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Bystanders, a Key Role in Bullying Prevention and Intervention

Often when examining bullying we tend to believe that there are two parties involved, the bully and the victim. But what if there was a third party, an outside party, the party of the bystander? And what if the party of the bystander played an essential role in not only ending bullying but in intervening in the behavior? When bullying occurs, studies show that a bystander is present 80% of the time and that bullying is apt to stop within 10 seconds 57% of the time once intervention occurs (Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA), 2021) because bystanders are around more often than not, they play a crucial role in ending the bullying epidemic affecting our schools. Unfortunately, adults and children alike do not always know the best way to respond or what they can do to address the aggressive behaviors in a reformative way. 

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Not all bystanders are created equal and can play a variety of roles depending on the situation. These roles can include being an outsider who witnesses the bullying but chooses to not involve themself, a defender who chooses to intervene at the moment or extend support as well as possibly take action to address the behavior, reinforcers who encourage the negative behavior, or an assistant who may assist the bully in carrying out the bullying (Salmivalli, 2014). We must make every student aware of the consequences of their actions whether we deem their actions to be positive, like a student standing up for a child being bullied, or negative, like a student joining in on the aggressive behavior. We must assume that these people acting as bystanders do not know the repercussions of their actions and as such, we need to respond accordingly by providing them the education and skillsets to ensure that they respond appropriately to each situation to support their peers.


So now that we know that every person plays a key role in bullying, regardless of if they are a victim, bully, or a bystander, we need to identify how we can harness this knowledge to assist in solving the problem of bullying. Intervention evaluations have proven that changing the way bystanders respond to aggressive behaviors reduces not only victimization rates but bullying in its entirety (2014). For this to happen, teachers and educators in leadership roles must integrate socio-emotional learning into the framework of every classroom and school. By giving students, educators, and parents access to the knowledge of "responsibility, conflict resolution, self-control, caring for others, and responsibility for actions" we can empower bystanders to have a positive effect on bullying rates (Nickerson et al., 2019).

Just like every week, I'm sure you're wondering “where do I start”? The answer is simple, by advocating for others when you see something. There are plenty of socioemotional learning curriculums that can be implemented in schools if they were allowed to purchase them. Many of these curriculums come with high price tags and the need for extra education to learn the program that not every school or classroom can independently afford which results in a lack of curriculum and knowledge to address these key issues occurring in our schools. I challenge you, now that you’ve become acquainted with your local legislators, to advocate for the implementation and integration of socioemotional learning (SEL) programs into the standard curriculum. And, if you’re in Arizona like me, maybe you’d be shocked to know that 30 states require SEL programs in schools, Arizona isn’t one of those 30 (Russ, 2021).

References 

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). (2021, May 21). Bystanders are Essential to Bullying Prevention and Intervention. StopBullying.Gov. https://www.stopbullying.gov/resources/research-resources/bystanders-are-essential#footnote1_bb3wh5t

Nickerson, A. B., Fredrick, S. S., Allen, K. P., & Jenkins, L. N. (2019). Social-emotional learning (SEL) practices in schools: Effects on perceptions of bullying victimization. Journal of School Psychology, 73, 74–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.03.002

Russ, S. (2021, February 11). State laws promoting social, emotional, and academic development leave room for improvement. Child Trends. https://www.childtrends.org/blog/state-laws-promoting-social-emotional-and-academic-development-leave-room-for-improvement

Salmivalli, C. (2014). Participant Roles in Bullying: How Can Peer Bystanders Be Utilized in Interventions? Theory Into Practice, 53(4), 286–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2014.947222

Media Sources

Be an Upstander - Prevent Bullying: A NED Short. (2013, October 22). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeqQCyQOCPg

[Quote from Gary Graves]. (n.d.). Meetville. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/180777372517570930/


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