KiVaTM Antibullying Program
Christina Salmivalli and Virpi Pöyhönen
University of Turku, Finland
Pre-implementation training in Wales, May 2012
1
Today’s topics
• Bullying and the peer group
• KiVa antibullying program
–
–
–
–
–
Overview
Universal actions
Indicated actions
Getting started with KiVa
Evidence of effectiveness
2
Bullying
• Bullying: repeated aggressive behavior against
a person who finds it difficult to defend
him/herself against the perpetrator(s)
– takes numerous forms
 often verbal abuse, public ridicule
3
Bullying
• Rather than consisting of single attacks, bullying
represents a rather stable relationship further
embedded in the larger peer setting
• Universal phenomenon; about 10% of children
and adolescents worldwide are systematic
victims
• WHO survey in 2010:
– Finland: 11/13% victims among the 11-year-old
– Wales: 10/10% victims among the 11-year-old
4
Finland: Being bullied, %
30
25
20
Tytöt
Pojat
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Spring 2009, N > 150 000
5
Finland: Bullied others, %
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Tytöt
Pojat
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Spring 2009, N > 150 000
6
Teachers can do ”much” or ”very much” to decrease
bullying, % respondents
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Tytöt
Pojat
4
5
6
7
8
9
7
Why is bullying such a persistent
problem?
• Bullying as proactive, goal-oriented aggression
• What is the function of bullying?
8
The social architecture of bullying
• Bullying can be a strategy to gain status and
power in the peer group...
• …and it is often succesful
 bullies are perceived as popular (Caravita,
DiBlasio, & Salmivalli, 2008)
 bullying helps to maintain status (Juvonen &
Galvan, 2008)…
 …and to increase status over time (Cillessen &
Borch, 2004)
9
The social architecture of bullying
• By choosing victims who are submissive,
insecure of themselves, physically weak and in
a low-power, rejected position in the group...
• ... the bullies can repeatedly demonstrate their
power and renew their high-status position
without being confronted
10
The social architecture of bullying
• The power demonstrations need witnesses
– in most bullying incidents, a group of peers is
present
11
The social architecture of bullying
• Participant roles in bullying (Salmivalli et al.,
1996)
20%
reinforcers of the bully
8% bully
24%
outsiders
12% victim
assistants of the bully
7%
17%
defenders of the victim
12
The behavior of onlookers does matter
• Individual effects: short term
– the defended victims are better adjusted than the
undefended ones (Sainio, Veenstra, Huitsing, &
Salmivalli, 2010)
• Individual effects: long term
– the most negative memory related to bullying is
often ”no-one cared” (Teräsahjo & Salmivalli,
2000)
13
The behavior of onlookers does matter
• Classroom level:
– The likelihood of victimization is higher in
classrooms where reinforcing the bully is
occurring at high levels (Salmivalli, Voeten &
Poskiparta, 2011)
– Individual-level risk factors, such as anxiety, are
more likely to lead to victimization in classrooms
where reinforcing is common, whereas high
levels of defending minimize the effects of such
risk factors (Kärnä, Voeten, Poskiparta, &
Salmivalli, 2010)
14
In order to reduce bullying...
• We do not necessarily need to change the victims,
making them ”less vulnerable”
• Influencing the behavior of bystanders can reduce the
rewards gained by the bullies and consequently, their
motivation to bully in the first place
• However, the victims need to feel that they are heard and
helped by the adults at school
• The bullies need to be confronted for their unacceptable
behavior
15
An anti-bullying program should
include...
• ...something for all students
→ universal actions
• ...something for bullies and victims in particular
→ indicated actions
16
KiVa antibullying program
• School-based program for bullying prevention and
intervention
• The meaning of ”KiVa”
• Developed at the University of Turku with funding
from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture
– Program co-leaders: Professor Christina Salmivalli
and PhD Elisa Poskiparta
• In Finland, used by 90% of schools providing
comprehensive education (basic education, grades
1-9)
17
Goals of KiVa
• Preventing bullying
• Effective tackling of bullying coming to attention
at school
• Minimizing the negative effects of bullying
18
KiVa program
• Special characteristics:
– Both universal and indicated actions
– An exceptionally large amount of materials &
concrete tools (not merely a ”philosophy”)
– Utilizing virtual learning environments
– Influencing the whole group
• KiVa is more systematic than most existing
anti-bullying programs
19
Precondition for implementing KiVa
succesfully: School commitment
• Staff meeting
– Information to everyone
– Implementation plan
– People in charge (e.g., KiVa team)
20
KiVa antibullying program
Universal actions
• Student lessons
• Computer game
• Parents’ guide and backto-school night
• Posters, vests
• Annual surveys
Indicated actions
• Tackling the cases
coming to attention
– KiVa team
– classroom teacher
– students
– staff
21
Universal actions – student lessons
and computer game
• Three units, appropriate for different grade
levels/students of different ages: Unit 1, Unit 2,
Unit 3
– Unit 2 student lessons piloted in Wales:
 Ten double lessons (2x45 min) during the school
year
 Target age group 9-11 years
22
The aims of stundent lessons and
computer game
Enhancing...
