ERIC Number: ED555259
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Nov-7
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Perceptions of Middle School Teachers about an Anti-Bullying Program
Lester, Robin; Maldonado, Nancy
Online Submission, Paper presented at the Annual Mid-South Educational Research (MSERA) conference (Knoxville, TN, Nov 7, 2014)
In recent years, K-12 schools throughout the United States have garnered nationwide attention because of bullying problems. Bullying impacts schools in various ways: student performance and self-regard, and it creates an environment of hostility in schools. Many factors contribute to the problem, including socioeconomic status, low self-esteem, peer pressure, and family life. Although the study target middle school had created an anti-bullying program, the incidence of bullying increased during the first and third year of the program's implementation. This study was guided by the theoretical framework of social learning theory that suggests that children learn to be violent as a result of imitating role models and being exposed to violent media content. The central concept is that individuals learn by observing others. A phenomenological study was conducted to investigate the perceptions of middle school teachers about the anti-bullying program. Data collection included semi-structured, open-ended interviews. All interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by coding in order to identify emerging themes. The themes that emerged included the content of the anti-bullying curriculum, the contributions of the anti-bullying program, recommendations for effective anti-bullying programs, and teacher readiness and preparedness to implement curriculum. Findings indicated that participants believe that there is a need for an up-to-date, anti-bullying program at the target school and a need to clarify the roles and responsibilities of school teachers and other school stakeholders. Study findings could have educational policy implications as well as positive social change implications. The findings of this study could also contribute on a larger scale.
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Florida
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A