Coping with bullying at school: children's recommended strategies and attitudes to school‐based interventions in England and Japan

Abstract

School bullying in England and ijime in Japan have long but separate research traditions. We focus on a cross-national comparison of secondary school pupils' opinions about coping strategies, bystander intervention, and attitudes towards school-based interventions. One-to-one structured interviews were conducted with 61 Japanese and 60 English pupils aged 12-15 years, in six secondary schools. Coping strategy recommended was found to vary by type of bullying. Seeking help was the most recommended, with significant national differences notably for social exclusion. Victims were thought not to seek help for several reasons, again varying by nationality. There was consensus that bystanders should help victims, but more pupils in England had positive views on school-based interventions than pupils in Japan. Gender differences were small. Findings are discussed in the light of differing peer group structures and actions taken against bullying/ijime in the two countries. Aggr. Behav. 32:570-580, 2006.

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