Research Findings: MARC 2011 Survey Grades 3-12

Transcription

1 Bridgewater State University Virtual Commons - Bridgewater State University MARC Research Reports Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) 2011 Research Findings: MARC 2011 Survey Grades 3-12 Elizabeth K. Englander Bridgewater State University, eenglander@bridgew.edu Virtual Commons Citation Englander, Elizabeth K. (2011). Research Findings: MARC 2011 Survey Grades In MARC Research Reports. Paper 2. Available at: This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

2 Research Findings: MARC 2011 Survey Grades 3-12 Elizabeth Englander, PhD, Director Bridgewater State University Study: Self- report survey of 20,766 children in grades 3-12 in Massachusetts (see Appendix i for Towns Participating) 50.5% were male. 49.5% were female. 7,418 were in Grades ,080 were in Grades ,268 were in Grades Table of Contents Interpretations And Reasonable Conclusions From This Data Findings That Support Early Education On Cyber- Bullying And Cyber- Issues Findings That Support Increased Use Of Bullying And Cyberbullying Prevention Programs In K- 12 s. Findings On The Frequency Of Bullying And Cyberbullying In Massachusetts. Findings On The Types And Locations Of Bullying And Cyberbullying Experienced By Targets. Findings On The Relationship Between Aggressor/Bully And Target/Victim Findings About Reporting Behaviors In Students. Page 2 Page 3 Page 5 Page 6 Page 9 Page 12 Page 13 1

3 INTERPRETATIONS AND REASONABLE CONCLUSIONS FROM THIS DATA Education on cyberbullying and cyber- behaviors needs to begin well before Middle. Children are all online by third grade and over 2 report experiencing problems with peers online. Elementary schools should consider adopting cell phone policies. By fifth grade, forty percent of children reported having cell phones. The Commonwealth should consider mechanisms for parent education. Most children own cell phones with full Internet and text messaging access by Middle. s need to ensure that their bullying and cyberbullying prevention programs are visible to students. Merely the fact of a program s existence is a way of impressing upon students the gravity of bullying and cyberbullying. Gateway behaviors behaviors that convey power and contempt, but do not generally break school rules (e.g., taunting, eye rolling) are the most common type of bullying reported across all grades. High rates of gateway behaviors being used against targets in the classroom (i.e., presumably while adults are present) indicate a need for training on responding to these behaviors. The locations where bullying is most frequent are those where supervision is frequently disputed or absent the playground (in elementary schools), and the hallways (middle and high schools). It is notable that classrooms are also high- frequency locations in middle and high schools. Preteens and teens do not report being victimized largely by strangers. Rather, the older the child, the more likely that child is to report that they knew the person who was cyberbullying them. Bullying between friends peaks for girls in fifth grade and remains high for girls in Middle. It peaks for boys in Middle and decreases for both genders in high school. This is an area of concern as it impacts the social development of the children involved. Children prefer reporting to parents and teachers while in Elementary ; that preference shifts to Friends and Parents among older children a normal developmental change. However, teachers and educators are among the last people preteens and teens prefer to report to, which indicates an area that could benefit from increased attention. 2

4 FINDINGS THAT SUPPORT EARLY EDUCATION ON CYBER- BULLYING AND CYBER- ISSUES Finding # 1. More than 9 of children in Massachusetts are already online by Grade Three, usually playing games. 95% % of kids who are online 93% 93% 92% 92% 92% 93% 91% 9 91% 91% 89% 87% 85% 83% 81% 79% Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High Finding # 2. By Grade Three, 18-2 of children report that they have their own cell phone. This percentage increases to 25-26% by Grade Four and 39% in Grade Five for both genders. are slightly more likely to own cell phones in elementary school. % reporting they have their own cell phone 86% 83% 84% 84% 2 18% 26% 39% 39% Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High 3

5 Finding # 3. In Middle, 90-91% of children report that they can use their cell phones to text message and go on the Internet. Of those who have their own cell phone, what % can use it to text and go online? 92% 91% 91% 9 MS HS Finding # 4. In early years, more boys admit to cyberbullying their peers than to bullying their peers. The same general profile is found for girls. % of BOYS who admit to bullying or cyberbullying behaviors by grade level 1 8% 6% 4% 2% ES MS HS bully cbully both 4

6 FINDINGS THAT SUPPORT INCREASED USE OF BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING PREVENTION PROGRAMS IN K- 12 SCHOOLS. Finding # 5. Children s awareness of bullying and cyberbullying prevention programs in their schools peaks in Grade Five at 79% and 65%, respectively. By High, only and 13% were aware of bullying or cyberbullying prevention programs going on in their schools. % of kids who recall B & CyberB Education in remember CyberB education remember Bullying Educ 79% 68% 72% 65% 46% 44% 22% 13% Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High Finding # 6. For both boys and girls, pure in- school bullying victimization decreases as children age, but combined in- school and online victimization and only- online victimization increased as children age. Very similar profiles were found for both boys and girls Victimization online and in school, by grade level (BOYS) (X 2 =448 (1),p<.000) ES MS HS Both, Cvictim, 34% Neither, 23% Bvictim, 8% 5

7 FINDINGS ON THE FREQUENCY OF BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING IN MASSACHUSETTS. Finding # 7. The percentage of children who report that they were a target of bullying this year is higher in middle and high school, relative to elementary school. In Elementary school, approximately 35- of children reported being targets of bullying. In Middle and High, 50-53% of children reported being targets. % reporting being a bullying target, by grade 55% 5 53% 53% % 37% 37% Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High Finding # 8. During Grades 3-5, 37- of children reported being victims of bullying. 14%- 19% reported being victims of cyberbullying, and 7-1 reported being victims of both bullying and cyberbullying. % reporting being Victim, by type & grade (ELEM) 39% 37% Bullying 2 Cyberbullying 15% 14% 15% 19% Both 1 9% 1 5% 7% Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 6

