NCJ Number
227939
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: July-September 2009 Pages: 216-232
Date Published
July 2009
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined Oklahoma public school students' perceptions of bullying.
Abstract
Highlights of the results of the study include: (1) children who were bullied most frequently worried more than their less victimized peers; (2) older students consistently identified bullying as happening more frequently at their schools than younger students; (3) when asked about personal victimization in three different types of bullying, both physical and social bullying decreased as the students got older; only sexual bullying increased across grade levels; and (4) from third to seventh grade, a steady decrease was seen in the perceived hurtfulness of bullying behavior. After seeing the escalation of school violence over the past several years, it was determined that more must be learned about the nature of bullying and its effects on victims. The purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of 7,848 Oklahoma public school students about the seriousness of bullying, their involvement in bullying (as a victim or as a perpetrator), their responses to being bullied or seeing someone else getting bullied, and their suggestions of what they wanted adults to do to make the situation better. It also investigated perceptions of students who were frequently bullied. Tables and references