THE EFFECTS OF BIBLIOTHERAPY ON THE BULLYING BEHAVIORS OF ADOLESCENTS

A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Educational Specialist in Human Services, Learning Resources in the

Department of Educational Leadership and Human Development

Angela Van Batavia

University of Central Missouri

April, 2012

Thesis Statement• Students who participate in a bibliotherapy unit regarding

bullying are less likely to bully others and more likely to intervene when other students are being bullied.

“We all are either bullies, bullied, or bystanders” (Dr. Richard Gross, American Medical Association Forum on Bullying, “Introduction” sec.).

Definitions

• Bibliotherapy—Fixed reading of documents that helps readers understand themselves and cope with problems relevant to their personal situations and developmental needs (Janaviciene 119).

• Bullying—Repeated confrontations that are physical or relational between or among students with a direct intent to cause harm (Olweus, What is Bullying; Graham 66); to qualify as bullying there also needs to be an imbalance of power between the victim and perpetrator (Lodge and Frydenberg 330).

• Bullying bystanders—In a bullying situation, the student(s) who watch the bullying incident occur (Lodge and Frydenberg 330; Karna and Voeten 263).

Definitions

• Bullying perpetrator—In a bullying situation, the student who is committing the act; can be referred to as the “aggressor” or “bully” (Olweus, Bullying or Peer Abuse 197).

• Bullying victim—In a bullying situation, the student who is being targeted, or picked on (Olweus, Bullying or Peer Abuse 197).

• Empathy—A person’s emotional response to someone else’s perceived emotions; empathy facilitates prosocial behavior and inhibits antisocial behavior (Jolliffe and Farrington 540).

Definitions

• Direct bullying—Repeated confrontations between students that involve physical actions (Joliffe and Farrington 540)

• Indirect bullying—Confrontations between students that involve purposely ignoring, giving mean looks, or using hurtful words (Joliffe and Farrington 540)

What does the literature say?

1. Zero-tolerance and character education programs have a mixed success rate (Merrell et al.).

2. Bullies often exhibit lower levels of empathy than those who don’t regularly bully (Joliffe and Farrington)

3. Bystanders are the key. Many new bully prevention programs focus on changing the behaviors of the bystander instead of changing the behavior of the bully (Karna and Voeten).

Results of BullyingIn 2010 Graham reported that bullying perpetrators are more aggressive and victims are more vulnerable than in the past (Graham 66).

Stagg Elliott reports for The American Medical Association that bullies are more likely to drink and smoke, more likely to grow up to abuse their spouses, and more likely to engage in criminal behavior.

Bullies are more likely to drop out of school and engage in delinquent behaviors (Gottfredson, Gottfredson, and Hybl 201).

Bullying victimization is connected to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation (Crothers and Kolbert 133).

Targets have been shown to be more socially isolated, lack social skills, have more anxiety, and have a higher risk for depression and suicide (Smith et al. 547).

Bullies and targets have both shown poorer psychological adjustment than those not involved in bullying (Smith et al. 547).

School Population: K-5 Elementary school in suburban Kansas City; 512 students; 35% Free and

reduced; 75% White; 1 librarian with fixed schedule on 4-day library rotation; three 5 th grade classes with 83 total students

Control Group

• Two fifth-grade classes with 56 combined students

• Of the 56 students, 30 parental consent forms were returned; 14 boys and 16 girls

• Of those who returned consent forms, all signed assent forms.

Testing Group

• One fifth grade class with 27 students.

• 15 boys and 12 girls in the testing group; all of the consent forms were returned.

• Of those who returned consent forms, all signed assent forms.

Lesson Plans for bullying bibliotherapy

• Unit Objectives: • You will understand character motivation and cause and effect.

• You will be familiar with online resources.

• Day 1:

-Using Wall Wisher, http://wallwisher.com, brainstorm the questions with a partner and record your answers:

1. Why are students in your school bullied?

2. What could you do if you saw someone being bullied?

Lesson Plans for bullying bibliotherapy

• Day 2:

-Review Wall Wisher postings and discuss

-Read chapter 1 and 2 (aloud) of Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin.

• Day 3:

-Review aspects of autism and using http://www.kidblog.org

write down traits that caused Jason to be bullied.

-Microsoft Lync call with Asst. Principal at a nearby middle school to discuss bullying—at school and personally.

Lesson Plans for bullying bibliotherapy

• Day 4:

-Students shared some examples of their siblings/friends being bullied (unplanned). We talked about reasons why those siblings/friends were bullied and how bystanders could have changed or helped the situation.

• Day 5:-Read A Shelter in Our Car by Monica Gunning and discussed bullying because of lack of money. -Using Powerpoint, create a comparison slide describing the characteristics that the main character can control and things she cannot control. Discuss which of these traits bullies pick on more.

Lesson Plans for bullying bibliotherapy

• Day 6:

Cyberbullying: Students watched clips on Netzsmartz

-Read article on Megan Meier

-Students discussed cyberbullying and why they thought it was easier to bully this way than face to face.

• Day 7:

Bystanders: Watched clip on bystanders and their role in bullying.

-Read Terrible Things by Eve Bunting and used Mobi to write one word to describe the situation at the end of the book when no bystanders helped.

