”Kiva koulu, hyvä huono ope” – Alakoulun oppilaiden kokemuksia kouluviihtyvyydestä vuosina 1989 ja 2009

Tässä tutkimuksessa tarkasteltiin 4.–6.-luokkalaisten oppilaiden kokemaa kouluviihtyvyyttä vuosina 1989 (n= 287) ja 2009 (n= 185) yhdistämällä kvalitatiivinen aineistonkeruumenetelmä kvantitatiiviseen tulosten analysointiin. Aineistonkeruumenetelmänä oli kirjoitelman kirjoituttaminen otsikolla ”Viihdyn / en viihdy koulussa”. Kirjoitelmat kerättiin samoista kolmesta länsisuomalaisesta koulusta kuin 20 vuotta aiemmin. Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli vertailla, mitä tekijöitä oppilaat liittivät kouluviihtyvyyteen eri vuosina, ja kirjoitettiinko tekijöistä myönteisenä vai kielteisenä. Tutkimus on tarpeellinen, koska se antaa tietoa kouluviihtyvyyden ajallisesta muutoksesta. Aikaisemmissa tutkimuksissa kouluviihtyvyyttä on tutkittu usein kyselylomakkeilla, jolloin oppilaiden näkökulma jää huomiotta. Oppilaiden kokemaa kouluviihtyvyyttä tarkasteltiin jakamalla siihen liitetyt tekijät Soinisen (2005) kouluviihtyvyyskuvion mukaisesti esine- ja henkilöympäristöön sekä muodostamalla aineistossa esiintyneistä tekijöistä aihekokonaisuuksia. Lisäksi maininnat jaoteltiin myönteisiin ja kielteisiin. Henkilöympäristöstä kirjoitettiin molempina vuosina useammin kuin esineympäristöstä. Opettaja oli vuonna 1989 mainituin ja vuonna 2009 toiseksi eniten mainittu henkilöympäristön tekijä. Vuonna 2009 tovereiden merkitys kouluviihtyvyyden tekijänä painottui ja tovereihin viitattiin eniten kaikista tarkastelluista tekijöistä. Vuosien välinen ero korostui myös välitunteja koskevissa maininnoissa; vuonna 2009 niistä puhuttiin useammin. Vuonna 2009 oppilaat kirjoittivat koulussa viihtymisestään monipuolisemmin ja myönteisemmin kuin vuonna 1989. Myönteisinä kouluviihtyvyyden tekijöinä tuotiin molempina vuosina esiin toverit, motivaatio ja välitunnit. Koulurakennuksesta ja sen varustelusta, säännöistä ja rangaistuksista sekä kouluun liittyvistä järjestelyistä kirjoitettiin molempina vuosina kielteisesti. Oppiaineista tuotiin usein esille sekä myönteisiä että kielteisiä asioita. Vuosien välillä oli eroa opettajan, koulutyön, kouluruokailun ja kiusaamisen maininnoissa siten, että vuonna 2009 niistä kirjoitettiin myönteisemmin. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella oppilaat viihtyvät vuonna 2009 tutkimukseen osallistuneissa kouluissa paremmin kuin vuonna 1989. Tutkimus antaa tietoa siitä, mitä asioita oppilaat kokevat tärkeinä ja mihin asioihin puuttumalla kouluviihtyvyyttä voidaan kouluissa parantaa. Koululaisille tulisi luoda turvallinen tukiverkosto, jossa opettajan rooli on merkittävä. Myös toverisuhteita tulee kartoittaa ja pyrkiä ehkäisemään yksinäisyyttä ja kiusaamista.

P.S. kuva ois kiva : valmistuvien kuvataiteilijoiden opinnäytetyönäyttely 2011

Valmistuvien kuvataiteilijoiden opinnäytetyönäyttely Taidekeskus Mältinrannassa 16.4.-3.5.2011 ja TR1 Taidehallissa 16.4.-15.5.2011.

