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Can schools reduce bullying? The relationship between school characteristics and the prevalence of bullying behaviours.

Can schools reduce bullying? The relationship between school characteristics and the prevalence of bullying behaviours.
Can schools reduce bullying? The relationship between school characteristics and the prevalence of bullying behaviours.
Background. Bullying remains a persistent phenomenon in schools, but the extent to which day-to-day policies and practices relate to bullying prevalence has not been widely studied. In this study, we use an educational effectiveness framework to interrogate this relationship.
Aims. The aim was to study the relationship between school factors and prevalence of bullying in primary schools. We hypothesize that school conditions (e.g., size), school policies (e.g., behaviour policies), and school processes (e.g., teaching quality) are related to bullying prevalence.
Sample. Surveys were administered to pupils in 35 primary schools in four local
authorities in England. Pupils (N = 1,411) and teachers (N = 68) in the final year of primary school (year 6) were surveyed.
Methods. This study drew on the following data sources:
(1) A pupil survey on bullying behaviours
(2) A survey of teachers on school policies and processes
(3) Analysis of data on school processes from school inspection reports
(4) Analysis of secondary data on school conditions and pupil characteristics.
Three-level multilevel models were used to analyse the data.
Results. Results show a substantial school- and classroom-level effect on prevalence of bullying. Effective school policies were found to be related to levels of bullying.
Conclusions. The study provides support for the importance of schools’ embedded policies and practices in relation to bullying prevalence and provides evidence for policy on the importance of focusing on a broad range of outcomes.
0007-0998
255-272
Muijs, Daniel
62af2eff-0cb5-403b-81cc-7a3bfb3e640e
Muijs, Daniel
62af2eff-0cb5-403b-81cc-7a3bfb3e640e

Muijs, Daniel (2017) Can schools reduce bullying? The relationship between school characteristics and the prevalence of bullying behaviours. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 87 (2), 255-272. (doi:10.1111/bjep.12148).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background. Bullying remains a persistent phenomenon in schools, but the extent to which day-to-day policies and practices relate to bullying prevalence has not been widely studied. In this study, we use an educational effectiveness framework to interrogate this relationship.
Aims. The aim was to study the relationship between school factors and prevalence of bullying in primary schools. We hypothesize that school conditions (e.g., size), school policies (e.g., behaviour policies), and school processes (e.g., teaching quality) are related to bullying prevalence.
Sample. Surveys were administered to pupils in 35 primary schools in four local
authorities in England. Pupils (N = 1,411) and teachers (N = 68) in the final year of primary school (year 6) were surveyed.
Methods. This study drew on the following data sources:
(1) A pupil survey on bullying behaviours
(2) A survey of teachers on school policies and processes
(3) Analysis of data on school processes from school inspection reports
(4) Analysis of secondary data on school conditions and pupil characteristics.
Three-level multilevel models were used to analyse the data.
Results. Results show a substantial school- and classroom-level effect on prevalence of bullying. Effective school policies were found to be related to levels of bullying.
Conclusions. The study provides support for the importance of schools’ embedded policies and practices in relation to bullying prevalence and provides evidence for policy on the importance of focusing on a broad range of outcomes.

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Accepted/In Press date: 26 January 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 21 February 2017
Published date: June 2017
Organisations: University of Southampton

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 405318
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/405318
ISSN: 0007-0998
PURE UUID: 6428a740-9411-4c96-8e13-8670c2bf4bbd
ORCID for Daniel Muijs: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0131-8921

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Date deposited: 06 Feb 2017 15:20
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 06:17

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