Childhood bullying has become recognized as a significant, pervasive form of school violence. Because of its deleterious effect on both victims' and bullies' current and future functioning, it is imperative that school personnel such as counselors engage in assessment techniques as the 1st step in a coordinated, systemic antibullying effort. The authors discuss multiple methods and instruments to use in assessing bullying in schools and provide guidelines for counselors in choosing the appropriate measurement for their needs.

The relationship between gender role identity and relational aggression was examined. Fifty-two girls (mean age = 15 years; 70% White, 30% non-White) from the mid-Atlantic U.S. completed the Relational Aggression Scale and the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (S. L. Bem, 1981a). Use of relational aggression friendships among adolescent girls significantly predicted 9.9% of the variance for the high feminine variable. Focus group interviews were used to complement the quantitative study. Specific themes are identified and discussed.

In this study, 285 middle school students in the United States were surveyed to obtain their preferences regarding anti-bullying intervention strategies. Participants rated their preferences for 15 common anti-bullying intervention strategies involving teachers, students, and non-teaching staff. The strategies were generated based on a review of the literature. Overall, students rated seven of the 15 strategies as being ‘sometimes’ or ‘almost always’ helpful. Participants tended to prefer intervention strategies in which teachers effectively managed their classrooms, thereby deterring bullying, as well as providing direct assistance to students. The results were also suggestive of students desiring teachers to be proactive in helping them solve bully-victim conflicts. Students tended not to prefer strategies that involved non-teaching staff.

This study examined what school counselors perceive to be consistent barriers to implementing a program that adheres to the ASCA National Model. The Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designates such implementation. Principal component analysis revealed six common barriers: lack of confidence, lack of administrative support, time spent on clerical and office work, lack of teacher and parent support to implement aspects of the ASCA National Model, time spent on testing and monitoring, and time constraints. Logistic regression indicated three of the six barriers were significant predictors of RAMP status. We discuss implications for the school counseling profession.

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