Creating A Positive School Climate Can Help Prevent Bullying

Creating a positive school climate and adopting appropriate methods to preserve this climate can help prevent bullying in schools, a new study finds.

Bullying is a common problem globally. This can have a very negative impact on a child's brain development leading to mental problems like depression and anxiety. Not just that, researchers of a previous study found that individuals that are subjected to childhood bullying are more likely to go to prison as adults.

Experts often emphasize on the need for schools to implement proper strategies to prevent bullying in the campus and beyond. A new study found that creating a positive school climate and adopting appropriate methods to preserve this climate can help prevent bullying in schools, according to a press statement.

"Bullying is a very complex problem," Cixin Wang, an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education, said. "With this research, we're really trying to provide school personnel with some proven steps to address the problem."

Owing to this growing problem, of late many parents, school officials and organizations have shown interest in curbing bullying. However, school officials often find it difficult to determine the exact causes that trigger bullying and what programs should be adopted to prevent it.

Wang and a team of colleagues conducted this study to see how school climate can prevent bullying by reviewing school climate evaluations and intervention programs.

Researchers found that inculcating a positive school climate by encouraging positive student-teacher interaction and reprimanding bullies can help eradicate this problem. To achieve this positive climate, school officials need to promote and model appropriate attitudes and behaviors, such as caring, empathy, and proper interactions among and between teachers and students.

Encouraging students to report bullying incidents and taking such reports seriously can also help minimize such activities in school. How adults in school carry themselves also plays a key role in maintaining a peaceful school environment. Adults shouldn't bully their students or other adults in the same campus.

Since bullying is not just a behavioral problem but also a mental disorder, educators should seek professional help from mental health practitioners for students involved in bullying.

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