Introduction
Bullying is an issue that impacts students’ lives at many levels, and it could potentially lead to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. These symptoms could be typical not only to the victims of bullying but also to the bystanders. Given the potential severity of consequences of being subjected to bullying, the research within this area of the school environment is ever-important for a peaceful and prosperous course of a child’s life.
Article Overview
In the given article, the authors provide a study on the interaction between two systems in a child’s life: the system of school life and the system of home life. The study includes research on how the ways those two systems interact could be used to combat bullying at school. The result of this research states that to increase proactive bystander behavior, it is essential to create a collaboration between parents and school counselors. In addition, the paper provides several strategies to build such collaborations and broaden the counselors’ role in combating bullying.
Closing the Research Gap
The claim of a research gap in the correlation between a child’s behavior as a bystander in school and the ways they are instructed to behave in such situations at home appears to be well-justified. The authors adequately present the fact that the present research lacks in the area of the influence that patents/counselors consultations contain. That is specifically true if parents are aware of the exact antibullying program employed within a school’s structure and school climate. For example, if parents believe that the school climate is positive, they are less likely to instill antibullying incentives. In this aspect, the given study proves to be a thorough and profound work that would help counselors understand the accomplishments that their collaborative efforts with parents can achieve.
Scope and Sample Issues
It has been recognized that the study has proved the effect of counselors’ collaborations with parents to be practical and useful among the chosen sample. However, the small scale of the sample and limitation in regard to its diversity poses a question as to whether these strategies could be successfully implemented within every school structure. For example, it has been expressed that African American families more eagerly reinforce strategies to prepare their children for dealing with bullying. Therefore, the fact that results acquired in this study vary depending on the ethnic status of the family should be taken into consideration when implementing these findings. In addition, it is essential to note that increasing parents’ awareness of a negative school climate could entice parental movement towards instructing their children to avoid interference in fear of being harmed. This aspect of the interaction between the school system and the home system in a child’s life should be given more attention.
Conclusion
In summary, the study under examination proves to be a complete and pioneering project that aims to diminish bullying in school spaces. This research shows benefits that could be achieved through collaborative work between counselors and parents, specifically developing an emphatic approach towards victims of bullying by bystanders. The employment of technology helps to avoid harmful consequences of victimization among both subjects of bullying and the bystanders. Despite many admirable qualities, this paper could be criticized for using a small sample and a lack of research into the impacts of parents’ awareness regarding a negative school climate.
Reference
Banks C.S., Blake J.J., Lewis K. (2020). Collaborating with parents to increase proactive bystander messages. Professional school counseling, 23(1), 1-12.