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A Positive Youth Development Approach to Bullying: Promoting Thriving and Reducing Problem Behaviors

  • Chapter
Promoting Positive Youth Development

Part of the book series: Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development ((ARAD))

Abstract

Bullying has been linked to a number of problematic developmental outcomes. However, to create positive and meaningful change in individuals, programs and policies need to go beyond punitive actions against bullying behaviors and acknowledge and respond to the complexities involved in bullying. In this chapter, we present a reframing of bullying and bullying interventions using a strength-based, positive youth development perspective. We discuss innovative and effective ways of approaching bullying prevention and intervention efforts. To this end, we discuss the need for taking the whole child into account as well as the multiple contexts in which he or she lives. By moving beyond traditional bullying perspectives, we offer an approach that will help practitioners, policy makers, and educators create effective learning environments that support the development of the whole student and promote a positive school climate. We conclude the chapter by providing recommendations for future research, educational programs, and policy initiatives. Specifically, we recommend that programs and schools (1) address individual, peer group, family, and school norms; (2) promote social and emotional learning as foundational to individual development, peer group functioning, and school climate; and (3) involve families in anti-bullying and positive behavior promotion efforts.

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Acknowledgments

The preparation of this chapter was supported in part by grants from the National 4-H Council, the Altria Corporation, the Thrive Foundation for Youth, and the John Templeton Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA

    Lacey J. Hilliard & Milena Batanova

  2. Youth Development Leadership, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Edmond P. Bowers

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  1. Lacey J. Hilliard
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  2. Milena Batanova
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  3. Edmond P. Bowers
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Correspondence to Lacey J. Hilliard .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Youth Development Leadership, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA

    Edmond P. Bowers

  2. Human Development and Family Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    G. John Geldhof

  3. Tufts University Inst. for Applied Research in Youth Dev., Medford, Massachusetts, USA

    Sara K. Johnson

  4. Tufts University Inst. for Applied Research in Youth Dev., Medford, Massachusetts, USA

    Lacey J. Hilliard

  5. Tufts University Inst. for Applied Research in Youth Dev., Medford, Massachusetts, USA

    Rachel M. Hershberg

  6. Dept. Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA

    Jacqueline V. Lerner

  7. Tufts University Inst. for Applied Research in Youth Dev., Medford, Massachusetts, USA

    Richard M. Lerner

Recommended Additional Resources

Recommended Additional Resources

Teaching Tolerance. (2015). www.tolerance.org

  • Teaching Tolerance is a program of the Southern Poverty Law Center. It provides resources for educators, including: Mix It Up, a project that encourages educators and students to promote interaction between different social groups; Best Practices, which provides guidelines for educators such as creating inclusive school climates; and Perspectives for Diverse America, a complete antibias education curriculum for varying ages and grades.

PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. (2015). http://www.pacer.org/bullying/

  • PACER provides age-appropriate information and resources for bullying prevention efforts, emphasizes the need for creative strategies and programs, and features innovative approaches being conducted across the U.S. PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center founded the National Bullying Prevention Month campaign, which is held during the month of October and seeks to educate and raise awareness of bullying prevention.

Committee for Children. (2015). http://www.cfchildren.org/

  • The Committee for Children is a nonprofit organization that creates programs such as Second Step, Bullying Prevention Unit, and Child Protection Unit. These programs provide research-based social-emotional learning materials (including training and webinars for educators as well as resources and information for students and families) to help children succeed in school and in life.

GLSEN—Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. (2015). http://www.glsen.org/

  • GLSEN provides information and resources to ensure that students feel safe at school, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. The network promotes policies and programs that specifically outline how students, teachers, and other allies can make change happen, and provides a forum for active participation. In addition, the network compiles school climate surveys to assess student experiences and perceptions of their schools.

Espelage, D., & Swearer, S. M. (2010). Bullying in North American Schools (2nd Ed). New York, NY: Routledge.

  • In this book, Dorothy Espelage and Susan Swearer provide a compilation of research on bullying in school-aged youth conducted across the United States by a representative group of researchers, including developmental, social, counseling, school, and clinical psychologists. It presents the complexity of bullying behaviors and offers suggestions for using data-based decision-making to intervene and guidance for schools. The book provides a comprehensive look at the individual and systemic variables related to bullying, as well as practical considerations for prevention and intervention planning.

Common Sense Media: Cyberbullying. (2015). https://www.commonsensemedia.org/cyberbullying

  • For issues specific to issues of online bullying, Common Sense Media is a helpful resource for finding guidelines, videos, and articles. The Common Sense Media’s Cyberbullying Topic Center provides concrete and age-appropriate ways that parents and educators can initiate conversations with children about cyberbullying. In addition, it offers comprehensive guides about cyberbullying, organized developmentally by age and stage.

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Hilliard, L.J., Batanova, M., Bowers, E.P. (2015). A Positive Youth Development Approach to Bullying: Promoting Thriving and Reducing Problem Behaviors. In: Bowers, E., et al. Promoting Positive Youth Development. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17166-1_13

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