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A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Bullying Prevention Programs' Effects on Bystander Intervention Behavior

NCJ Number
306496
Journal
School Psychology Review Volume: 41 Issue: 1 Dated: 2012 Pages: 47-65
Author(s)
Joshua R. Polanin; Dorothy L. Espelage; Therese D. Pigott
Date Published
2012
Length
19 pages
Annotation

Based on a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of bully prevention programs on bystander intervention, the authors suggest that researchers and school administrators should consider implementing programs that address bystander intervention behavior in addition to bullying prevention programs.

Abstract

This meta-analysis synthesized bullying prevention programs' effectiveness at increasing bystander intervention in bullying situations. Evidence from 12 school-based programs, involving 12,874 students, indicated that overall the programs were successful (Hedges's g = .20, 95 percent confidence interval [CI] = .11 to .29, p < .001), with larger effects for high school (HS) samples compared to kindergarten through eighth-grade (K-8) student samples (HS effect size [ES] = 0.43, K-8 ES = 0.14; p < .05). A secondary synthesis from eight of the studies that reported empathy for the victim revealed treatment effectiveness that was positive but not significantly different from zero (g = .05, 95% CI = −.07 to .17, p = .45). Nevertheless, this meta-analysis indicated that programs increased bystander intervention both on a practical and statistically significant level. These results suggest that researchers and school administrators should consider implementing programs that focus on bystander intervention behavior supplementary to bullying prevention programs. Publisher Abstract Provided