Effectiveness of the KiVa Antibullying Program

According to the participant role approach (Salmivalli, Lagerspetz, Björkqvist, Österman, & Kaukiainen, 1996), bullying is a group phenomenon that is largely enabled and maintained by the classmates taking on different participant roles (e.g., reinforcers or assistants of the bully). There is, however, very little evidence on whether the bystander behaviors actually have an effect on the risk for victimization. Furthermore, the participant role approach implies that the bystanders should be used in putting an end to bullying. This view has been put into practice in the KiVa antibullying program, but it has not yet been investigated whether the program is effective. Four studies were conducted to investigate, (a) whether the behaviors of bystanders have an effect on the risk for victimization (Study I) and (b) whether the KiVa program reduces bullying and victimization and has other beneficial effects as well (Studies II–IV). The participants included large samples of elementary and lower secondary school students (Grades 1–9) from Finland. The assessments were done with web-based questionnaires including questions about bullying and victimization (both self- and peer reports), and about several bullying-related constructs. The results of this thesis suggest that bystander behaviors in bullying situations may influence the risk for victimization of vulnerable students. Moreover, the results indicate that the KiVa antibullying program is effective in reducing victimization and bullying. The program effects are larger in elementary schools than in lower secondary schools, whereas in Grades 8 and 9, they are larger for boys than girls for some peer-reported outcomes. The magnitude of the overall effects can be considered practically significant when obtained in a large-scale dissemination of the program.

"Olis kiva olla molemmissa paikoissa yhtä aikaa" : Äitien työ- ja perhe-elämän yhteensovittamisen merkitys työssä jaksamiseen

Työssä käyvät perheenäidit kokevat arjen usein tasapainoiluksi työn- ja perhe-elämän välillä. Se, miten joku toinen kokee tasapainoa, ei välttämättä tarkoita, että joku toinen kokee samalla tavalla. Tasapaino saavutetaan silloin, kun yksilö löytää itselleen sopivimman tavan jakaa aikaa ja energiaa työn ja perheen määrittämien velvollisuuksien välillä. Perhe-elämään liitetään usein kiire ja arjen aikataulujen yhteensovittaminen. Erityisesti äidit kokevat olevansa vastuussa perheen aikataulujen organisoimisesta. Lapsiperheissä on äidin työssä jaksamiseen suuri merkitys sillä, miten työ- ja perhe-elämä saadaan soviteltua yhteen sekä, miten raskaaksi äiti arjen kokee. Organisaatiolla on mahdollisuus tukea äitien ajankäytön hallintaa niin, että työ- ja perhe-elämä olisivat tasapainossa. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli antaa kokonaisvaltainen kuva äitien työn ja perheen yhdistämisen kokemisesta sekä, mikä on sen merkitys äitien työssä jaksamiseen. Tutkimuksen kohderyhmänä olivat 25–45-vuotiaat, esimies- tai asiantuntija-asemassa toimivat, alle 10-vuotiaiden lasten äidit. Tutkimuksen pääongelmat olivat: Miten äidit kokevat työ- ja perhe-elämän yhteensovittamisen? Mikä merkitys työn ja perheen yhteensovittamisella on äitien työssä jaksamiseen? Tutkimusmenetelmänä oli kvalitatiivinen tutkimus. Tutkimuksen aineisto on kerätty tekemällä 12 teemahaastattelua kohderyhmänä oleville perheenäideille. Äitien ajankäyttö muodostui työn, perheen ja vapaa-ajan yhdistämisestä. Perhe ja työ asetettiin etusijalle äidin omaan vapaa-aikaan nähden. Äitien omalla vapaa-ajalla oli kuitenkin yhteys työssä jaksamiseen ja äidit jaksoivatkin työssään paremmin, kun saivat omaa aikaa. Lisäksi tutkimuksesta ilmeni äitien omien harrastusten tärkeys arjessa jaksamiseen. Tutkimuksen äitien todettiin tarvitsevan lisää aikaa itselleen, jotta he jaksaisivat töiden lisäksi kiireistä arkea, joka vaatii tarkkaa suunnittelua ja ajankäytön hallintaa. Äitien ajankäyttöön ja arjessa jaksamiseen vaikutti myös puolison osallistuminen lasten- ja kodinhoitoon. Tutkimuksesta ilmeni, että äitien kokema organisaation tuki oli yhteydessä työssä jaksamiseen sekä myönteiseen kokemukseen työn ja perheen yhdistämisestä. Tutkimus osoitti yhteyden äitien kokeman riittämättömyyden tunteen ja parisuhteen laadun sekä työn ja perheen tasapainon saavuttamisen välillä. Tutkimuksen johtopäätös on, että äidit kokivat työ- ja perhe-elämän yhdistämisen välillä ristiriitaa. Ristiriidan kokemisella todettiin olevan heikentävä vaikutus äitien työssä jaksamiseen.

