Examining Bullying Today

YouthTruth analyzed anonymous feedback from over 180,000 students across 37 states in grades five through twelve to understand how much, in what ways, and why students are being bullied. This analysis also explored how students of different gender identities are experiencing bullying, and uncovered valuable insights. The implication from this study is that understanding students’ experiences with bullying is crucial for schools and communities to build safe and supportive environments for learning.

Key findings include:

1.     It’s still true that 1 in 4 students are bullied.

2.     Most bullying happens in person.

3.     The top three reasons students believe they are bullied include their appearance, their race or skin color, and because other students thought they were gay.

Youthtruth Student Survey (2018). Learning from student voice: What do students tell us about bullying? San Francisco, CA: Youthtruth Student Survey. http://youthtruthsurvey.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/YouthTruth-Learning-from-Student-Voice-Bullying-2017.pdf

Classroom Door Greetings Increase Academic Engagement

A recent survey found that greeting students at the classroom door boosts academic engagement and behavior. The researchers determined that making eye contact, saying students' names, and offering encouraging words inspires students to put more effort into their own learning. Results revealed that the PGD strategy produced significant improvements in academic engaged time and reductions in disruptive behavior. Moreover, results from a social validity questionnaire indicated that teachers found the PGD strategy to be feasible, reasonable, and acceptable. The limitations of this study and implications of these findings for teacher pre- and in-service trainings are discussed.

Cook, C. R., Fiat, A., Larson, M., Daikos, C., Slemrod, T., Holland, E. A., Thayer, A. J., & Renshaw, T. (2018). Positive greetings at the door: Evaluation of a low-cost, high-yield proactive classroom management strategy. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 20(3), 149-159. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1098300717753831

Gender Differences in Online Dating Abuse

Teen boys and girls experienced similar frequencies of digital dating abuse, but girls had increased odds of experiencing digital sexual coercion and expressing negative emotional responses, according to a study in the Journal of Adolescence. The study revealed that girls experienced more frequent digital sexual coercion and victimization, and that they were more upset by the communication and expressed more negative emotional responses to it. Both girls and boys, however, also reported they respond to direct aggression by blocking communication.

Reed, L. A., Tolman, R. M., & Ward, M. (2017). Gender matters: Experiences and consequences of digital dating abuse victimization in adolescent dating relationships.

Journal of Adolescence, 59, 79-89. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.05.015