Social-Ecological Model
Running Head: SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL MODEL
A Social-Ecological Model for Bullying Prevention and Intervention in Early Adolescence: An Exploratory Examination
Susan M. Swearer and James Peugh University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Dorothy L. Espelage University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Amanda B. Siebecker
Whitney L. Kingsbury
Katherine S. Bevins
sswearer@unlserve.unl.edu Chapter submitted for publication in: The Handbook of School Violence and School Safety: From Research to Practice Edited by Shane R. Jimerson and Michael J. Furlong To be published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Mahwah, New Jersey
Social-Ecological Model 2
Involvement in bullying and victimization is the result of the complex interplay between individuals and their broader social environment. In this chapter, Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) classic ecological theory is used as a base to illustrate the interrelated nature between the individual, multiple environments, and engagement in bullying and victimization behaviors. First, the bullying literature across the social-ecology is reviewed, a social-ecological model of bullying is proposed and evaluated, and implications for effective bullying intervention are discussed. Social-ecological theory has been previously applied to the conceptualization of bullying and victimization (Garbarino & deLara, 2002; Newman, Horne, & Bartolomucci, 2000; Olweus, 1993; Swearer & Doll, 2001; Swearer & Espelage, 2004). It is clear from both theory and research that bullying and victimization are phenomena that are reciprocally influenced by the individual, family, school, peer group, community, and society. One major task facing bullying researchers is how to empirically examine these reciprocal influences. Although it is beyond the scope of this chapter to examine each area in depth, a brief overview of selected socialecological variables associated with bullying and victimization is provided and followed by an empirical examination of these
A Social-Ecological Model for Bullying Prevention and Intervention in Early Adolescence: An Exploratory Examination
Susan M. Swearer and James Peugh University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Dorothy L. Espelage University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Amanda B. Siebecker
Whitney L. Kingsbury
Katherine S. Bevins
sswearer@unlserve.unl.edu Chapter submitted for publication in: The Handbook of School Violence and School Safety: From Research to Practice Edited by Shane R. Jimerson and Michael J. Furlong To be published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Mahwah, New Jersey
Social-Ecological Model 2
Involvement in bullying and victimization is the result of the complex interplay between individuals and their broader social environment. In this chapter, Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) classic ecological theory is used as a base to illustrate the interrelated nature between the individual, multiple environments, and engagement in bullying and victimization behaviors. First, the bullying literature across the social-ecology is reviewed, a social-ecological model of bullying is proposed and evaluated, and implications for effective bullying intervention are discussed. Social-ecological theory has been previously applied to the conceptualization of bullying and victimization (Garbarino & deLara, 2002; Newman, Horne, & Bartolomucci, 2000; Olweus, 1993; Swearer & Doll, 2001; Swearer & Espelage, 2004). It is clear from both theory and research that bullying and victimization are phenomena that are reciprocally influenced by the individual, family, school, peer group, community, and society. One major task facing bullying researchers is how to empirically examine these reciprocal influences. Although it is beyond the scope of this chapter to examine each area in depth, a brief overview of selected socialecological variables associated with bullying and victimization is provided and followed by an empirical examination of these