Bullying: An Ecological Approach to Intervention in Schools

Bullying is a major concern in education worldwide, particularly in countries such as New Zealand that are reported to have high rates of bullying in schools. In this article it is proposed that, in order to effectively prevent or substantially reduce bullying in schools, a systemic approach needs to be adopted, with interventions organized at various levels. An ecological model for bullying prevention is presented that suggests strategies and interventions at the levels of teachers, schools, communities, and society. Examples of interventions that have been found in the literature to have evidence supporting their effectiveness have been outlined at each of these levels. Guidelines are presented for schools adopting such an ecological model for addressing bullying and for bringing about the changes needed to implement it successfully.