Lesson Plans for bullying bibliotherapy

• Day 8 and 9:

-Final Project Choice:

1. Using Glogster, create a poster describing the feelings of someone who is bullied.

2. Using Make Belief Comix, create a comic strip showing how a bystander can help someone being bullied.

• Day 10:

-Present Glogs and Comic Strips

Glogster Posters and Make Belief Comic Strips

• Isabella and Carol• Brayden• Beezus• Sophie

• Pirate Victim• Weird Hair Victim• Grandpa Bystander• Wheelchair Victim

Results of Bullying Survey

Table 1 Percentage of students responding to bullying behaviors and experiences

Testing group Control group n = 27 n = 30

Been bullied at school in the past couple of months 22% 53%Have you taken part in bullying another students 3% 16%Have you seen someone being bullied 44% 73%Are you afraid of being bullied 29% 50%

Percentage responding "yes"

Results of Bullying Survey

100% responded "yes" 95% responded "yes"Testing group Control group

Number of students who have seen a bullying incident 12 22

I told a teacher or another adult 8% 32%50% 64%

I stood up for the person being bullied 67% 73%I told the bully to stop

Table 3 Percentage of students who claim that they have taken positive action when they witnessed a bullying incident occur at school in the last couple months (students were allowed to choose any answer that applied)

Results of Bullying Survey

100% responded "yes" 95% responded "yes"Testing group Control group

n = 12 n = 22I told a teacher or another adult 8% 32%

50% 64%I stood up for the person being bullied 67% 73%I told the bully to stop

Table 3 Percentage of students who claim that they have taken positive action when they witnessed a bullying incident occur at school in the last couple months (students were allowed to choose any answer that applied)

Threats to validity and obstacles (between-subjects research) • History and Maturation—10 weeks of library lessons, not

counting Spring Break, end of 3rd quarter work day.• Assignment bias—What were the relationships like in the

classes before I began the bibliotherapy? • Fixed Library Schedule—4-day rotation with a 30-minute

lesson schedule. Every Friday, Gifted students are out of the building.

• Laptop issues—5-10 minutes to log on/off• Partnering up—Approximately 2:1 laptop ratio in 5th grade

Conclusions

Thesis: Students who participate in a bibliotherapy unit regarding bullying which focuses on empathy are less likely to bully others but only slightly more likely to intervene when other students are being bullied.

1. Students who participated in bullying bibliotherapy experienced and participated in less bullying than those who did not.

2. Students who participated in bullying bibliotherapy were only slightly more likely to intervene when other students were being bullying.

Applications• Talk to teachers and administrators. Get permission from

your building administrator. Ask to review Student Survey data.

• Collaborate with the social worker, counselor, teachers. Use the adopted school bullying language.

• Give the students time to talk and allow the students to talk with others who have different perspectives.

• Make text to world, text to self connections before, during and after reading.

• Use different forms of media in lessons.

Works CitedGraham, Sandra. “What Educators Need to Know About Bullying Behaviors”, Phi Delta Kappan, 92.1 (2010): 66-69. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.

Crothers, Laura and Jered Kolbert. “Tackling a Problematic Behavior Issue: Teachers’ Intervention in Childhood Bullying Problems.” Intervention in School and Clinic. 43.3 (2008): 132-139. SAGE. Web. 1 Mar. 2012.

Gottfredson, Denise, Gary Gottfredson, and Lois Hybl. “Managing Adolescent Behavior: A Multiyear, Multischool Study.” American Educational Research Journal, 30. (1993): 179-215. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Mar. 2011.

Gross, Richard. “Educational Forum on Adolescent Health: Bullying.” AmericanMedicalAssociation. American Medical Association. 2002. Web. 20 Oct. 2011.

Janaviciene , Daiva. “Bibliotherapy Process and Type Analysis: Review of Possibilities to Use in the Library.” Bridges/Tiltai. 32.4 (2010): 119-132. 152-173. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Mar. 2011.

Karna, Antti, and Marinus Voeten. “Vulnerable Children in Varying Classroom Contexts.” Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 56.3 (2010): 261-282. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Mar. 2011.

Joliffe, Darrick, and David Farrington. “Examining the Relationship Between Low Empathy and Bullying.” Aggressive Behavior. 32 (2006): 152-173. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.

Lodge, Jodie, and Erica Frydenberg. "The Role of Peer Bystanders in School Bullying: Positive Steps Toward Promoting Peaceful Schools." Theory Into Practice 44.4 (2005): 329-36. Academic Search Complete. 2 Mar. 2011.

Merrell, Kenneth, et al., “How Effective Are School Bullying Intervention Programs? A Meta-Analysis on Intervention Research.” School Psychology Quarterly 23. 1 (2008): 26-42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.

Net Smartz Workshop. Netzsmartz. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 2011. Web. 3 Feb. 2012

NBC Universal Media. NBC Learn. National Broadcasting Company. 2012. Web. 3 Feb. 2012.

Olweus, Dan. "Bullying or Peer Abuse at School: Facts and Intervention." Current Directions in Psychological Science (Wiley-Blackwell) 4.6 (1995): 196-200. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.

Smith, J., et al., “The Effectiveness of Whole-School Anti-Bullying Programs: A Synthesis of Evaluation Research.” School Psychology Review 33.4 (2004): 547-560. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Mar. 2011.

Stagg Elliott, Victoria. AMA Recognizes Bullying as Child Health Problem. American Medical Association, July, 2001. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.