Well-Being, Positive Peer Relations and Bullying in School Settings (eBook)

Phillip Slee is Professor in Human Development in the School of Education and is a trained teacher and registered psychologist. He is also Director of the Student Wellbeing & Prevention of Violence (SWAPv) Research Centre at Flinders. Professor Slee has published extensively in the field of child development, bullying, school violence and stress, and has produced educational resources in the form of videos and resource packages. He has presented his work nationally and internationally in workshops and lectures. Presently, he is undertaking a number of international research projects on the topic of school violence with researchers from Japan, Korea, China, Canada, England, and the USA. Grace teaches pre-service primary and secondary teachers and works collaboratively with other researchers at Flinders University. She also supervises research projects of postgraduate students. Grace has been involved with the team working on the Australian child wellbeing project, the qualitative data collection and analysis of the KidsMatter evaluation, and with the data collection and statistical data analysis of a bullying intervention, which formed part of the ARC Southern Schools Project. In her teaching, Grace lectures in science curriciulum topics, assisting pre-service to develop science pedagogy for primary and secondary science. Her background includes research on adolescent health with CSIRO and with adolescent offenders at the Office of Crime Statistics and Research (OCSAR) in South Australia. A former high school teacher her interest in adolescent behaviour and well-being continues to be the major focus of her research and she is a member of the Student Wellbeing & Prevention of Violence (SWAPv) Research Centre at Flinders University.

Contents 6
1 Well-Being at School 10
Abstract 10
Introduction 10
Well-Being in Other Cultures 13
Definition of Well-Being 14
The Domains of Well-Being 15
Domains of Child Well-Being 16
Quality of Life Domains 17
Social Indicators 19
Objective Well-Being and Social Indicators 20
Other Perspectives of Child/Student Well-Being 20
Measures of Well-Being 24
Measuring Subjective Child Well-Being 24
Student Voice and Well-Being 25
Subjective Well-Being 26
Flourishing 27
Well-Being as Hedonia and Eudaimonia 28
Subjective and Objective Well-Being Measures 29
Student Well-Being and School Achievement 29
Feeling “Good” About Oneself 30
Resilience 31
Well-Being and Mental Health 31
Promoting Well-Being in Schools 33
References 36
2 School/Community Based Interventions for Well-Being 40
Abstract 40
Introduction 41
Mental Health—Well-Being: Two Sides of a Different Coin! 42
The Nature of Well-Being 43
Psychological Well-Being 43
Well-Being and the “Good Life” 43
Limitations to the Conception of Well-Being 45
Ecological Influences on Well-Being 46
The Neighbourhood Environment 47
Elements of the Neighbourhood Environment and Well-Being 47
Prevention and Intervention 50
A Dynamic Systems Perspective for Understanding the Change Process in Interventions 52
A Case Study of a Community Based Prevention and Intervention to Reduce Bullying 53
Method 53
Outcomes of the Intervention 54
Summary 55
References 56
Resources 59
3 An International Overview of Programs Addressing School Based Mental Health 60
Abstract 60
Introduction 61
Flow! 61
What Is Quality of School Life? 63
Critical Elements of Programs to Enhance School-Based Mental Health and Well-Being 63
Educational Organizations as Sites and Contexts for Intervention 64
The Challenges of School Intervention 65
Core Competencies of Mental Health Programs 67
Effectiveness of SEL Programs 68
Teacher Social and Emotional Competence—‘The Invisible Hand’ 70
Dimensions of Teacher Well-Being 71
Summary 72
References 74
4 Student’s School Relationships 77
Abstract 77
Introduction 78
Relationships and Well-Being 79
Social Networks 79
Children’s Social Networks 81
Attachment Theory 81
Attachment Style and Peer Relationships 82
Childhood School Relationships 83
Peers and Friends 84
Social Competence 86
Best Friends 87
Adolescent Friendships 89
Romantic Adolescent Relationships 90
Well-Being and Relationships in an Australian Cohort 92
5 School and Classroom Climate and Well-being 103
Abstract 103
Introduction 104
School Climate 104
The Measurement of School Climate 107
What Is Classroom Climate? 109
The Measurement of Classroom Climate 110
The Importance of Classroom Climate 111
Summary 111
References 113
6 School Bullying, Victimization and Pro-social Behaviour 116
Abstract 116
Introduction 117
History of Bullying 117
Definition of Bullying 118
The International Phenomenon of Bullying 120
Types of Bullying 123
Cyberbullying 124
Trolling 125
Cyber-Bullying and Face-to-Face Bullying 126
Involvement in Bullying 128
Gender Differences 130
Age Differences 130
Students’ Bullying Experiences 132
Effects of Bullying 133
References 137
7 Bullying and Victimization: A Global Perspective 141
Abstract 141
Introduction 142
Bullying Research in the Asia-Pacific Rim 142
Japan 142
Korea 143
New Zealand 144
China 144
Canada 145
Colombia 145
Chile 145
Overview 147
Pacific-Rim Comparative Research 148
Risky Business: Risk-Taking and Well-Being in Social Networking Sites 150
Mental Health in an Online Environment 151
Internet Use and Risk-Taking: A Challenge to Well-Being! 151
Sexting, Cyberbullying and the Law 153
School Bullying—A Matter of Human Rights! 153
Bullying: Developments in Policy and Legislation 154
Bullying and the Law: A Global Snapshot 155
Summary 157
References 158
8 Anti-bullying Interventions 161
Abstract 161
Introduction 162
Level of Interventions 162
Anti-bullying Interventions 164
The P.E.A.C.E. Pack 165
Coping with Bullying 167
CWB Student Questionnaire 168
Coping with Bullying (CWB) Program 169
Coping with Bullying DVD 170
CWB Program Materials 171
CWB Program Method and Procedure 171
The CWB Program Intervention 172
Implementation of CWB 174
Australia 174
Study 1: A Cohort of Year 8 s at School A Completing the 8-week CWB Program 175
Results of Study 1 175
CWB and Comparison Program 176
Study 2: A Cohort of Year 8 s at School B Completing the CWB Program Over 8 hours 177
Results of Study 2 178
Greece 181
Results 181
The Focus of Coping with Bullying Interventions 183
Summary 184
References 186
9 Implementing a School/Community Partnership 190
Abstract 190
Introduction 191
Schools as “Settings” for Interventions and Well-being Promotion 191
Community Based Interventions 194
“P” Promotion 195
“R” Readiness 196
“A”—Adoption 196
“I”—Implementation 196
“S”—Sustainability 197
“E”—Evaluation 197
Descriptions of Successful School-Community Focussed Intervention Programs 198
‘The Family Learning Network’ (FLN) 198
Evaluations 200
The Five Schools Bullying Prevention Program 200
Results 201
Student Well-Being and prevention of Violence: Ongoing School-Based Interventions 202
Summary 203
References 205
Appendix 208
Epilogue 216