• awareness of the role bystanders play in the
bullying process
• empathic understanding of the victim’s plight
Providing...
• safe strategies to support and defend the
victimized peers → self-efficacy for defending
23
24
Teacher’s manual includes three parts
1. Key to the KiVa antibullying program
– Kiva in a nutshell
2. Universal actions
– Overview of universal actions
– Student lessons
3. Indicated actions
– Tackling acute cases of bullying
25
Teacher’s manual – student lessons
26
The topics of Unit 2 student lessons
Grade 4
1. Respect is for everybody
2. In a group
3. Recognize bullying
4. Hidden forms of bullying
5. Consequences of bullying
6. Group involvement in bullying
7. Countering bullying as a group
8. What to do if I get bullied?
9. KiVa School – let’s do it together!
10. How are we doing?
27
Class KiVa rules
• At the end of each lesson
• Emphasizes the most important aspect of the
lesson
28
Activities included in student lessons
29
KiVa games and KiVa Street are closely
connected to student lessons
– Repeating & testing of what has been learnt during
the lessons – ”I KNOW”
– Learning to take action – ”I CAN”
 Students go around in a virtual school and come to
challenging situations (being bystanders of bullying)
where they have to decide what to say and do
– Motivation – ”I DO”
 Students reflect on their own behavior (how they
have done with following the KiVa rules) and get
feedback
30
KiVa computer game; Unit 2
31
A recommended schedule; Unit 2
Month
August
September
October
November
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Student lesson
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Computer game
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
32
How to find time for student lessons?
• Example: Finland
• Discussion: Wales
33
Two examples
Month
Student lesson
August
Lesson 1
September
Lesson 2
October
Lesson 3
(Recognize bullying)
November
Lesson 4
Dec
Lesson 5
Jan
Lesson 6
Feb
Lesson 7
(Countering bullying as a group)
Mar
Lesson 8
Apr
Lesson 9
May
Lesson 10
Computer game
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
34
Parents’ involvement
• Information leaflet for parents
(kivaprogram.net/wales→material)
– Print and send to each home
• Parents’ guide (in electronic format)
• Back-to-school night
– presentation graphics available
35
To remind about KiVa...
• Posters
• Highly visible vests for
recess supervisors (in
Finland, teachers)
36
Getting to know the material
• Working in pairs/ small groups
– One student lesson for each group
• Familiarize yourselves briefly with the content of
lesson
• Plan a lesson
– Which activities would you include?
• Pick the activity that interests you the most
37
Indicated actions: tackling the cases of
bullying coming to attention
38
KiVa team
• Three or more adults from among the school
personnel, for instance :
– a principal, a teacher, a school social worker
– 2 X teacher, a special education tacher
– a principal, a teacher, a school nurse
39
The role of the KiVa team
• Tackling cases of repeated bullying in
collaboration with the classroom teacher
• Documenting bullying cases
• KiVa-team is NOT a solution to all problems at
school !
40
Which cases should be directed to
KiVa team?
• SCREENING based on the definition of bullying
• Cases not directed to the team (e.g., a conflict
or fight between students): ”treatment as usual”
• Cases directed to the team
– A procedure with several steps
41
Which cases are directed to the KiVa
team?
• Main criteria:
– is this offensive/abusive?
– is this repeated, or is there a fear of repetition?
– The form of bullying (whether physical, verbal,
indirect, cyber) is NOT relevant for making the
decision
(pp.124-125 in the teachers’ manual)
42
Finnish evaluation of KiVa (2007-2008)
• SCREENING: An average of 9,24 cases/school,
range 1-55 (!)
