Behind the Scenes: Insights into the Human Dimension of Covert Bullying

Behind the Scenes: Insights into the Human Dimension of Covert Bullying

Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies
Centre for the Analysis of Educational Futures

In Partnership with:
The Coalition to Decrease Bullying, Harassment and

Violence in South Australian Schools


Short Report: December 2008

DEST RFT PRN9497

Prepared for: Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

Prepared by: Dr Barbara Spears

Professor Phillip Slee

Professor Laurence Owens

Professor Bruce Johnson

Annie Campbell

Senior Business Development and Marketing Manager

University of South Australia

Telephone [phone]

Facsimile [phone]

Mobile [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

Important Notice

This report is confidential and was prepared exclusively for the client named above. It is not intended for, nor do we accept any responsibility for its use by any third party. The report is copyright University of South Australia and may not be reproduced. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS

Project Team Members					iii
Project Website					iii
Acknowledgements					iv
1.	EXECUTIVE SUMMARY				1
	1.1	Introduction			1
	1.2	Conceptual Findings			5
		1.2.1		The Concept of Covert Bullying	6
		1.2.2		Definition	6
		1.2.3		Impact	8
		1.2.4		Discounting and Coping	9
		1.2.5		Cyber Bullying	10
		1.2.6		Bystanders	15
		1.2.7		Cyclical Nature & Boundary-Less Nature of Covert and Cyber Bullying	16
		1.2.8		Repetition and Cyber Bullying	17
		1.2.9		Gender: Covert and cyber Bullying	18
		1.2.10		Decision Making and Citizenship in Cyber Space	19
		1.2.11		School Counsellors and Covert and Cyber Bullying	21
		1.2.12		Summary of Major Findings and Conclusions	22
	1.3	Practical Strategies and Implications for Reducing Covert & Cyber Bullying			27
		1.31		Students	27
		1.32		Parents	28
		1.33		Teachers	28
		1.34		Schools and Communities	32
	1.4	Summary of Recommendations			33
REFERENCES					35

Project Team Members
This Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) funded research project was a collaboration between:

• 
  The University of South Australia (Barbara Spears and Bruce Johnson) and
  
• 
  The Flinders University, South Australia (Phillip Slee and Larry Owens)
  

In partnership with:

• 
  The Coalition to Decrease Bullying, Harassment and Violence in South Australian Schools (Janine Harvey (Department of Education and Children’s Services), Greg Cox (DECS), Linda Moran (Catholic Education of South Australia), Jenn Trantor (Association of Independent Schools of South Australia) and
  
• 
  Learning Technologies: DECS (Paul Doherty and Jim Edson)
  

Project Website

The Insights into the Human Dimension of Covert Bullying website can be found at http://www.cyberbullyingstories.org.au

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to those who have contributed their stories, for without them, we would not have the knowledge or the resource we now have.
In particular we would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of the following:
Associate Professor Verity Bottroff: Head of the Department of Disability Studies: School of Medicine: Faculty of Health Sciences, Flinders University. Our special thanks go to her and the parents and their children for sharing their experiences of Asperger’s Syndrome with us, so that we might further understand covert bullying.
Alison Wotherspoon (Flinders University) Producer/Director of Coping with School Bullying and Reducing School Bullying video series is acknowledged for her willingness to provide her excellent resources for inclusion on the website.
Learning Technologies’ key role in the construction of the website is gratefully recognised, with thanks in particular to Paul Doherty and Jim Edson for their expertise and willingness
Dr Barbara Spears, Team leader and chief writer, would like to thank the research team for their insights, contributions and professional endeavours. She would especially like to thank Professor Phillip Slee (Flinders University) and Gregory Cox (Department of Education and Children’s Services, South Australia) for their specific contributions, and Professor Larry Owens (Flinders University) and Professor Bruce Johnson (University of South Australia) for their expertise.

1.