Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Ralph Kelly
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
antisocial behavior, bullying, middle schools, peer harassment, peer victimization, prevention, school climate, school violence, student government, student leaders, study skills classes, suburban schools, teacher involvement, victimization prevention, violence prevention
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to decrease the high levels of peer victimization at a suburban middle school. Many students attending the institution were actively engaging in negative aggressive behavior such as bullying, teasing and isolating peers. They did not understand what types of behaviors constituted peer harassment or the affects it had on the aggressor, victim and general school climate. In addition, student leaders were not aware that they could act individually or as a collective body to help aid in its prevention.
The writer developed an Anti-Peer Victimization Curriculum that included a series of lessons, activities and strategies that were implemented with student government representatives in weekly sessions and with the entire student body in daily study skills classes. The purpose was to educate and inform students about peer victimization in an effort to decrease its prevalence within the school. All faculty members were encouraged to utilize the lessons with their students by following the instructions and plans given for the lessons, activities and strategies outlined in the curriculum.
An analysis of the results revealed that student government leaders became more actively involved in eliminating peer victimization within the school and teachers witnessed less incidents of peer victimization or had less incidents of victimization reported to them by students.