Inclusion and Diversity Essay Elizabeth Ferguson s4492512 Word Count: 1,598 words

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BULLYING WITHIN THE AUSTRALIAN SECONDARY EDUCATION SYSTEM:
WELL-BEING IMPACTS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
By Elizabeth Ferguson s4492512
Bullying in the school environment can have wide-reaching, negative effects on the well-being of
students, teachers, family, and other members of the community. What interventions have the
most success in dealing with and decreasing bullying incidences?
Unfortunately, bullying has become an exceedingly common experience for students of all
ages within the Australian education system; creating significant barriers to the presence of social
inclusion. This essay will explore the prevalence of bullying, and its general impact on the well-being
of all individuals affected; and detail some anti-bullying programs that are currently being employed
within Australian secondary schools. This essay will also suggest socially inclusive strategies from
other countries which could be successfully applied to bullying situations in Australian schools.
What are the effects of bullying on students academic experiences and social interactions with
teachers, friends, and family?
According to the Australian Federal Government, one in every four students in Australian
schools is affected by bullying at any one given time (Australia Government, Department of
Education, 2013a). These bullying behaviours can create a socially exclusive atmosphere within the
school environment. For clarification, bullying involves any aggressive or victimising behaviour by
individuals towards others that intends to cause harm, fear, or distress (Victorian Department of
Education and Early Childhood Development, 2014a). These actions can be verbal (E.g. name-
calling), physical (E.g. hitting others), social (E.g. deliberately excluding others), or psychological (E.g.
using mind games) (Kolbe Catholic College, 2013, 42). The term bullying also encompasses acts of
sexual harassment, homophobia, discrimination, and cyberbullying (VDEECD, 2014a). Social
Dominance Theory posits that bullying occurs to support social hierarchies in which those at the top
Inclusion and Diversity Essay Elizabeth Ferguson s4492512 Word Count: 1,598 words
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acquire evolutionary advantageous qualities such as power, status, and influence (Kiriakidis, 2011,
139; Sanders & Phye, 2004, 50).
Bullying acts have adverse, (direct and indirect) consequences for parties including the
victims, bullies, bystanders, and school as a whole (Victorian Department of Education and Early
Childhood Development, 2014b). Students who are victims of bullying may experience symptoms
such as headaches, sleeping problems, bad moods, low self-esteem, anxiety, nightmares, poor
appetite and depressive thoughts (Kiriakidis, 2011, 25). As a result of bullying, these victims may feel
disconnected, excessively emotional, less accepted, withdrawn, isolated, and wary of others
(VDEECD, 2014b). Bullying victims also often display significantly lower academic outcomes,
attendance and completion rates and experience higher risks of suicide ideation and family
problems (Glew, Fan, Katon, Rivara & Kernic, 2005; Kiriakidis, 2011, 28).
Bullies can be negatively impacted by these experiences as they can also report feelings of
disconnectedness, rejection, anger, and isolation, and thus may exhibit behaviours such as fighting,
vandalising property, and low attendance at school (VEECD, 2014b). Students who bully others can
experience less cohesion and greater conflict at home, leading to punishments such as hitting,
shouting, and grounding, which in turn may cause them to feel as socially excluded as their victims
(Kiriakidis, 2011, 141; Munn, Lloyd & Cullen, 2000, 2-6). The Department of Education (2014c)
estimates that young people who bully others have a twenty-five percent chance of obtaining a
criminal record by the time they reach thirty years of age.
Other impacted parties may include bystanders, teachers, the community and the school as
a whole. The recipients of socially exclusive behaviours can create general anti-social attitudes
towards the wider community (VDEECD, 2014b). Bystanders may experience feelings of guilt and
powerlessness which can lead to a reluctance to attend school and increased participation in risk-
taking behaviours (VDEECD, 2014b). If bullying situations remain unresolved, students may perceive
that teachers do not care for (and have little control over) students (VDEECD, 2014b). Consequently,
Inclusion and Diversity Essay Elizabeth Ferguson s4492512 Word Count: 1,598 words
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the school environment may become characterised by fear, disrespect, and difficulties with learning
in the classroom (VDEECD, 2014b).
