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Program reduced gossip in schools
Low S. School Psych Rev. 2010; 39:536-551.
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Elementary school students who participated in a 3-month anti-bullying program, Steps to Respect, showed a 72% decrease in the malicious gossip that often leads to physician bullying, according to results published in School Psychology Review.
Karin Frey, PhD, of the University of Washington, and colleagues from Witchita State University used Palm Pilots to electronically record second-by-second observations of 544 students in third- to sixth-grade at six elementary schools in the Pacific Northwest. Researchers recorded each child’s behavior on the playground for 5 minutes once a week for 10 weeks in the fall and 10 weeks in the spring.
After observers heard gossip on the playground in the fall, the anti-bullying program began in half of the 36 classrooms. For 3 months, teachers taught Steps to Respect lesson plans that encouraged empathy and emphasized that bullying is not a social norm.
When students’ playground gossip was observed in the spring, children in the intervention classrooms had 234 fewer instances of gossip (per class of 25), or a 72% decrease, among students who had gossiped before participating in the anti-bullying program.
“Gossip is still there, but it’s better,” Frey said in a press release. “That’s going to make a difference in the life of a child.”
The study showed that having supportive friends and not choosing retaliation when victimized by malicious gossip helped participants in the program avoid further victimization, according to the researchers.
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