Reynolds-stress turbulence model in the KIVA code for engine simulation

A Reynolds-Stress Turbulence Model has been incorporated with success into the KIVA code, a computational fluid dynamics hydrocode for three-dimensional simulation of fluid flow in engines. The newly implemented Reynolds-stress turbulence model greatly improves the robustness of KIVA, which in its original version has only eddy-viscosity turbulence models. Validation of the Reynolds-stress turbulence model is accomplished by conducting pipe-flow and channel-flow simulations, and comparing the computed results with experimental and direct numerical simulation data. Flows in engines of various geometry and operating conditions are calculated using the model, to study the complex flow fields as well as confirm the model’s validity. Results show that the Reynolds-stress turbulence model is able to resolve flow details such as swirl and recirculation bubbles. The model is proven to be an appropriate choice for engine simulations, with consistency and robustness, while requiring relatively low computational effort.

Simulation of four stroke engine cycle for a 4 - valve pentroof engine in KIVA 3VR2

The main purpose of this project is to understand the process of engine simulation using the open source CFD code called KIVA. This report mainly discusses the simulation of the 4-valve Pentroof engine through KIVA 3VR2. KIVA is an open source FORTRAN code which is used to solve the fluid flow field in the engines with the transient 2D and 3D chemically reactive flow with spray. It also focuses on the complete procedure to simulate an engine cycle starting from pre- processing until the final results. This report will serve a handbook for the using the KIVA code.

Implementation of the conjugate heat transfer code in KIVA-4

KIVA is an open Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) source code that is capable to compute the transient two and three-dimensional chemically reactive fluid flows with spray. The latest version in the family of KIVA codes is the KIVA-4 which is capable of handling the unstructured mesh. This project focuses on the implementation of the Conjugate Heat Transfer code (CHT) in KIVA-4. The previous version of KIVA code with conjugate heat transfer code has been developed at Michigan Technological University by Egel Urip and is be used in this project. During the first phase of the project, the difference in the code structure between the previous version of KIVA and the KIVA-4 has been studied, which is the most challenging part of the project. The second phase involves the reverse engineering where the CHT code in previous version is extracted and implemented in KIVA-4 according to the new code structure. The validation of the implemented code is performed using a 4-valve Pentroof engine case. A solid cylinder wall has been developed using GRIDGEN which surrounds 3/4th of the engine cylinder and heat transfer to the solid wall during one engine cycle (0-720 Crank Angle Degree) is compared with that of the reference result. The reference results are nothing but the same engine case run in the previous version with the original code developed by Egel. The results of current code are very much comparable to that of the reference results which verifies that successful implementation of the CHT code in KIVA-4.

