Children and Bullying

Scarcely a day goes by without reports of school bullying or recommendations for quick fixes to the problem. Parents and educators are often left trying to solve a difficult issue without sufficient evidence to support suggested remedies. Children and Bullying is a vital resource in the quest to create safe learning environments. Drawing on a wealth of research, Ken Rigby provides clear explanations and effective strategies for combating bullying among children and preventing children from becoming involved in bullying situations.

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• Offers a collaborative approach to the school-based bullying problem
  
• Emphasizes the crucial role student bystanders can play in countering bullying, and how to promote positive bystander behaviors
  
• Examines contentious research, such as the role genetics or parenting in early childhood may play in creating bullies and victims
  
• Answers to FAQs by parents in the final chapter are often controversial but intended to stimulate thought

Contents.

Preface.

1. Introduction.

2. The Cares of Parents.

3. The Nature of Bullying.

4. The Research into Bullying in Schools.

5. Your Children at School.

6. On Telling.

7. Bystanders.

8. Parenting and Healthy Child Development.

9. Parents as Life Educators.

10. Parents Helping Children with Bullying Problems.

11. What Good Schools are Doing about Bullying.

12. Some Questions and Answers.

Notes.

Appendices.

References

?This is simply the best, most up-to-date, most detailed and most thoughtful book about school bullying that you could hope to find.? (Research Papers in Education, August 2009)

?It is a book for parents that draws extensively on research as well as being a practical manual that offers strategies to prevent and combat bullying. The book will certainly be a helpful one ? to educators as well as parents ? .Ken Rigby?s lucid writing style makes it an easy book to read ? .The author?s laudable aim ? to produce an academic book, research-based but accessible to a non-professional readership ? is an aim that is manifestly achieved. Children and Bullying contains a refreshing balance of anecdote and information, research and strategy. As a parent it is, for me, reassuring and eminently practical. As a teacher it provides a clear sense of direction in terms of what has been successful in other schools ? .And as someone who now who works with both teachers and parents, it is a book I shall recommend to both without hesitation.? (Educational Psychology, November 2008)

Ken Rigby is Adjunct Professor of Research for the School of Education at the University of South Australia. A former teacher, Rigby has served as both a national and educational consultant in addressing problems of school safety and bullying in schools. He has published widely in both academic and professional journals, especially on peer victimization, and has written seven books on bullying including Bullying in Schools: How successful can interventions be? (2004, co-authored with Peter K. Smith and Debra Pepler). Scarcely a day goes by without reports of school bullying or recommendations for quick fixes to the problem. Parents and educators are often left trying to solve a difficult problem without sufficient evidence to support suggested remedies. Drawing on a wealth of research, Ken Rigby provides clear explanations and effective strategies for combating bullying among children as well as preventing children from becoming involved in bullying situations.

Exploring key issues such as ways to empower children to deal with bullies, the crucial role positive peer influences can play, and how schools can develop effective anti-bullying programs, Children and Bullying is a vital resource for educators and parents alike as they work to create safe learning environments.

“There are books about research on bullying, and books that offer advice with only minimal reference to research. This book brings the two together – a practical book for parents that makes full use of the extensive research evidence available. An invaluable resource!”
–Peter K Smith, Goldsmiths, University of London

“As a father, this book moved me because after reading it I understood more about a parent’s pain and anger when their child is involved in bullying. As a former teacher, I learned how bullying can appear different depending on the observer’s role. And as a professor, I was impressed with the book’s theoretical level and analytical power. It is exceptionally well written and stimulates both brain and heart.”
–Erling Roland, University of Stavanger, Norway

"...a refreshing and practical guide for adults who are helping children navigate the difficulties and intricacies of the bullying dynamic. Dr. Rigby eloquently proposes that in order to reduce bullying among children, the adults in their lives must recognize that bullying is a complex dynamic, a social relationship problem, and one whose solution requires a serious examination of societal expectations, moral issues, ethics, and our philosophy of human relationships. Children and Bullying challenges our thinking about bullying and has real potential for reducing bullying among children."
–Susan M. Swearer, University of Nebraska - Lincoln