Teacher factors contributing to dosage of the KiVa anti-bullying program

Understanding the situation of bystanders to inform anti-bullying interventions

Bystanders who witness a bully-victim exchange at their school differ from bystanders who witness many incidents of violence in their community, due to the web of mutual relationships that exist within a school setting. Research conducted in many countries has revealed a variety of ways in which peers too often support and encourage bullies, thereby reinforcing the bully's behavior and further marginalizing their victims. This elucidates the potential benefits of channeling bystanders' neutrality into opposition to bullying that is beneficial and supportive of victims. This goal has been incorporated into preventive anti-bullying interventions that have been implemented and evaluated. In this paper, we focus on the contention that systematic anti-bullying intervention in schools and communities can affect the stance of bystanders. We pay particular attention to the KiVa program, which was originally developed in Finland but has since been implemented in schools throughout many countries due to promising data regarding its effectiveness as well as its emphasis on the role of bystanders. We discuss the data documenting the effectiveness of preventive school-based anti-bullying programs, considering the proposition that these programs reduce bullying at least partially by improving bystander behavior. Despite ample evidence that KiVa reduces bullying, there is little specific data showing that the effects of KiVa are mediated by improvements in bystander behavior. The paper concludes with speculation about the possibility of a more direct and active mobilization of student mediators and student leaders to influence the behavior of bystanders in their classrooms and schools.

Effectiveness of the KiVa anti-bullying program in the Czech Republic: A cluster randomized control trial

AIMS

One of the most widely used evidence-based anti-bullying programs, KiVa, originates from Finland and aims to change students' peer context, activate teachers, and inform parents with two main components (universal preventive actions and indicated actions when bullying occurs), complemented by monitoring. Because research documented somewhat varied KiVa outcomes in different countries and because there is a lack of research focusing solely on the effectiveness of the universal and indicated actions, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of KiVa main components when implemented in a new country. This two-arm parallel cluster randomized control trial (RCT) evaluated the effectiveness of the KiVa anti-bullying program in elementary schools in the Czech Republic. It examined the effects of the universal and indicated actions on self-reported bullying and victimization as primary outcomes and well-being as a secondary outcome, while keeping monitoring constant across the intervention and control schools. The study also examined the role of implementation fidelity on the proposed outcomes.

METHODS

Schools were allocated via stratified randomization into a KiVa intervention group (12 schools, 35 classes, N = 407 students) or a wait-list control group (12 schools, 32 classes, N = 400 students). The study employed data from baseline and post-measurement waves, which were 10 months apart.

RESULTS

The data were analyzed using linear mixed effects models, which showed no significant intervention or fidelity effects for bullying, victimization, and well-being. However, promising trends (at α < .10) were revealed, such as lower levels of bullying observed in the intervention group and in schools with high implementation fidelity. Additional analysis using Bayes factors supported these promising trends and provided moderate support for lower levels of victimization in the intervention group compared to the control schools.

CONCLUSIONS

Evaluation of effectiveness of anti-bullying programs could benefit from a more targeted fidelity assessment at the classroom or individual level and from distinguishing between the effects of the main components of the programs and the effects of monitoring. The promising yet non-significant intervention and fidelity effects suggest that schools may require enhanced support and longer implementation time frames than a single school year, especially when implementation faces structural obstacles, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Antibullying Interventions in Schools: Assessing the Evidence Base

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review used established rating criteria to describe the level of evidence for interventions aimed at preventing or reducing bullying perpetration and victimization in schools, synthesized the evidence for students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and reviewed the literature for available information to conduct an economic analysis of the interventions.

METHODS

Major databases, gray literature, and evidence-base registries were searched to identify studies published from 2008 through 2022. The authors rated antibullying intervention models as having high, moderate, or low evidence depending on the number and rigor of studies with positive findings.

