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Bullying Prevention Program : A Social Disaster Program ( Str ) Has Formulated A Solution

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Recognizing the multitude of negative effects resulting from the widespread phenomenon of bullying, the Steps to Respect: A Bullying Prevention Program (STR) has formulated a solution. As this program incorporates a social-ecological approach to countering bullying in schools, it focuses its efforts on the school as a whole as well as peers and individuals. The founding belief of STR is that bullying continues to be widespread as a result of peers, their attitudes and behaviors in relation to bullying, and existing bullying norms. Thus, efforts are made to increase empathy for victims of bullying, to change attitudes about bullying, and to teach students the importance of taking appropriate action against any form of bullying they witness. As prior implementations of STR have shown promising results in preventing bullying, the current study sought to answer three questions regarding the effects of STR on the social-ecological context of the school, on the way teachers interpret students ' behavior, and on the way students perceive the school 's atmosphere, personnel, and school connectedness. The study also attempted to examine the overall effectiveness of STR in reducing bullying as supported by prior studies.
The study focused on 33 schools in north-central California that were randomly assigned to an intervention or waitlist control condition. Schools located in rural areas constituted 25% of the sample while 10% were located in small towns, 50% in suburban

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