Bullying in Our Schools: The Impact of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

Abstract

Bullying has been an issue in school throughout the years in communities across the world. Most students have either been a victim of bullying, been the bully, or have witnessed bullying no matter what school they attend, or grade level. Many schools struggle to find ways to educate students on the effects of bullying and how to teach students to deal with bullying situations they may face in school. This study focused on a small suburban school district who sought out a bullying prevention program called Olweus Bullying Prevention Program. The study examined the effects the program had within its first year of implementation, and looked into the perceptions of the program by both staff members and students. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected throughout this research study. Students were interviewed by the myself in the form of open-ended questions. Staff members were given the opportunity to respond to an anonymous online survey. Several findings were discovered. Findings suggested that although staff members at the school were not totally sold on the program, the students were gaining important information and strategies to help deal with bullying and that the program was making a difference in the day-to-day lives of the middle school students.