What programs are currently being employed within Australian secondary schools to make them
more inclusive for students?
There are several general programs that Australian schools employ to prevent bullying,
intervene effectively, and promote pro-social behaviours. In the classroom teachers often have
students create rules for acceptable, pro-social behaviour which they all agree to uphold (Victorian
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2014d). Other aspects of such
agreements may include; advice for avoiding passively supporting bullying or for standing up to
bullies, and a list of all the possible behaviours that could be considered bullying (Koutsoukis, 2004,
69). Schools have held student-run social days consisting of activities and events that emphasise
social cohesion across the school (VDEECD, 2014c). Another common tool for dealing with bullying is
for teachers to preside over classroom meetings which provide a forum for students to discuss
school-related issues without fear of being judged (VDEECD, 2014d). All of these strategies set
ground rules for behaviour, help teachers stay informed and provide students with a safe and
supportive environment.
The Australian Government has created legal requirements for educational institutions with
regards to bullying. All schools need to have a bullying prevention policy, or policies that provide
students with a safe learning environment (Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development, 2014e). It is recommended that these policies are regularly reviewed and revised to
ensure ongoing effectiveness in providing clear definitions for all types of bullying behaviour, advice
to students on their responsibilities, strategy and program implementation (which include the wider
community), and procedures for consistent responses to socially exclusive behaviours, including
support and consequences (VDEECD, 2014e).
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Several formal Australia-wide bullying initiatives have been created for both teachers and
students. The first of these anti-bullying initiatives was the Friendly Schools Project. It detailed a
whole school process for bullying intervention using surveys, priorities, toolkits for implementation
within teaching and learning, and reviews for any necessary changes (Cross, 2013). The need for
change can be assessed according to the National Safe Schools Frameworks nine essential elements
of a pro-social school; leadership commitment, a supportive culture, policies and procedures,
professional learning, positive behaviour management, skill/engagement development, a focus on
student well-being, early intervention methods, and community partnerships (Australian
Government, Department of Education, 2013b). A more recent anti-bullying campaign employed
within Australian Schools is Bully Stoppers: Make a Stand. Lend a Hand (Victorian Department of
Education and Early Childhood Development, 2014f). This program aims to reduce bullying incidents
and strengthen prevention through providing teachers with proven classroom strategies and
educating students with interactive displays of appropriate responses to bullying (VDEECD, 2014f). A
lesser known but still effective classroom strategy is PATHS Promoting Alternative Thinking
Strategies (Sanders & Phye, 2004, 214). Students undertake a number of lessons covering specific
domains, such as self-control, self-esteem, emotional understanding, relationships, and
interpersonal problem-solving to emphasise thoughtful behaviour (Sanders & Phye, 2004, 214). The
fourth National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence was held on March 21
st
, 2014. On this
day, schools were encouraged to promote their anti-bullying message and programs to students and
the wider community to take a united stand against bullying (AGDE, 2014a).
The Catholic Education Office encourages the use of restorative practices for dealing with
bullying as it stresses the importance of relationships whilst encouraging personal accountability for
actions (Catholic Education Office Melbourne, 2007, 11). Explicit expectations are given to the
students to teach them about what is and is not acceptable behaviour (CEOM, 2007, 11). If students
behave inappropriately, they are offered a chance to set things right these acts of restoration or
repairing of harm replace traditional punishments (CEOM, 2007, 13). Kolbe Catholic College,
Inclusion and Diversity Essay Elizabeth Ferguson s4492512 Word Count: 1,598 words
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Greenvale Lakes (my placement school) is a restorative practices institution. Its Positive
Relationships Policy has been provided to staff and students, and has been implemented within
classrooms (KCC, 2013, 42). Their procedure for bullying involves interviewing the parties involved,
informing students learning advisors and parents, recording the events, providing counselling, and
deciding on relevant consequences (KCC, 2013, 42). A formal interview with students, parents, and
the principal may take place for repeat bullying offences (KCC, 2013, 42). Kolbe Catholic College also
employs a vertical learning system in which homerooms consist of students from all year levels.
