Violence In Schools

Violence in Schools

Australia

In June 2003 a young woman from Victoria, Australia, was awarded

$76,000 for what was referred to in court as "sustained bullying during

her high school years." John Bertrand, the six-foot, two-inch tall skipper

of Australia 2, winner of the 1983 America's Cup, recalled his fears when

at the age of 14 years he was bullied in high school. Now, some 40 years

later, he can still feel the same fear when he is cornered! And, in December

2003 a Victorian family petitioned the Children's Court for an intervention

order to create a 5 meter exclusion shield around their son to keep two

bullies aged 14 years away from him.

These examples illustrate what many surveys and studies have found,

namely, that bullying is perceived as a significant problem in many

Australian schools. In fact, the incidence of bullying in Australian schools

has been estimated as high as one-in-five students in any given year (Rigby,

1996). In New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, a 1999 study

found that 23.7% of students in grades six to eight reported they had bullied

other students. A further 12.7% said they were bullied while 21.5%

indicated that they were both bullied and also had bullied others. At a

co-educational high school in Tasmania (Australia's smallest state), students

between the ages of 12 and 16 reported that 32% of the girls were

bullied (Rigby, 1995). However, of even greater concern was their conclusion:

"that school was not a safe place."

Examining the effects of bullying on their final two school years,

Rigby (1999) found that peer victimization resulted in relatively poor

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mental and physical health for these students. There are numerous studies

linking childhood bullying to subsequent adolescent and adult depression.

Salmon, James, and Smith (1998) as well as Rigby (1998) found that

bullied secondary student victims reported anxiety, depression, and low

self-esteem. A further effect was an impaired ability to form appropriate

peer, and later adult, relationships (Olwens, 1992). These are the ongoing

tragedies for victims. However, bullies, too, often suffer long-term consequences.

Studies have shown that students who bully have a 25% greater

chance of committing juvenile and adult offences (Olwens, 1989).

Many elementary and secondary school students find their school

years hell because bullying is not dealt with effectively by their schools.

These young people do not benefit from school. They lose out scholastically.

They lose out socially. They feel the need to escape from their intolerable

school world. They abuse alcohol and other dmgs as a ways of anesthetizing

themselves from the threat of violence at school. Truancy and feigned

illness are other avenues of escape. Moreover, some of these bullied youngsters

do become ill. Migraines, stomach disorders, and other stress induced

symptoms, such as panic attacks and phobias are not uncommon (Salmon

et al., 1998; Boulton et al., 1994; and Rigby, 1993).

Another important factor in school violence relates to teacher-student

bullying. Very preliminary work by Eslea, Stepanova and Cameron-

Young from the University of Central Lancashire (see <www.uclan.ac.uk/

facs/science/psychol/bully/files/montreal.pdf>) indicates that out of

200 university students 76% (n = 152) were the recipients of some form

of teacher aggression; 53% were ridiculed or humiliated; 51% had their

academic work picked on; 46% felt they were unfairly punished; 33% were

verbally abused; and 22% were physically abused. Another 45% of victims

indicated that teacher aggression happened "sometimes," while 96%

indicated it happened during class, especially math, which scored in the

top 40%; followed by English, 32%; and physical education, 28%. In addition,

36% indicated bullying by teachers also happened in their elementary

school years.

In the Australian context this aspect of school violence is not well

researched. Many students perceive some of their teachers' behaviors as

bullying. This of course raises the question - what is teacher bullying?

Rigby & Slee (1993) provide an Australian definition. They state, "bullying

is a repeated oppression, psychological or physical, of a less powerful

person by a more powerful individual or group of persons." Bullying can

be verbal, physical, or psychological. It can be abuse, threat, intimidation,

or assault. Thus, teachers who are negatively critical, sarcastic, intimidating,

threatening or abusive in their language are bullies. Teachers who use

their position of power to tease or put down students are bullies. Teachers

who belittle students' academic or athletic ability are bullies. And of

course teachers who hit or force students to perform excessive or physical

Violence in Schools: Australia 239

tasks are bullies. In discussion with teachers as to their views about teacher

bullying, a number considered what students felt was bullying to be merely

"disciplining" or "correcting" the student.

The final part of the school violence triangle is student-to-teacher bullying.

Some Australian states have passed legislation, for example, to forbid

a former problem student from coming onto school property. This is a

result of physical assaults on teachers on school grounds. Teachers, usually

those in the secondary school years, have reported incidents of intimidation

by students. These students have challenged the teacher's authority,

have used abusive language, have threatened physical harm, or have made

threatening phone calls or left threatening SMS text messages and e-mails.

And, very occasionally, weapons, such as knives, have been brought into

schools.

What makes one human being or a group of human beings bully another?

The answer points to many factors. Starting at the beginning, the

family has a great, perhaps the greatest, influence on how children develop

their social and interpersonal skills. Also, the interaction between

genetics and the environment helps shape personality, problem- solving

skills, learning styles, and emotional intelligence. It is, however, the school

environment which, after the family, plays the most significant role in socializing

children and adolescents. Children in Australia attend school for

thirteen years, from Prep to Year 12. Legally they must attend from the ages

of six to fifteen. They spend most of their waking hours at school. As their

focus changes from family to peers, their social, emotional, intellectual,

and physical experiences at school develop their sense of competence and

self-worth. Research indicates that successful school adjustment increases

self-esteem and an array of healthy behaviors (Williams, Chambers, Logan,

& Robinson, 1996). Conversely, children and adolescents who fail to adjust

well to school and who fail to form healthy behaviors are more likely to

turn to deviant peer groups, use drugs, or engage in other delinquent behaviors.

They are more likely to be anti-social, aggressive, depressed, and

sometimes suicidal (Williams et al., 1996; Rigby & Slee, 1993). Thus, schools

are places where pro-social skills must be taught and practiced. Teachers

must be positively involved with their students. Bullying in any form must

be seen as totally unacceptable. Schools that promote a sense of community,

where students and teachers have a strong sense of belonging, are places

where bullying, delinquency, violence, and alienation are unlikely to exist.

All Australian schools have anti-bullying policies but not necessarily actual

anti-bullying programs. When they exist they are rather ad-hoc and therefore

often not effective. Professor Prior of Melbourne University reports

240 Judith E. Paphizy

that anti-bullying programs are only mildly effective, reducing bullying

by 15%. So, what is the role of the school in stopping bullying? First and

foremost, each school must decide that there is zero tolerance for violence.

It has to be a whole school approach that involves an active partnership

between the school as an organization, i.e., teachers and students, and the

parents. Studies conducted in a number of countries show that the way to

significantly reduce, if not eliminate, school violence is by the whole school

approach (Olwens, 1994). Anti-bullying programs such as "Healthy Relationships"

make use of health, legal, and educational experts to give children

and adolescents skills in, among other things, learning how to deal

with bullying. "Peer support groups" and "Cross-age tutoring" are ways

of connecting students with each other to help prevent bullying. "Building

Better Buddies" is an anti-bullying program which John Bertrand espouses.

It is used in a number of Australian schools and focuses on changing the

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