Researchers
Donna Cross
“...much good work has been done by researchers to assess the prevalence of the bullying problem but virtually no research has been conducted to investigate empirically what can be done to address this problem.”
Background Information
Donna Cross is a Professor of Child and Adolescent Health at the School of Exercise, Biomedicine and Health Science, Edith Cowan University in Western Australia and Director of the Child Health Promotion Research Centre. Her key research interest is youth-based health intervention research. She has conducted primary prevention and school-based intervention research throughout the USA as well as Canada, Russia, Estonia, Japan and Israel, with organisations such as WHO, UNICEF and the American Health Foundation.
Donna, can you tell us about your research in strategies to reduce bullying in schools?
In 1999 we conducted formative research to compile a comprehensive and practical summary of evidence-based practice , with exemplar case studies, to guide schools’ assessment, selection or development and implementation of whole-school strategies to reduce bullying.
Versions of this program were tested as part of two large randomised group intervention trials - the Friendly Schools project and the Friendly Schools Friendly Families project - conducted from 2000 to 2004 involving over 6,000 students, their parents and teachers. The results form the basis of the Friendly Schools and Families Program.
How did you come to focus on this area of research?
During other school-based research we were conducting many schools reported to us that, while they are implementing many strategies to address bullying, they were unsure of the effectiveness of these strategies. They wanted to know what whole-of-school strategies to reduce bullying among school-age children had been adequately tested and found to be effective with Australian students.
As a result of your research, what would you suggest to school communities wishing to initiate positive changes?
To initiate change we believe the most important actions are to get a good understanding of the bullying behaviour in the school through a student/staff/parent needs assessment and then involve the whole school community in policy and actions to address this problem.
Because of the complexity of this problem there are many levels upon which to intervene, including:
- At the student level through building social responsibility, empathy, assertiveness and decision making skills especially for the role of bystander in a bullying situation.
- At the classroom level through teaching and learning activities to increase understanding of ways to counter and prevent bullying.
- At the school level through clear policy and ethos , through changes to the social and physical environment that may encourage bullying, through involving parents and the community, and through managing student behaviour.
What are you working on now?
We are currently conducting a three year randomised group intervention trial in secondary schools in Western Australia to target the protective factors that may help to ameliorate some of the negative effects of transition from primary to secondary school including the increase in bullying that can a occur at this time. We also recently received funding to investigate the links between bullying and obesity and ways to address this. We are also currently seeking funding for a large formative study investigating how to counter bullying within and among Indigenous children, as well as a randomised group intervention trial to investigate strategies to enhance social skills and to reduce aggressive behaviours among children aged 4-6 years.
Information on the Friendly Schools and Families Program is available at http://www.friendlyschools.com.au/
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