Assessing Bullying Behaviors and Efficacy of Bullying Prevention in Fourth Grade Classrooms

Background: Bullying is a common and serious issue faced by children and adolescents today. Puppets in Education (PiE), a non-profit, aims to intervene by providing children with the information and skills needed to prevent bullying through use of life-sized puppets and interactive workshops. Purpose: To determine the efficacy of PiE's Bullying Prevention Program. Methods. Students from three fourth-grade classrooms in Chittenden County, VT were asked to complete a short survey and participate in small focus groups before and after viewing PiE's Bullying Prevention Program. Focus groups were led by University of Vermont College of Medicine students. Data from surveys and focus groups were quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Results. The majority of students have been bullied before (61%). Survey analysis shows the PiE presentation increased knowledge as evidenced by an increased number of students indicating the correct answer on the survey. Survey and focus group data suggest that most children would find it easiest to walk away from a bully and tell an adult. Overall, focus group analysis shows that students felt more comfortable dealing with bullying behavior following the presentation. Conclusions. Data from focus groups and surveys strongly suggest that the PiE Bullying Prevention Program is effective in its goals of empowerment. Recommendations for further improvement include coupling strategies such as “walking away from a bully and telling an adult,” using concrete examples and quotations, and incorporating role play. This approach could be utilized in other schools, in other geographic locations.