RESULTS

Overall, 80 articles reporting on 71 original research studies describing a total of 48 antibullying interventions met the inclusion criteria for this review. Two schoolwide interventions received a high-evidence rating: the KiVa (Kiusaamista Vastaan) Antibullying Program and the Friendly Schools program. Multilevel interventions with components at the levels of school, classroom, and individual student most consistently showed strong evidence for reducing bullying behavior in elementary and middle school grades. Four interventions yielded positive effects in reducing bullying and victimization among diverse samples of students.

CONCLUSIONS

Antibullying interventions can reduce bullying in schools. Some interventions show effectiveness with students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. The gains relative to per-student costs were in the range that is considered cost-effective. Most implementation costs are spent on staff training and support. Research on successful implementation of whole-school interventions and additional synthesis of evidence pertaining to program structures would further advance the antibullying evidence base.

Teachers' stress and training in a school-based mindfulness program: Implementation results from a cluster randomized controlled trial

School-based mindfulness trainings (SBMT) are a contemporary approach for intervening to promote students' social and emotional skills and well-being. Despite evidence from the larger field of evidence-based social and emotional learning programs demonstrating the importance of high-quality implementation, few studies have investigated factors impacting the implementation of SBMTs, particularly teacher-level influences. The present study addressed this issue by investigating whether teachers' stress, trust in their fellow teachers and principal, and expectations about the program at baseline predicted the quality of their implementation of a SBMT for students. In addition, we examined whether teachers' stress at baseline moderated the effect of training condition on implementation quality. Implementation quality was assessed via observations and teacher self-reports. Results from a sample of British secondary (middle-high) school educators (N = 81) indicated that teachers who felt more supported by their principals at baseline were later observed to implement the SBMT with greater quality, whereas teachers who had more positive expectations about the program felt more confident teaching the course in the future. Teachers' baseline stress moderated the effect of training condition on all measures of implementation quality; among teachers experiencing high stress at baseline, more intensive training led to higher quality implementation. Implications for practitioners and prevention researchers are discussed.

Improving the implementation of KiVa antibullying program with tailored support: Study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

There are no evidence-based models to support the implementation of school-based bullying prevention programs. Our primary objective is to examine the impact of tailored support on the implementation of the KiVa antibullying program. Our second objective is to evaluate whether the offered support influences student outcomes (e.g., victimization, bullying perpetration). We also assess the cost-effectiveness of the provided support and conduct a process evaluation.

METHODS

In a cluster randomized control trial (cRCT), we compare program fidelity between schools that receive implementation support and those that do not. Twenty-four (N = 24) schools in Finland were randomized to either the IMPRES condition (receiving support, n = 12) or the control group (KiVa as usual, n = 12). In the IMPRES condition, pre-assessment and staff training were organized, and a selected team of staff members received four mentoring sessions during one academic year. Staff and students answer questionnaires at the end of school year 0, at post-intervention (year 1) and again at the 1-year follow-up (year 2). Our primary outcomes concern two main program components - universal and indicated actions - reflecting program fidelity. As secondary outcomes, we examine the level of bullying victimization and perpetration as well as students' perception of several program fidelity indicators. Finally, we assess several tertiary outcomes, collect resource data and conduct qualitative interviews to perform additional analyses.

CONCLUSION

This trial will inform us of whether implementation support can boost program fidelity and have a distal impact on bullying prevalence.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN15558617 https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN15558617.

What makes for effectiveness when starting early - Learning from an integrated school-based violence and abuse prevention programme for children under 12

BACKGROUND

Integrated programmes addressing varying forms of violence and abuse are increasingly delivered to children under 12 but uncertainty remains about what should be delivered to whom, when and in what dose.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the impact of Speak Out Stay Safe (SOSS) - an integrated prevention programme for children under 12 - and whether impact varied by age, gender and context.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A representative UK sample of primary schools in receipt of SOSS was matched with comparison schools not receiving SOSS. At 6 months follow-up, 1553 children from 36 schools completed the survey.

METHODS

The matched control study incorporated economic and process evaluations. Survey measures included: children's knowledge and understanding of different forms of violence and abuse, readiness to seek help, knowledge of sexual abuse, perceptions of school culture and health and wellbeing. Perceptions of children, teachers, and facilitators were captured.

