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A Review of Bullying Prevention and Intervention in South Korean Schools: An Application of the Social–Ecological Framework

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Abstract

School bullying is a serious social problem that results in potentially severe and long lasting consequences for youth, parents, teachers, and school officials. Commensurate with the serious nature and outcomes of bullying, there has been a number of bullying prevention and intervention programs and measures in schools. The current review provides a synthesis and evaluation of the existing research on bullying prevention and intervention strategies in South Korean schools, set within Bronfenbrenner’s social–ecological contexts, including the micro- (i.e., family, peer, school), meso- (i.e., family–school), and macro- (i.e., religion, policies) systems. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of the research reviewed and provide directions for future research focusing on major empirical gaps in the literature on bullying prevention and intervention strategies in South Korea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA

    Jun Sung Hong

  2. Department of Police Administration, Hannam University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Chang-Hun Lee

  3. College of Social Work, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Jungup Lee

  4. School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Na Youn Lee

  5. Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    James Garbarino

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  1. Jun Sung Hong
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  2. Chang-Hun Lee
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  3. Jungup Lee
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  4. Na Youn Lee
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Correspondence to Jun Sung Hong.

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Both Jungup Lee and Na Youn Lee contributed equally to this work.

The first author wishes to express his deepest gratitude to Mr. Al Acker for his revisions and suggestions.

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Hong, J.S., Lee, CH., Lee, J. et al. A Review of Bullying Prevention and Intervention in South Korean Schools: An Application of the Social–Ecological Framework. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 45, 433–442 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-013-0413-7

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