NCJ Number
222088
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: 2008 Pages: 83-114
Date Published
2008
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This study explored issues for both the individual practitioner/researcher and for the field as a whole, in developing and integrating theory in relation to school bullying.
Abstract
The results of the study are presented in two parts. The first part focuses on the way in which individuals within the field are integrating theory to develop their personal bodies of knowledge. The second part focuses on the interplay between these personal bodies of knowledge and the public body of knowledge. Opinions are included about what has been achieved, what is missing, and how the field might be taken forward. Developing theory that would be useful in combating bullying can be conceptualized as the cycle of problem solving and learning. In short, the goal for both the individual and the field is to develop expertise. This is the product of having built a large body of problem-specific knowledge that is organized for problem solving. Creative thinking and dialectic thinking in particular, play a pivotal role in organizing the available information into useful definitions or theories of the problem. Mental representations produced in this way may serve as a useful guide during problem solving. Consolidating and extending its progress towards an expert understanding of the problem is likely to require the collaborative endeavor of those working in the field, and a more creative and even dialectic approach. Data were collected from interviews with 11 psychologists, expert in the field of school bullying who discussed their opinions about the current public body of knowledge and their personal approach to developing a personal understanding of bullying. The findings are organized with a problem-solving framework. Tables, note, references