• 60.5% of these cases were directed to KiVa team,
an average of 5,6 cases/school
• Other cases were typically
– Fight or argument 59%
– Misunderstanding 11%
– Single aggressive incident 30%
Reports to schools every month; most of
them in September-October
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
When reported to school personnel
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
Total
FrequencyPercent
15
2.8
117
21.9
85
15.9
4
84
5
27
42
7.9
7
30
36
6.7
29
5.4
18
3.4
483
90.4
Valid%
3.1
24.2
17.6
15.7
5.1
8.7
5.6
7.5
6.0
3.7
100.0
Cumulative%
3.1
27.3
44.9
17.4
62.3
5.6
67.9
76.6
6.2
82.8
90.3
96.3
100.0
39,5%
60,5%
The procedure
for tackling the
cases of bullying
coming to attention
(p. 135 in Teacher’s
manual)
Case John: screening
• The mother of 11-yearl-old John calls the classroom teacher:
Two boys from the same class have been calling John names
and pushing him around, mainly during recess time but also in
way to and from school. Last week the boys had taken John’s
shoes after the PE class – he had finally found them in the
trash bin. John told the mother that this treatment has been
going on since the beginning of school year (2 months) and
even yesterday the boys had been calling him with nasty
names.
• The teacher tells that this sounds as systematic bullying which
will be tackled by the school’s KiVa team. During /after the
phone call the teacher fills in the screening form (Form 1).
46
1. Meeting with John
• One KiVa team member and John
47
Important:
- Support for John!!
- Concrete information
of what has happened,
when, where, by whom
- Some kids who have
not been involved
2. Classroom teacher meets 2-3
classmates
• During/after the meeting with John, the team
member fills in the form 2 and informs the
classroom teacher about the meeting and about
the kids John has mentioned as nice / not
involved in bullying him
49
”John is having
a difficult time”
I believe you might
be able to support him”
3. KiVa team meets the perpetrator(s)
of bullying
• Two different approaches:
– Confronting
 ”You have been bullying John and that has to
stop”
– Nonconfronting
 ”John seems to be having a hard time at school,
he must be feeling bad”
51
Confronting and nonconfronting
approaches
• Confronting
– E.g., Olweus’ view about intervening in bullying
 Making it clear that the child has misbehaved –
need to change
• Nonconfronting
– Pikas: The method of shared concern; Maines &
Robinson: No blame approach
 Creating a ”shared concern” of the child who has
been bullied; blaming the bully/ies not necessary
52
Confronting approach (C)
• ” We know that you have been involved in bullying John for
quite some time. He has been called nasty names and pushed
around, and his belongings have been taken. This must stop
immediately.
• GOAL 1: To make it clear that adults know about the
bullying and do not tolerate it.
• ”What are you going to do about this?”
• GOAL 2: To make the child committed to changing his/her
behavior
• ”Okay, this sounds good. We’ll meet again next week and see
how it has been going”
• GOAL 3: To make it clear that the situation is being
followed
53
Nonconfronting approach (NC)
• ”We are really concerned about your classmate John who has
been bullied. He has been called nasty names and pushed
around, and his belongings have been taken. He must feel bad
don’t you think?”
• GOAL 1: Shared understanding that John is not feeling
well
• ”Is there anything you could do about it?”
• GOAL 2: To make the child suggest some way(s) to make
John feel better
• ”Okay that sounds great. Try that, and we’ll meet again in a
week and hear how it has been going”
• GOAL 3: To make it clear that the situation is being
followed
54
Confronting and nonconfronting
approaches
• Common to both:
– Discussions are short
– Stick to the point – remember the main goals!
55
Case John: Meeting with the
perpetrators of bullying (confronting)
56
Goals, ”C”:
1.To make it clear
that adults know
about the bullying
and do not tolerate
it.
2. To make the child
committed to
changing his/her
behavior
3. To make it clear
that the situation is
being followed
Case John: Meeting with the perpetrators
of bullying (nonconfronting)
59
Goals, ”NC”:
GOAL 1: Shared
understanding that
John is not feeling
well
2. To make the child
suggest some
way(s) to make
John feel better
3. To make it clear
that the situation is
being followed
Case John: Follow-up with John
62
Case John: Follow-up with the
perpetrators of bullying
• In the Finnish evaluation study, the bullied
student participated in the meeting in 30% of the
cases
64
Which approach to choose?
• Confronting or nonconfronting?
• Which one is closer to my previous approach?
• Which one feels better at the moment?