During a discussion with my mentor teacher, Rose Tassone (18
th
March, 2014) it was revealed that
the idea behind this arrangement is that if any student encounters a bullying situation they will be
able to find a familiar face in the crowd to support them. On March 25
th
, I witnessed a restorative
practices session with a year 8 class who had been exhibiting socially exclusive behaviour. The
session, led by the schools well-being officer, summarised the teachers statements about specific
problematic behaviour, then asked each student individually what they think they should be doing,
and to explicitly state what they are going to do to improve their behaviour in the future.
What strategies and programs from other countries could be implemented in Australian schools to
help eradicate bullying and other socially exclusive behaviour among students?
Whilst Australian programs are effective in reducing bullying, there are several successful
anti-bullying strategies from other countries that could be useful if applied within Australian schools.
The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program has been tremendously successful since its
commencement in Norway in the 1980s in reducing existing bullying problems and preventing new
ones, as well as achieving better peer relations by restructuring the school environment (Olweus &
Limber, 2010). This program uses placement of adult role models in all areas of students lives to
promote a caring atmosphere, set rules for acceptable behaviour, and consistently apply
consequences for unacceptable behaviour (Stevens, Pepler & Rigby, 2004). The Flemish Intervention
Program also focuses on the environmental conditions involved with bullying (Smith, Pepler &
Inclusion and Diversity Essay Elizabeth Ferguson s4492512 Word Count: 1,598 words
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Rigby, 2004). It emphasises the necessity of changing unsatisfactory behaviours by providing
intervention procedures and peer intervention strategies to staff and students (Stevens, De
Bourdeaudhuij & Van Oost, 2000).
Alternatively, Finland employs a bullying prevention program called KiVa which utilises a
participant-role approach (Smith, Pepler & Rigby, 2004). Because bullying situations can be greatly
influenced by the actions (or non-actions) of witnesses/bystanders, this program provides a virtual
learning environment for communication amongst students, to raise awareness, encourage self-
reflection, and commit to anti-bullying behaviour (Salmivalli, Karna & Poskiparta, 2011). Expect
Respect from the U.S. is also a student-focused program which delivers twelve weekly lessons on
bullying by specially-trained teachers (Smith, Pepler & Rigby, 2004).
There are also student-run interventions that could be considered for application within
Australian secondary schools. Bullying courts would have a high likelihood of effectiveness - these
courts are comprised of students who are charged with evaluating and resolving complaints about
bullying (Kiriakidis, 2011, 112). The elected peer group listens to the stories of victims, bullies and
bystanders, guilt is determined and an appropriate punishment is proposed (which is approved by
the supervising teacher) (Kiriakidis, 2011, 112). The training and use of students as peer mediators to
help students deal with bullying-related problems and report specific incidents to teachers would
also be effective if used in Australian schools (R.I.C. Publications, 2003, 71).
Within my own classroom I would create a set of behavioural rules with students, provide
advice from current bullying initiatives on how to respond to bullying, and try to develop a rapport
with students so they feel comfortable in approaching me with any problems. In dealing with
bullying, I would prefer to use a restorative practices approach when deciding on consequences, and
would consider utilizing bullying courts if a particular situation warranted their use.
Inclusion and Diversity Essay Elizabeth Ferguson s4492512 Word Count: 1,598 words
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In conclusion, the effects of bullying acts can be felt by the victims and bullies, their teachers
and families as well as the school and members of the wider community. There are several programs
and campaigns employed within the Australian school system including the Friendly Schools
Project, Bully Stoppers and restorative practices. Despite the success of these programs, the
Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, KiVa, and the use of bullying courts could be introduced into
Australian secondary schools to further reduce bullying experiences.














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References
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