Title

Bullying in Today's Schools: Are Preservice Teachers Aware?

Author

Jessica A. Skowronek, Concordia University, St. Paul

Date of Award

2006

Document Type

Non Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education

Department

Education

Program

Differentiated Instruction

Capstone Instructor

Sally Baas

Second Reader

Kristin Bransford

Keywords

bullying, preservice teacher training, bullying prevention program, qualitative study

Abstract

As instances of extreme school violence become more common in American schools, the necessity of knowledge about bullying behavior and bullying prevention is rising. This study was designed to determine the knowledge level preservice teachers have about bullying behavior and bullying prevention. A survey was developed to examine preservice teachers' knowledge level relative to bullying and bullying prevention. The survey consisted of 26 statements based on common themes found in current research on bullying and four statements designed to determine bullying prevention preparation. Seventy-four preservice teachers from two private Midwestern, liberal arts universities were surveyed. The results from this study show that preservice teachers have a basic understanding about bullying behavior in schools. However, there was also a large amount of information about bullying behavior of which preservice teachers were not aware. Results also show that preservice teachers are not being fully prepared by teacher preparation programs to deal with bullying situations.

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