Where the bullies are: A study of children's expressions of bullying and compassion in a fourth grade classroom.

摘要

Media has brought to public attention the effects of bullying behavior, victimization, and bullycides in America's schools. To gain an anthropological perspective on the social factors of bullying behavior and empathy (or its lack) in fourth-grade students, this researcher spent a school year as a participant/observer in a fourth-grade classroom two to three days per week. My purpose was to witness classroom behavior and interactions, and interview elementary students about their perceptions of social incidents and bullying behavior. Many adults have suggested that children are lacking in empathy in greater numbers today than in previous years, and that this is the cause of increased rates of bullying. During the course of the year---through narratives, surveys, bully/victim perspective taking exercises, interviews, and incident observations---it has been found that the problem of bullying is ubiquitous in our elementary schools, often functioning as a negative reciprocal form of socialization. Bullying behavior may occur under the guise of play and within steps of adults, yet remain unseen. From the perception of children, even the adults participate in bullying. Conclusions show that children are not lacking in empathy, but rather that bullying behavior serves to exhibit power within social hierarchies and degrees of closeness between individuals, and it also serves as a leveling mechanism geared to encourage others to conform to the expected norms and values of their age or group.;Recommendations include: creating regular dialogues about emotional vocabulary; teacher training for implementing recognized anti-bullying programs that are consistent, supported, and made part of the daily curriculum rather than bi- or annual discussions; improved teacher and parental support and communication networks that work for parents with difficult schedules; opportunities for children to role-play or practice perspective taking, as in theatrical scenarios; district-wide diversity training and celebration rather than encouraging conformity; anger management and therapeutic opportunities for children; and greater empathy shown to the students by those in power within the institution.