Implementation of monotonic higher order upwind scheme in KIVA 4

KIVA is a FORTRAN code developed by Los Alamos national lab to simulate complete engine cycle. KIVA is a flow solver code which is used to perform calculation of properties in a fluid flow field. It involves using various numerical schemes and methods to solve the Navier-Stokes equation. This project involves improving the accuracy of one such scheme by upgrading it to a higher order scheme. The numerical scheme to be modified is used in the critical final stage calculation called as rezoning phase. The primitive objective of this project is to implement a higher order numerical scheme, to validate and verify that the new scheme is better than the existing scheme. The latest version of the KIVA family (KIVA 4) is used for implementing the higher order scheme to support handling the unstructured mesh. The code is validated using the traditional shock tube problem and the results are verified to be more accurate than the existing schemes in reference with the analytical result. The convection test is performed to compare the computational accuracy on convective transfer; it is found that the new scheme has less numerical diffusion compared to the existing schemes. A four valve pentroof engine, an example case of KIVA package is used as application to ensure the stability of the scheme in practical application. The results are compared for the temperature profile. In spite of all the positive results, the numerical scheme implemented has a downside of consuming more CPU time for the computational analysis. The detailed comparison is provided. However, in an overview, the implementation of the higher order scheme in the latest code KIVA 4 is verified to be successful and it gives better results than the existing scheme which satisfies the objective of this project.

Implementing The KiVa Antibullying Program: What Does It Take?

There is variation in how teachers and schools implement bullying prevention programs. Although this variation has been discussed, there has been little empirical research concerning the relationship between implementation fidelity and program outcomes. This thesis contains three studies, each of them in the context of implementing the KiVa antibullying program, and examines teachers’ actions in preventing and intervening in school bullying. The first aim of this thesis is to examine implementation degree of the KiVa curriculum and its’ association with reductions in victimization and bullying perpetration (Study I). The second aim is to clarify why teachers displayed different degrees of adherence to the KiVa curriculum during a school year (Study II). Thirdly, it is investigated whether recognizing victimization can be difficult for school staff (Study III). In addition to these peer-reviewed studies, the thesis includes a qualitative analysis (unpublished) of the teachers’ open answers concerning their implementation experiences. The data were collected from elementary school teachers (Studies I–II; the unpublished study), elementary school students (Study I), and students on the elementary and middle school levels (Study III) during the evaluation of the effectiveness of KiVa antibullying program between 2007 and 2009. The findings demonstrate that a larger reduction in victimization can be achieved in classrooms where teachers display higher levels of adherence to the KiVa curriculum and invest more time for preparing the lessons. Bullying perpetration, however, was not equally affected by the level of curriculum implementation. With respect to the implementation process over one year, there was significant variation between individual teachers’ activity—ranging from systematic and high implementation to declining delivery from lesson to lesson. The sustained actions (high and moderate levels of implementation) were premised on principal support for antibullying work. Lesson preparation was associated with keeping implementation high throughout the school year. The findings also implied that the belief in the effectiveness of the program is important for a higher implementation degree at starting point of the process. Finally, there are severe flaws in teachers’ ability to identify students who are victimized. As it turns out, it is possible that only one-fourth of chronically victimized students are helped by the school staff. Especially when the victims are middle-school-aged girls, when they bully others themselves, or when they do not tell adults about bullying, reaching out for them is difficult. Implementation and dissemination of research-based interventions will take a good deal of time and effort. The findings demonstrate that active implementation is important for improving program outcomes. They also show how implementation can be sustained—there are both individual and interpersonal factors that facilitate or inhibit high-quality implementation. Thus, implications for future research regarding the implementation of school-based programs are suggested.

Kodin ja koulun yhteistyö vanhempien arvioimana - Satakuntalaisten ja etelä-pohjalaisten vanhempien näkemyksiä kouluyhteistyön onnistumisesta etenkin koulukiusaamistapauksissa