RESULTS

At 6 months, children aged 9-10 who received SOSS retained their improved knowledge of neglect and their ability to identify a trusted adult who they would tell about violence or abuse. Children aged 6-7 receiving a shorter version of the programme were less likely to benefit and boys made fewer gains than girls. SOSS improved the knowledge of children with low knowledge of abuse. School culture was closely associated with programme impact.

CONCLUSION

School-based prevention programmes deliver benefits at low cost but should acknowledge and engage with the specific school context to achieve school readiness and embed programme messages.

Predicting implementation of the PAX Good Behavior Game + MyTeachingPartner interventions

Introduction

Effective classroom management is critical to creating a classroom environment in which social, emotional, and academic learning can take place. The present study investigated the association between early career, early elementary teachers' occupational health (job stress, burnout, and perceived teaching ability) and perceptions of program feasibility in relation to their implementation dosage and quality of two evidence-based classroom management programs implemented together: the PAX Good Behavior Game (GBG) and MyTeachingPartner (MTP) intervention.

Methods

Teachers provided information on their occupational health at the start of the school year and were then randomized to the PAX GBG + MTP condition or control condition. Teachers' perceptions of the feasibility of the program, implementation dosage, and implementation quality of the intervention were measured at the end of the school year for the 94 intervention teachers.

Results

Teachers participated in more MTP coaching cycles when they reported that the combined PAX GBG + MTP program was feasible. Although there were no main effects of occupational health on implementation, the associations between job stress and implementation quality were moderated by perceptions of feasibility.

Discussion

Findings highlight the complexity of factors influencing the implementation of evidence-based programs in school settings.

Facilitators and Barriers to the Sustainability of a School-Based Bullying Prevention Program

The long-term sustainment of bullying prevention programs has rarely been investigated. This study addresses this gap by identifying facilitators and barriers to the systematic implementation of KiVa antibullying program in real-life conditions, after an evaluation trial. The study is based on focus group interviews with teachers from 15 Finnish primary schools implementing the KiVa program. The schools were selected based on the annual KiVa survey data, with the criteria of long-term involvement in delivering the program and reaching successful outcomes in terms of decreasing trends in bullying and victimization. By utilizing thematic analysis, we identified program-related, organizational, and contextual facilitators and barriers to sustainability. The results stress the importance of organizational factors in promoting program sustainability.

A Large-Scale Replication of the Effectiveness of the KiVa Antibullying Program: a Randomized Controlled Trial in the Netherlands

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the KiVa antibullying program in the Netherlands through a randomized controlled trial of students in grades 3-4 (Dutch grades 5-6). The sample involved 98 schools who volunteered to participate in the research, with 245 classes and 4383 students at the baseline (49% girls; M age = 8.7 years), who participated in five measurement waves, collected in three consecutive school years. After the baseline, two-thirds of the schools were assigned to the intervention condition (KiVa or KiVa+, the latter included an additional intervention component of network feedback to teachers) and one-third to the control condition (waiting list, care as usual) with a stratified randomization procedure. The effects of the intervention on self-reported victimization and bullying were tested using cross-classified ordered multinomial models and binomial logistic regression models. These longitudinal models showed that self-reported victimization and bullying reduced more strongly in KiVa-schools compared with control schools, with stronger effects after two school years than after one school year of implementation. The results showed that for students in control schools, the odds of being a victim were 1.29-1.63 higher, and the odds of being a bully were 1.19-1.66 higher than for KiVa students. No significant differences between KiVa and KiVa+ emerged. Overall, the findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of the KiVa program in the Netherlands.

How to Get the Biggest Slice of the Cake. A Comparative View of Social Behaviour and Resource Access in Human Children and Nonhuman Primates

Social complexity results from engaging in different classes of social behaviour. The presence of different classes of social behaviour is reflected in multidimensional concepts of social asymmetry, found in both human and nonhuman primates. Based on an overview of such concepts, we propose that three classes of social behaviour are involved in having access to scarce and desired resources: next to aggressive and affiliative behaviour, also action indicating behaviour (i.e., inspire another individual to follow one's example or intentions) may lead to resource access. Studies with nonhuman primate and human children show that the contribution of aggression and affiliation to resource access has been widely documented and that there is initial support for action indicating behaviour. In addition, the studies show similarities and differences in conceptualization and approach that may inspire future research. Future research should address the (in)dependency of the behavioural dimensions, their relative importance, individual differences in combined expression and the type of resources accessed. Only a multi-dimensional view on behaviour leading to resource access will highlight the benefits of social complexity.

