This online resource from the Office of Justice Programs Crime Solutions presents the results of an evaluation of the KiVa Antibullying program.
This online resource presents the results of an evaluation of the KiVa Antibullying program. The study found that in schools that implemented the program, students reported significantly lower levels of bullying and victimization than in control schools; peer-reports of bullying and victimization were lower for students at KiVa schools compared to students at control schools; and as the program progressed, KiVa schools reported more antibullying attitudes and empathy, and students reported more self-efficacy for defending and greater levels of well-being while at school. The KiVa Antibullying program is a school-based program for use in grades one, four, and seven aimed at reducing school bullying and victimization. The program was developed in Finland and it has four main components: raise awareness of the role that a group plays in maintaining bullying; increase empathy toward victims; promote strategies to support the victim and to support children's self-efficacy to use those strategies; and increase children's skills in coping when they are victimized. The program was developed based on research that suggests that bullying behavior is dependent on group behavior and high status within a peer group, and that by changing group behaviors, one can reduce bullying by reducing the rewards of bullying. References