Elementary Principals’ Perceptions Regarding Bully Prevention Activities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine elementary principals’ perceptionsregarding the extent that bullying had been taking place in their schools, practicesregarding the impact of bully prevention activities on the amount of bullying that occursin their schools, and the perceived barriers to establishing bully prevention activities. Asecond purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship betweenelementary principals’ perceptions about barriers regarding bullying prevention activitiesand their implementation of these activities. Additionally, the purpose was to examineperceptions regarding barriers to establishing bully prevention activities and theimplementation of these activities. Elementary principals’ training in bully preventionand their perceptions of the impact of bullying prevention activities were also examined.This study involved a quantitative research design using survey methods. Thesurvey was adapted, with permission, from Dake et al.’s (2004) Perceptions of BullyingPrevention Activities survey. The survey was sent electronically via Survey Monkey to710 public elementary school principals in the state of Kansas. The return rate ofresponses was 221, which totals 32.1%. Chi-square tests of equal percentages, chi-squaretests of independence, and Pearson correlations were used for hypothesis testing.Findings indicated that the majority of participants did not perceive any types ofbullying (physical, verbal, psychological/mental, social, cyber, or indirect) to be aproblem in their schools. Additionally, participants did not perceive that bullying was aproblem in Kansas elementary schools. Of the fifteen bully prevention activitiesidentified on the survey, participants perceived that eleven of these activities wouldlessen the amount of bullying occurring in Kansas’ elementary schools. When examining perceived barriers to administering a survey, establishing a bully prevention committee,or having a conference day, participants perceived that none of the barriers mentionedwould deter them from implementing any of the bully prevention activities.