Research and Results
Study Shows 31 Percent Decrease in Bullying in STEPS TO RESPECT Schools
A study, "Observed reductions in school bullying, nonbullying aggression, and destructive bystander behavior: A longitudinal evaluation," published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Educational Psychology, found a 31 percent decrease in bullying and victimization in schools that participated in the STEPS TO RESPECT program for two years. It also found dramatic decreases in destructive bystander behavior, which can encourage bullying. “The changes observed in destructive bystander behavior were so substantial that the behavior almost disappeared,” the researchers wrote.
The study followed up an earlier study, “Walking the talk in bullying prevention: Teacher implementation variables related to initial impact of the STEPS TO RESPECT program,” which detailed findings based on a year of observing students and teachers who used the STEPS TO RESPECT program. Findings showed that teachers who taught all the lessons had more socially competent students at the end of the year.
Findings also showed that teachers who “walked the talk” by diligently supporting positive behavior and coaching kids involved in bullying had greater success with the program. In fact, their students showed significantly less aggression, victimization, and encouragement of bullying on the playground than students who received less support. An article about this study was published in the School Psychologists Review and selected as “Article of the Year” by the National Association of School Psychologists in 2007.
For the new study, Karin S. Frey, Ph.D., Jennie Snell, Ph.D., and Miriam K. Hirschstein, Ph. D., of the University of Washington and Leihua V. Edstrom, Ph.D., of the Bellevue School District observed 360 students and surveyed 624 students in six Puget Sound area schools. Compared with students in the “control group” of schools that did not participate in the STEPS TO RESPECT program, the researchers found that students in schools that had participated in the program for two years experienced:
• A 31 percent decline in bullying
• A 70 percent reduction of destructive bystander behavior
• A 36 percent decline in nonbullying aggressive behavior
The findings also pointed to the importance of the adult-child partnership that the STEPS TO RESPECT program aims to create in schools. “Adults need students to disclose bullying, and children need adults to monitor behavior and provide protection,” the authors said.
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