Tässä tutkimuksessa oli tarkoitus selvittää vanhempien käsityksiä kodin ja koulun yhteistyöstä. Tutkimuksessa keskityttiin paitsi yhteistyöhön yleisesti, myös yhteistyöhön koulukiusaamistapauksissa. Mielipiteitä tarkasteltiin muun muassa eri maakunnissa asuvien vanhempien ja eri luokka-astetta käyvien oppilaiden vanhempien välillä. Tutkimuksen teoriaosa koostuu kodin ja koulun yhteistyötä sekä koulukiusaamista käsittelevistä luvuista. Teoriassa määritellään kodin ja koulun yhteistyötä sekä lainsäädännön että kasvatuskumppanuuden kautta. Yhteistyön perustan luo ekologinen teoria. Kiusaamisessa käsitellään sen syitä ja seurauksia, erilaisia rooleja, ilmenemisen yleisyyttä sekä kiusaamisen vastaista toimintaa kuten KiVa Koulu-hanketta. Tutkimusjoukko koostui 309 oppilaan vanhemmasta Satakunnasta ja Etelä-Pohjanmaalta. Oppilaiden luokka-asteet olivat yhdestä kuuteen. Tutkimus toteutettiinhelmi-maaliskuussa 2010 kvantitatiivisesti otantatutkimuksena kyselylomakkeen avulla. Osallistumisprosentti oli yli 76 prosenttia. Mittari oli redusoitu Soinisen (1986) mittarista. Osa kyselylomakkeen kohdista oli kuitenkin tutkijan itsensä laatimia teorian pohjalta. Tutkimusaineiston käsittelyssä ja analysoinnissa käytettiin SPSS-ohjelmistoa. Tilastointimenetelminä käytettiin muun muassa ristiintaulukointia, Khiin neliötestiä ja varianssianalyysiä. Tutkimustulosten mukaan vanhemmat pitävät kodin ja koulun yhteistyötä erittäin tärkeänä. Enemmistö vanhemmista oli tyytyväisiä yhteistyöhön nykyisellään. Eniten vanhemmat arvostivat yhteistyömuotona vanhempainvarttia, joita toivottiinkin järjestettävän useammin. Vanhemmat kokivat pitävänsä yhteyttä useammin opettajaan kuin opettaja heihin, mutta silti opettajan kanssa vanhemmista enemmistö oli keskustellut viimeisen lukuvuoden aikana keskimäärin vain kerran. Tyytyväisimpiä ja aktiivisimpia olivat alkuopetusluokkalaisten vanhemmat. Yhteistyömyönteisimpiä olivat satakuntalaisvanhemmat. Noin puolet vanhemmista kertoi, että lapsen luokalla oli esiintynyt kiusaamista. Kiusaamista ilmeni useammin ylemmillä luokka-asteilla. Vanhemmat pitivät kiusaamiseen puuttumista sekä kodin että koulun yhteisenä asiana. He olivat tyytyväisiä kodin ja koulun väliseen yhteistyöhön kiusaamistapauksissa, mutta eivät kuitenkaan mielestään olleet päässeet riittävästi mukaan kiusaamista ennaltaehkäisevään toimintaan. KiVa Koulu -hankkeesta tietoisimpia olivat satakuntalaisvanhemmat.

Proactive and Preventive Student Welfare Activities in Finnish Preschool and Elementary School: Handling of Transition to Formal Schooling and a National Anti-Bullying Program as Examples