8 Finding # 9. In Middle, 42% of children identified themselves as being bullies, friends with bullies, or bystanders who watched bullying. Finding # 10. In High, 54% of children identified themselves as being bullies, friends with bullies, or bystanders who watched bullying. Have you bullied someone at school? HS Yes, I have Never 46% Friends with the bullies 16% Stood by & watched 13% Friends with the bullies 12% Have you bullied someone at school? MS Yes, I have 17% Never 58% Stood by & watched 13% Finding # 11. It is far more common to be a victim rather than a perpetrator of bullying true for both genders and true both online and in school. 7 Bullies, Victims, and Bully- Victims by grade level (GIRLS) (X 2 =144(1),p<.000) 6 5 Neither, 52% Victim, 2 1 ES MS HS Bully- victim, 6% Bully, 2% 7

9 Cyberbullies, Cybervictims, and Cyberbully- Victims by grade level (BOYS) (X 2 =498(1),p<.000) Cvictim, 58% 2 1 Neither, Cbully- victim, 11% Cbully, 1% ES MS HS 8

10 FINDINGS ON THE TYPES AND LOCATIONS OF BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING EXPERIENCED BY TARGETS. Finding # 12. In Elementary school, Name Calling was the most common type of bullying reported. For boys, hitting was the second most common type. For girls, exclusion was the second most common type. 6 Most common types of bullying (ELEM) % 2 27% 1 14% 12% 13% Name Calling Hitting Excluded Threatened Finding # 13. In Middle and High, taunting and name calling were the most common type of bullying reported. Physical bullying was least common. How were you bullied? 75% How were you bullied? MS How were you bullied? HS 65% 66% 66% 63% 63% 55% 46% 49% 44% 36% 29% 24% 15% Physical Rumors Laughed at Name calling Taunted 9

11 Finding # 14. Bullying in the classroom increases by grade level. Change in Classroom Bullying 43% 34% 34% 28% 27% 2 21% 15% 17% 1 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High Finding # 15. Bullying on the bus decreases from Elementary to Middle. It is higher for boys than for girls. Change in Bullying on the Bus 33% 31% 29% 31% 27% 23% 21% 22% 23% 22% 19% 19% 17% 17% 15% Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High 10

12 Finding # 16. In Elementary school, the most common location of bullying was on the playground. In Middle and High, the classroom, hallways, and online were the most common locations. Where were you bullied? Locations Elem Locations HS Locations MS Playground 57% Bus 18% 23% 27% Cafeteria 32% 29% Off campus, online 32% 42% Classroom 27% 42% Hallways 46% Finding # 17. As children progress through school, victimization becomes more commonly either online or both online and in school. The percentage of children reporting only in- school bullying decreases as children age. 6 Victimization online and in school, by grade level (GIRLS) (X 2 =647(1),p<.000) Both, 38% Cvictim, 29% Neither, Bvictim, 8% ES MS HS 11

13 FINDINGS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGGRESSOR/BULLY AND TARGET/VICTIM Finding # 18. The probability of knowing the identity of the cyberbully increases dramatically after elementary school % who knew their cyberbully, by grade 58% 73% 2 29% 23% 21% 1 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High Finding # 19. Being bullied by a friend peaked in Fifth Grade for girls and in Middle for boys. It decreased dramatically during high school. Between third and fifth grades, girls were always more likely to be bullied by a friend, relative to boys. 55% % of targets reporting that the bully was a friend 5 49% 47% 43% % 32% 31% 26% 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High 12

14 FINDINGS ABOUT REPORTING BEHAVIORS IN STUDENTS. Finding # 20. During Elementary school, students reported that they were most likely to tell Parents and Teachers about the bullying they experienced. Most Common People to Tell (ELEM) 52% 47% 33% 21% 22% 14% Parents Teacher/Educator Friends NO ONE Finding # 21. During Middle and High, students reported that they were most likely to tell Friends and Parents about the bullying they experienced. Teachers/Educators dropped to fifth place. 13

15 Who did you tell about the bullying? Who did you tell about the bullying MS Who did you tell about the bullying HS 51% 44% 47% 22% 18% 28% 11% 12% Teacher / Educator Nobody Other trusted adult Parents Friends Finding # 22. The higher the grade, the less likely students are to tell their parents if they are being bullied. 6 Change in Telling Parents 55% 55% 54% 5 51% 48% 48% 44% 43% 43% 39% 39% Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High Finding # 23. The higher the grade, the less likely students are to tell their teachers if they are being bullied. 14

16 Change in Telling a Teacher 46% 39% 34% 2 22% 21% 18% 15% 1 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High Finding # 24. The higher the grade, the more likely students are to tell their friends if they are being bullied. 55% Change in Telling Friends 5 49% 52% 51% 42% 2 26% 22% 23% 17% 15% 1 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Middle High 15

17 i Towns participating in the Survey. This is the first wave of data, gathered between September 2010 and March More is currently being gathered in the Second Wave. Berlin Mashpee Norfolk Winthrop Lancaster North Attleborough East Longmeadow Hingham Bolton Stow Everett Westford Mendon- Upton Gill Montague Regional Quincy Harwich Carlisle Chelmsford Belchertown Longmeadow Nashoba Bedford Canton Methuen Bolton Foxborough Lee Hyannis Peabody Westford 16