Bullying and Victimization in

Overseas Middle Schools

KENT M. BLAKENEY, PHD

Nearly two lectures…..

In two countries!
 This Presentation

Definitions

Types of Bullying and Victimization

Results of Overseas Middle School

Questionnaires

Developing a school-wide policy

What is bullying?
 Three Parts

Repetition
Intent to cause
harm
Power difference
 Definition from US Department of Health and
Human Services

Although definitions of bullying vary, most agree that

bullying involves:

Repetition: incidents of bullying happen to the same the

person over and over by the same person or group

Intent to Cause Harm: actions done by accident are

not bullying; the person bullying has a goal to cause harm

Imbalance of Power: people who bully use their power

to control or harm and the people being bullied may have
a hard time defending themselves
 Theoretical Framework

Social Dominance Theory

Hierarchy

Leaders and followers

Individuals find their niche

Once order is established, individuals do not want

to disrupt it
 Traditional vs. Cyber

Traditional Cyber
At school 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week
Face to face Anonymous
Involves people in Can be spread to lots
immediate area of people
Peaks in Middle Peaks at end of MS,
school beginning of HS
 Traditional Bullying and Victimization

Physical- Hitting, kicking, shoving, etc.

Verbal- Using words to bully

Relational- Spreading rumors, talking behind

someone’s back, exclusion
 Cyber Bullying and Victimization

Verbal- Using electronic media to bully someone

directly

Relational- Using electronic media to spread rumors,

talk about someone, or exclude

Inclusion with Media- Sending the victim unwanted

messages, photos, video, etc.

Exclusion with Media- Sending unwanted messages,

photos, video, etc. about the victim
 What research tells us….

Bullies
 Range from 6% to 13%
 Males -physical bullies (loner)
 Females- relational bullies (work in small groups)
 Tolerance to violence; anger management
 Depression
 Differing popularity
 Poor behaviors- physical and mental
 Target “weaker” students
 Decreases with age- peaks in MS
 What research tells us….

Victims
 8% to 54%
 More likely to be male
 Physically small, weak, or out of shape
 Depressed or do not enjoy school
 Few friends
 Not in good academic standing
 Relational and verbal more than physical
 What research tells us…..

Cyberbullies
 4% to 34%
 More likely to be traditional bullies
 More likely to be male

Cybervictims
 4 to 50%
 About half do not know who is bullying them
 Older females
 What research tells us

Location
 29%- Classrooms
 29%- Hallways or lockers

 23% Lunch room or recess area

 19% In gym
Overseas Bullying and Victimization
Questionnaire

Indicator Number
Participants 848

Schools/Countries 9/8

Largest School 172

Smallest School 30

Continents 4
 The Instrument

Overseas Bullying and Victimization Questionnaire for

Middle Years Students
Online, Anonymous, Self-Report, Cross-Sectional
26 Questions
 Witness (1)
 Location (1)
 Traditional Victimization (5)
 Cyber Victimization (5)
 Traditional Bullying (4)
 Cyber Bullying (5)
 Demographics( gender, grade, years at school, HCN vs. Expat,
Countries) (5)
 General Responses

Construct Percentage
Traditional Bully 19%
Traditional Victim 7%

Cyber Bully 5%
Cyber Victim 1%
 OVERSEAS SCHOOL RESEARCH

Significant Differences with Gender

Item Male (N=424) Female(N=422)
Traditional Victim Physical  (16%) (6%)
Traditional Bully Physical (9%) (3%)
Traditional Bully Verbal  (12%) (7%)

Traditional Bully Relational (3%)  (6%)

Traditional Victim Relational (19%)  (28%)

Trends
Traditional Bully  
Traditional Victim  
Cyber Bully  
Cyber Victim  
 OVERSEAS SCHOOL RESEARCH

Significant Differences with Grade

Item 6th (N=275) 7th (N=304) 8th (N=253)
Traditional Victim General  (24%) (15%) (17%)
Cyber Victim Inclusion (8%) (2%) (3%)
Cyber Bully Relational (1%) (1%)  (4%)

Trends
Traditional Bully 
Traditional Victim  
Cyber Bully  
Cyber Victim  
 OVERSEAS SCHOOL RESEARCH

Significant differences with National Status

Host Country (N=330) Expat (N=507)

Trends
Traditional Bully 
Traditional Victim 
Cyber Bully 
Cyber Victim  
 OVERSEAS SCHOOL RESEARCH

Significant Difference with Years at School

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5 or more
(N=174) (N=160) (N=107) (N=74) (N=331)
Cyber Victim General (2%) (4%) (9%) (4%) (7%)
Traditional Bully Verbal (5%) (10%) (13%) (4%) (11%)

Trends
Traditional Bully  
Traditional Victim 
Cyber Bully  
Cyber Victim  
 Overseas Student Responses

Location Percent
Hallways and Lockers 43%
Playground 27%
Classrooms 22%
Cafeteria 16%
Bathroom 14%
Gym 12%
Other Location 11%
 Major Findings

38% Witnessed bullying in last two months

Where? Hallways/Lockers, Playground, Classroom,

Cafeteria

Traditional Bullying and Victimization occurs

approximately 4 times as much as Cyber Bullying and
Victimization
 Developing a School-Wide Policy

Component Best Practice

Definition Incorporating the definition
Policy All components clearly stated to all
stakeholders
Notice Parents, students, and teachers- Student
Code of Conduct and consequences
Reporting Immunity and requirement for reporting
Investigation Protocols for reporting each incident
Consequences Continuum of consequences from punitive
measures to remedial interventions
Kueny, M. & Zirkel, P. (2012). An analysis of school anti-bullying laws in the United States. Middle School Journal
(43; 4).
 Framework for Developing a Policy

Collect data

Intervention program

Targeted training for teachers, counselors, and

students

Committee to develop school-specific policy

Overseas School Research
 Contact/Use

Kent Blakeney
keblakeney@hotmail.com

www.overseasschoolresearch.com

Please do not copy, distribute, or use without

contacting me for permission. I might have a newer
version of the data.