66
The two approaches
NONCONFRONTING
• Bullying
–
–
–
–
Stopped
74.9%
Decreased
22.3%
Remained the same 2.2%
Increased
0.6%
CONFRONTING
• Bullying
–
–
–
–
Stopped
83.5%
Decreased
14.9%
Remained the same 1.5%
Increased
0%
IN PRIMARY SCHOOL GRADES,
NO DIFFERENCE IN EFFECTIVENESS
67
Comparing the two approaches: The
proportion of cases in which bullying had
stopped completely
• ”Virtual mailbox” in the KiVa computer game
– Making reporting more likely
– School must activate the mailbox
 E-mail addresses of KiVa team members
69
Mailbox in the KiVa computer game
Getting started with KiVa
71
Getting started with KiVa
• Registration (until end of May, 2012)
• Staff meeting
– Information for everyone
– Implementation plan
– People in charge (e.g., KiVa team members)
• Student survey (June 2012)
• Kick-off for the students (beginning of school
year in the fall)
• Collaboration with parents
– information leaflets (fall 2012)
– back-to-school night (fall 2012)
72
Registration
• Go to website
kivaprogram.net/wales/registration/
• Fill in the registration form and submit it
– Only one registration per school!!!
• You get an e-mail confirmation of the school’s
registration
73
Web-based material
• Once registered, each school gets (in the
confirmation e-mail) school username and
staff password
• In addition, each school gets a student
password for the student survey & computer
game
74
Annual survey
• To be filled in during June 2012 (and again in
June 2013)
• www.kivaprogram.net/wales/
– On the left: surveys
– Students log in with the school username and
student password
• All students in the school can respond
– Bullying others and being bullied; bullying-related
attitudes; school liking; perception of teachers
• Automatic feedback to each school
75
Other web-based material
• kivaprogram.net/wales/
– ”open” and ”restricted” areas
– access to the restricted area only for registered
schools (click the ”login” button)
– You need school username and staff
password to log in
76
Restricted area in the website
• Presentation graphics for...
– student lessons
– staff meeting
– back-to-school night
• All materials
–
–
–
–
–
student lessons
short films
information leaflet for parents
parents’ guide (in electronic format)
Forms to document bullying cases
77
Staff meeting
• To be remembered:
–
–
–
–
–
–
A common definition of bullying
KiVa program
Choosing the KiVa team
Screening & directing cases to the KiVa team
Collaboration with parents
”kick-off” for students
78
”KICK-OFF”
• All students are informed about KiVa right in the
beginning of the school year
• Main message: Our school is a KiVa school where
bullying is not tolerated
– Lessons for grade X students
– KiVa team
79
Informing the parents
• Information leaflets (kivaprogram.net/wales/)→ material
– Send to each home in the beginning of the school year
• Parents’ guide (electronic format)
• Back-to-school night
– Presentation graphics: www.kivaprogram.net/wales
– Home-school collaboration
– Results from the school’s student survey
80
Evidence of effectiveness
81
Evaluation of KiVa
• The effects of KiVa have been tested
– under the evaluation period (> 30 000 students
from 234 schools)





Bullying, being bullied
Self- and peer-reports, dyadic data
Participant role behaviors
Attitudes,empathy, self-efficacy
School adjustment
– under large-scale diffusion (> 150 000 students)
 Basic variables, e.g. bullying, being bullied
82
Changes in being bullied by different forms
during one school year: RCT, grades 4 to 6
Changes 2009-2012; primary schools
84
Changes 2009-2012; secondary schools
85
Conclusion
• KiVa is effective in reducing bullying and
victimization
• The effects vary across grade levels, being
strongest in grade four (10-11 years)
86
Besides the effects on bullying and
victimization...
• Decreases in reinforcing the bully
• Increases in empathy toward victimized peers &
self-efficacy to support them
• Increases in school liking and academic
motivation
• Decreases in depression, anxiety, and negative
peer perceptions
• Among teachers, increased efficacy to reduce
bullying
87
Comparison of two approcahes to
tackle bullying
• ”No Blame” vs. ”Confronting” approach
• During the evaluation study of KiVa, half of the
intervention schools were instructed to use C
while the other half got instructions to use NC
when discussing with the bully(-ies)
88
Effectiveness of the indicated actions
• The proportion of cases handled by the school
team in which bullying...
–
–
–
–
Stopped completely 79.4%
Decreased
18.5%
Remained the same 1.9%
Increased
0.3%
IN PRIMARY SCHOOL GRADES,
NO DIFFERENCE IN EFFECTIVENESS
89
90