What Influences Educators' Design Preferences for Bullying Prevention Programs? Multi-level Latent Class Analysis of a Discrete Choice Experiment

We used a discrete choice conjoint experiment to model the anti-bullying (AB) program preferences of 1080 junior kindergarten to Grade 8 educators. Participants chose between hypothetical AB programs that varied combinations of 12 design attributes. Multi-level latent class analysis yielded three classes: All-in Supervisors (21.5%) preferred that all teaching staff supervise playgrounds and hallways; Facilitators (61.6%) preferred that students take ownership of AB activities with 25% of educators supervising playgrounds and hallways; and Reluctant Delegators (16.9%) preferred delegating the supervision of playgrounds and hallways to non-teaching staff. This class reported higher dispositional reactance, more implementation barriers, and more psychological reactance to these initiatives. They were less sensitive to social influences and less intent on participating in AB activities. Multi-level analysis showed a greater proportion of Reluctant Delegators clustered in one of the two groups of schools. The program choices of all classes were sensitive to the support of principals, colleagues, students, and, to a lesser extent, parents. All classes preferred programs conducted from kindergarten through Grade 12 that addressed the problems underlying bullying while valuing firm and consistent consequences for all students. Educators preferred AB programs selected by individual schools, rather than governments.

What Antibullying Program Designs Motivate Student Intervention in Grades 5 to 8?

Educators detect and intervene in a small proportion of bullying incidents. Although students are present when many bullying episodes occur, they are often reluctant to intervene. This study explored attributes of antibullying (AB) programs influencing the decision to intervene. Grade 5, 6, 7, and 8 students (N = 2,033) completed a discrete choice experiment examining the influence of 11 AB program attributes on the decision to intervene. Multilevel analysis revealed 6 latent classes. The Intensive Programming class (28.7%) thought students would intervene in schools with daily AB activities, 8 playground supervisors, mandatory reporting, and suspensions for perpetrators. A Minimal Programming class (10.3%), in contrast, thought monthly AB activities, 4 playground supervisors, discretionary reporting, and consequences limited to talking with teachers would motivate intervention. Membership in this class was linked to Grade 8, higher dispositional reactance, more reactance behavior, and more involvement as perpetrators. The remaining 4 classes were influenced by different combinations of these attributes. Students were more likely to intervene when isolated peers were included, other students intervened, and teachers responded quickly. Latent class analysis points to trade-offs in program design. Intensive programs that encourage intervention by students with little involvement as perpetrators may discourage intervention by those with greater involvement as perpetrators, high dispositional reactance, or more reactant behavior.

School and Family Factors Predicting Adolescent Cognition Regarding Bystander Intervention in Response to Bullying and Victim Retaliation

Youth aggression occurs at high rates. Aggressive acts can be curbed through bystander intervention; yet, little is known about school and family factors that predict bystander intervention in response to both aggression and victim retaliation. This research examines school and family factors related to standing up to aggression and intervening before possible retaliation occurs. Participants included 6^th and 9^th graders (N = 896, 52.8% female), who evaluated how likely they would be to intervene if they observed aggression and if they heard the victim was planning to retaliate. Family and school factors are important predictors of bystander intervention, with higher family management, and more positive school climate associated with greater likelihood of intervention and higher feelings of social exclusion and teacher and peer discrimination associated with inactive responses to aggression and retaliation. Thus, a complex constellation of factors relate to the likelihood of intervening if someone is being victimized or considering retaliation in response to victimization. The results provide guidance and new directions for possible school- and family-based interventions to encourage bystander intervention in instances of aggression.