A review of programs designed to prevent bullying has found that they led to decreases in victimization ranging from 17 to 23 percent. More intensive and long-lasting programs were most effective. Successful elements included parent meetings, improved playground supervision, and firm disciplinary methods, such as serious talks with bullies, sending them to the principal, and depriving them of privileges. Work with peers, including peer mediation or mentoring, was associated with an increase in victimization. The review was done for the Campbell Collaboration, which analyzes research findings in criminology.
Anti-bullying programs have a greater impact on children 11 or older. This may be because older children have superior cognitive ability, are less impulsive and more likely to make rational decisions. Study authors David Farrington and Maria Ttofi of Cambridge University recommend development of an international a system of accreditation for anti-bullying programs. They suggest cost-benefit analyses of anti-bullying programs, because saving money is a powerful argument to convince policy-makers and practitioners to implement intervention programs.
Posted by Jack Darrington
Monday, July 11, 2011 06:24
I’ve heard this kind of information about the efficacy of <a href="http://characteredtools.com/bullying.html">bullying programs</a> before and I’m wondering where to go to get more information about specific programs. Is there somewhere I should go to look for programs that I might enroll my son in?
Posted by Paul Stephens
Friday, July 09, 2010 01:58
Many thanks Professor Farrington.
I work at the University of Stavanger, where Professor Erling Roland’s anti-school bullying programme is called Zero.
On the UiS website, it is stated in Norwegian that ‘Zero er et mobbeprogram utviklet av forskere ved Senter for atferdsforskning ved Universitetet i Stavanger.’
In English translation, this reads, ‘Zero is (an anti-) bullying programme that has been developed by researchers at the Centre for Behavioural Research at the University of Stavanger’.
In passing, I must add that this is not a pilot programme but an up-and-running intervention that some schools in Norway have implemented.
Posted by david farrington
Friday, May 07, 2010 01:02
This study is described as a pilot project on a professional development program for teachers. I can’t see
any mention of the term “Zero”.
Posted by Professor Paul Stephens PhD
Monday, March 01, 2010 09:27
Has Professor Erling Roland’s famous anti-school bullying program in Norway – Zero – changed its name to the Norwegian Anti-Bullying Program? I cannot find any explicit reference to Zero in the systematic review/meta analysis, but the authors do connect Roland to the so-called Norwegian Anti-Bullying Program.
Posted by Verlinkenswertes (KW 04/10) | Criminologia
Sunday, January 31, 2010 02:47
[…] Anti-Bullying Programs Found To Cut Victimization 17-23% A review of programs designed to prevent bullying has found that they led to decreases in victimization ranging from 17 to 23 percent. (The Crime Report, 29.01.2010) […]