Criminology Explains School Bullying by Robert A. Brooks Jeffrey W. Cohen

Author:Robert A. Brooks, Jeffrey W. Cohen [Robert A. Brooks, Jeffrey W. Cohen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Criminology
ISBN: 9780520970465
Google: atHzDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Published: 2020-09-01T03:32:38+00:00

POLICY IMPLICATIONS OF SOCIAL PROCESS THEORIES

Social process theories all take as their starting point the idea that individuals are inseparable from their social contexts and relationships, including the school, peers, and family. One approach to bullying prevention that aligns with the implications of social process theories is Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support (PBIS) programs. PBIS “trains teachers, school staff, and administrators to model, provide practice opportunities for, and reward and correct children in learning specific actions for stopping bullying behaviors” (Letendre, Ostrander, and Mickens 2016, 239). In their discussion of these programs, Letendre, Ostrander, and Mickens (2016) noted that the focus is placed on student behaviors, not the labels of bully and victim, and that “participants discuss, model, and practice effective responses for seeking assistance from others, accessing social support, and avoiding situations where bullying might occur” (239). A number of rigorous evaluation studies, including some randomized control trials, have found significant positive effects of these types of programs (see Good, McIntosh, and Gietz 2011).

The success of these programs may be partially the result of how they change the overall culture of a school in ways that (1) make it more conducive to the learning of prosocial behaviors, norms, and definitions; (2) increase the likelihood of informal social control through bystander intervention; and (3) reduce labeling. For instance, Ferráns and Selman (2014) noted that “rules of the culture [that] create safe, ordered, caring, and empowering environments can help adolescents fulfill their personal needs for safety, connection, and power and increase the chances that witnesses will take a stand against bullying and peer aggression” (185). Similarly, Jenkins and Fredrick (2017) found a “significant and positive relation between social capital and prosocial bystander behavior” (766). Their notion of social capital included peer support, teacher support, and social skills, all of which are aspects of PBIS. Finally, these types of programs may also increase the likelihood that witnesses and victims will report bullying incidents to adults in the school.

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