Prerequisites and effects of proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities in Finnish preschool and elementary school were of interest in the present thesis. So far, Finnish student welfare work has mainly focused on interventions and individuals, and the voluminous possibilities to enhance well-being of all students as a part of everyday school work have not been fully exploited. Consequently, in this thesis three goals were set: (1) To present concrete examples of proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities in Finnish basic education; (2) To investigate measurable positive effects of proactive and preventive activities; and (3) To investigate implementation of proactive and preventive activities in ecological contexts. Two prominent phenomena in preschool and elementary school years—transition to formal schooling and school bullying—were chosen as examples of critical situations that are appropriate targets for proactive and preventive psycho-social student welfare activities. Until lately, the procedures concerning both school transitions and school bullying have been rather problem-focused and reactive in nature. Theoretically, we lean on the bioecological model of development by Bronfenbrenner and Morris with concentric micro-, meso-, exo- and macrosystems. Data were drawn from two large-scale research projects, the longitudinal First Steps Study: Interactive Learning in the Child–Parent– Teacher Triangle, and the Evaluation Study of the National Antibullying Program KiVa. In Study I, we found that the academic skills of children from preschool–elementary school pairs that implemented several supportive activities during the preschool year developed more quickly from preschool to Grade 1 compared with the skills of children from pairs that used fewer practices. In Study II, we focused on possible effects of proactive and preventive actions on teachers and found that participation in the KiVa antibullying program influenced teachers‘ self-evaluated competence to tackle bullying. In Studies III and IV, we investigated factors that affect implementation rate of these proactive and preventive actions. In Study III, we found that principal‘s commitment and support for antibullying work has a clear-cut positive effect on implementation adherence of student lessons of the KiVa antibullying program. The more teachers experience support for and commitment to anti-bullying work from their principal, the more they report having covered KiVa student lessons and topics. In Study IV, we wanted to find out why some schools implement several useful and inexpensive transition practices, whereas other schools use only a few of them. We were interested in broadening the scope and looking at local-level (exosystem) qualities, and, in fact, the local-level activities and guidelines, along with teacherreported importance of the transition practices, were the only factors significantly associated with the implementation rate of transition practices between elementary schools and partner preschools. Teacher- and school-level factors available in this study turned out to be mostly not significant. To summarize, the results confirm that school-based promotion and prevention activities may have beneficial effects not only on students but also on teachers. Second, various top-down processes, such as engagement at the level of elementary school principals or local administration may enhance implementation of these beneficial activities. The main message is that when aiming to support the lives of children the primary focus should be on adults. In future, promotion of psychosocial well-being and the intrinsic value of inter- and intrapersonal skills need to be strengthened in the Finnish educational systems. Future research efforts in student welfare and school psychology, as well as focused training for psychologists in educational contexts, should be encouraged in the departments of psychology and education in Finnish universities. Moreover, a specific research centre for school health and well-being should be established.

Defending behavior in bullying situations

In order to encourage children and adolescents to defend and support their victimized peers, it is important to identify factors that either maximize or minimize the probability that students will engage in such behaviors. This thesis is composed of four studies designed to elucidate how a variety of factors work in conjunction to explain why some children defend their victimized classmates, whereas others remain passive or reinforce the bully. The conceptual framework of this thesis is drawn from several theoretical considerations, including social cognitive learning theory, the expectancy-value framework as well as the literature emphasizing the importance of empathy in motivating behaviors. Also the child-by-environment perspective and the socialecological perspective influenced this research. Accordingly, several intra- and interpersonal characteristics (e.g., social cognitions, empathy, and social status) as well as group-level factors (e.g., norms) that may either enhance or reduce the probability that students defend their victimized peers are investigated. In Studies I and II, the focus is on social cognitions, and special attention is paid to take into account the domain-specificity of cognition-behavior processes. Self-efficacy for defending is still an interest of study III, but the role of affective empathy on defending is also investigated. Also social status variables (preference and perceived popularity) are evaluated as possible moderators of links between intrapersonal factors and defending. In Study IV, the focus is expanded further by concentrating on characteristics of children’s proximal environments (i.e., classroom). Bullying norms and collective perceptions (i.e., connectedness among the students and the teachers’ ability to deal with bullying situations) are examined. Data are drawn from two research projects: the Kaarina Cohort Study (consisting of fourth and eighth graders) and the randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating the effects of the KiVa antibullying program (consisting of third to fifth graders). The results of the thesis suggest that defending the victims of bullying is influenced by a variety of individual level motivational characteristics, such as social cognitions and affective empathy. Also, both perceived popularity and social preference play a role in defending, and the findings support the conceptualization that behavior results from the interplay between the characteristics of an individual child and their social-relational environment. Classroom context further influences students’ defending behavior. Thus, antibullying efforts targeting peer bystanders should aim to influence intra- and interpersonal characteristics of children and adolescents as well as their social environment.

