Copyright Malvin Porter, Jr. 2010 - acumen - The University of ...

actively involved, or as defenders of the victims who actively try to stop the bullying or help the
victim (Salmivalli et al., 1996). Recent research has focused on the roles that children play in
bully victimization (Salmivalli et al., 1996; Sutton & Smith, 1999).
Observational research supports the notion that bullying functions as a group process.
Some studies show that peers are present in up to 88 percent of bullying incidents on school
playgrounds (Hawkins, Pepler, & Craig, 2001) and that children spend on average about 54
percent of their time reinforcing bullies by watching passively as bully victimization occurs
(O’Connell, Pepler, & Craig, 1999). Additionally, when children who stand by passively
watching peers actively engaged in bully victimization, they contribute to the increase sense of
humiliation and social isolation experienced by victims (Hazler & Denham, 2002).
Prevalence of Bullying and Victimization
In the 1980s, approximately 15 percent of European international children ages 8-16 were
involved in bully/victim problems with some regularity—as either bullies, victims, or both bully
and victim (Olweus, 1993). Approximately 9 percent of all children were victims, and 6-7
percent bullied other children regularly. In 2001, researchers found that the percentage of
victimized European children had increased from 9 percent in 1983 to approximately 14 percent
in 2001, and the number of European children who were involved (as bullies, victims, or
bully/victims) in frequent and serious bullying problems (e.g., occurring at least once a week)
had increased from 15 percent in 1983 to approximately 25 percent in 2001 (Olweus, 2002).
In the United States, researchers report that bullying is a serious, pervasive problem for
school children. In 2003, the National Educational Association (NEA) identified bullying as a
major concern in U.S. schools, with incidence rates of 80 percent or more ranging from
kindergarten through high school (NEA, 2003). Bullying appears to be a persistent problem in
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