Title: Bullying in Schools | ASU Center for Problem-Oriented Policing
Headings: Bullying in Schools
Bullying in Schools
Guide No.12 (2002)
The Problem of Bullying in Schools
Definition of Bullying
Related Problems
Extent of the Bullying Problem
A Threshold Problem: The Reluctance to Report
Bullying Behavior
Bullies
Incidents of Bullying
Victims of Bullying
Consequences of Bullying
Chronic Victims of Bullying

Content: 9 , ‡
‡ In some of the studies, lack of a common definition of bullying potentially distorts the estimates of the problem (Harachi, Catalano and Hawkins 1999). In addition, in the United States, the lack of a galvanized focus on bullying has resulted in a lack of large-scale school research efforts (such as those in Scandinavia, England, Japan, and Australia). Thus we have only limited insights into the problem of bullying here. Clearly, the percentage of students who are bullies and victims varies by research study, often depending on the definition used, the time frame examined (e.g., ever, frequently, once a week)† and other factors.‡ Despite these differences, bullying appears to be widespread in schools in every country studying the problem.§
† For the first time, during the 1997-98 school year, the United States participated in an international study of young people's health, behavior and lifestyles, which included conducting surveys on school bullying. ( European countries have participated in the study since 1982.) Researchers gathered data on 120,000 students from 28 countries. Upwards of 20 percent of 15-year-old U.S. students reported they had been bullied at school during the current term (see "Annual Report on School Safety." However, a 2000 U.S. Department of Education report on school crime (based on 1999 data), using a very narrow—and perhaps too limited—definition of bullying than the earlier report, showed that 5 percent of students ages 12 through 18 had reported being bullied at school in the last six months (Kaufman et al. 2000). [ Full text ] [Full text ]
‡ The "Annual Report on School Safety," developed in response to a 1997 school shooting in West Paducah, Kentucky, did not until 1999 contain any data on school bullying.