bullying: who considered it useful, who benefited? (Updated)
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GenderInclusion
What do we know about previous attempts to stop bullying?
The vast majority of strategies to counter bullying have consisted of actions undertaken by adults, such as school staff or parents. Although there is some evidence that these programmes have had positive effects, the effects vary considerably from school to school and in some cases matters have been made worse. The author suggested that the relative success of these interventions is related to the effort and resources that have been allocated to the problem.
Findings from previous research indicated that:
- primary school students were more likely to respond positively to anti-bullying campaigns than their secondary school counterparts;
- girls tended to show more positive attitudes than boys to anti-bullying campaigns; and
- pro-bullying students had reacted with amusement to an anti-bullying video.
The author noted that some students were more resistant than others to anti-bullying campaigns and speculated that some anti-bullying work might reinforce and strengthen negative attitudes.