Same- and Other-Sex Victimization : Risk Factors, Consequences, and Protection by Peers

Bullying can be viewed as goal-oriented behavior in the strive for dominance and prestige in the peer group (Salmivalli, 2010). To ensure the effectiveness of their power demonstrations, bullies often choose targets from among their vulnerable peers (Salmivalli, 2010; Veenstra et al., 2007). A large number of studies have also shown that victimization has severe consequences for the victims’ psychosocial adjustment (Reijntjes, Kamphuis, Prinzie, & Telch, 2010; Ttofi, Farrington, Lösel, & Loeber, 2011). In this thesis I investigate – based on three empirical studies – whether similar dynamics on the risk factors and consequences apply to same- and other-sex victimization. In the empirical studies, we used the data from the randomized control trial of the KiVa antibullying program for the elementary school grades 4–6 (2007–2008), and for the middle school grades 7–9 (2008–2009). We measured same- and other-sex victimization, and victims’ defending relationships by dyadic questions: “By which classmates are you victimized?” and “By which classmates are you supported, comforted, or defended?” In addition, we used self-reports and peer reports to measure adjustment and social status. The findings imply that other-sex victimization may be challenging for antibullying work. First, although targets of bullying seemed to be selected from among vulnerable peers for the most part, perceived popularity increased the risks of other-sex victimization. Popularity of these victims may falsely lead to an impression that the victims are doing well. Second, the consequences considering victims’ later psychosocial adjustment were alarming concerning girls bullied by boys. Thus, despite the fact that the targets may be perceived as popular, other-sex victimization can have even more severe consequences than same-sex victimization. Third, we found that defending relationships were mostly same-sex relationships, and consequently, we may ask whether defending is effective against other-sex bullies. Finally, the KiVa antibullying program was less effective against other-sex victimization in the adolescent sample. The findings altogether emphasize the importance of taking into account the sex composition of the bully-victim dyad, both considering future research on bullying and in the antibullying work with children and adolescents.

School Bullies’ Quest for Power: Implications for Group Dynamics and Intervention

Bullying is characterized by an inequality of power between perpetrator and target. Findings that bullies can be highly popular have helped redefine the old conception of the maladjusted school bully into a powerful individual exerting influence on his peers from the top of the peer status hierarchy. Study I is a conceptual paper that explores the conditions under which a skillful, socially powerful bully can use the peer group as a means of aggression and suggests that low cohesion and low quality of friendships make groups easier to manipulate. School bullies’ high popularity should be a major obstacle for antibullying efforts, as bullies are unlikely to cease negative actions that are rewarding, and their powerful position could discourage bystanders from interfering. Using data from the Finnish program KiVa, Study II supported the hypothesis that antibullying interventions are less effective with popular bullies in comparison to their unpopular counterparts. In order to design interventions that can address the positive link between popularity and aggression, it is necessary to determine in which contexts bullies achieve higher status. Using an American sample, Study III examined the effects of five classroom features on the social status that peers accord to aggressive children, including classroom status hierarchy, academic level and grade level, controlling for classroom mean levels of aggression and ethnic distribution. Aggressive children were more popular and better liked in fifth grade relative to fourth grade and in classrooms of higher status hierarchy. Surprisingly, the natural emergence of status hierarchies in children’s peer groups has long been assumed to minimize aggression. Whether status hierarchies hinder or promote bullying is a controversial question in the peer relations’ literature. Study IV aimed at clarifying this debate by testing the effects of the degree of classroom status hierarchy on bullying. Higher hierarchy was concrrently associated with bullying and predictive of higher bullying six months later. As bullies’ quest for power is increasingly acknowledged, some researchers suggest teaching bullies to attain the elevated status they yearn for through prosocial acts. Study V cautions against such solutions by reviewing evidence that prosocial behaviors enacted with the intention of controlling others can be as harmful as aggression.