Understanding School Bullying: Its Nature and Prevention Strategies

Peter K. Smith

May 2014 · SAGE

About this ebook

'This extraordinarily comprehensive  book  authored by the leading international authority in the field integrates research, theory and practice on the topic of school bullying. In an already research saturated field Peter Smith's writing captures the humanity of  why this topic strikes such a chord in the community. He reminds us in a thoughtful, practical and caring manner why we must continue to advocate on all levels for those impacted by bullying.'
-Professor Phillip T. Slee, Flinders University, Australia

'Understanding School Bullying offers a refreshingly clear account of the wealth of insights gained over a quarter of a century of research. As Smith's comprehensive review convincingly shows, much has been learned and much of this has been put to good use in improving children's wellbeing. This is surely essential reading for any researcher concerned with bullying, childhood or life at school.' -Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, author of Children, Risk and Safety Online

'Peter Smith's new book will occupy a prominent place on my bookshelf. It provides a thorough and highly readable discussion of the breadth of research on school bullying. Dr. Smith includes discussions of important challenges related to research on this topic along with an excellent review of important studies and findings. This unique volume has influenced my thinking about the direction of my own research. The book will be an invaluable resource for researchers, consumers of research, and others who seek a research-based understanding of this important topic.' -Sheri Bauman, Ph.D., Professor at University of Arizona

Bullying involves the repeated abuse of power in relationships. Bullying in schools can blight the lives of victims and damage the climate of the school.  Over the last 25 years a burgeoning research program on school bullying has led to new insights into effective ways of dealing with it, as well as new challenges such as the advent of cyberbullying.

This new book, by a leading international expert on the topic, brings together the cumulative knowledge acquired and the latest research findings in the area, with a global perspective especially covering research in Europe, North America, Australasia, and Asia. It will appeal to those taking academic courses in psychology, social work, educational psychology, child clinical psychology and psychiatry, and teacher training, but it will also be of interest to parents and teachers.

About the author

Peter Smith is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, U.K. His publications include Bullying in Schools: How Successful can Interventions be? (Cambridge UP, 2004), the Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development, 2 nd ed. (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011) and Bullying in the Global Village: Research on Cyberbullying from an International Perspective (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012). He was Chair of COST Action IS0801 on Cyberbullying (2008-2012), and is PI of Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Pupil Safety and Wellbeing, financed by the Indian-European Research Networking in the Social Sciences initiative (2012-2015).