Using the Problem Analysis Approach to Address Bullying Within the PBIS Framework
Presentation Abstract
Nearly 20% of students report being bullied in schools in the past 12 months. Bullying behavior can negatively impact students in a variety of ways, including attendance (e.g., Berthold & Hoover, 2000), adverse physical health (e.g., Bogart et al., 2014), and increased depression (Cook et al., 2010). In addition to the negative impact of bullying on students, instances of bullying take time to investigate and can even produce a monetary cost to schools (Baams et al., 2017). Addressing this system-wide problem in an effective, efficient manner cannot only protect students from further harm but also save school personnel time and money. This presentation focuses on the Problem Analysis Triangle as an approach to analyzing and addressing school bullying. Derived from the routine activity approach (Cohen & Felson, 1979), the Problem Analysis Triangle recognizes that there are three interconnected factors in a bullying situation: the offender (bully), the target (victim), and the opportunity. The theory considers that all three factors are necessary for a bullying situation to occur. If school personnel can work to control only one of these factors, instances of bullying in schools can be reduced. In addition, the Problem Analysis Triangle considers another layer to the problem. There are influencers in each of the parts of the triangle. The handler influences the offender. The victim and the opportunity are protected by the guardian and the manager, respectively. Each of these influencers can either hinder the extent of the problem in a school or fail to control it. This presentation will discuss how each of the sides of the triangle (bully, victim, and opportunity) influence each other in the bullying process and offers practical school-ready solutions for school personnel. Participants will also learn how to strengthen the roles of “handlers” to remediate bullying behavior, “managers” to better predict and prevent bullying in specific locations, and “guardians” to provide support for victims.
Conference Program Description
This presentation discusses the Problem Analysis Triangle to prevent bullying in schools. Bullying impacts school personnel in terms of time, effort, and even money. Participants will learn how the bully, the victim, and the opportunity work together to create the bullying situation. Participants will also learn how to strengthen different support already present in their schools to predict bullying better, protect the victims, and address the bully when the behavior has occurred.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Landers, Eric, "Using the Problem Analysis Approach to Address Bullying Within the PBIS Framework" (2023). Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference. 6.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gapbs/2023/2023/6
Using the Problem Analysis Approach to Address Bullying Within the PBIS Framework
Nearly 20% of students report being bullied in schools in the past 12 months. Bullying behavior can negatively impact students in a variety of ways, including attendance (e.g., Berthold & Hoover, 2000), adverse physical health (e.g., Bogart et al., 2014), and increased depression (Cook et al., 2010). In addition to the negative impact of bullying on students, instances of bullying take time to investigate and can even produce a monetary cost to schools (Baams et al., 2017). Addressing this system-wide problem in an effective, efficient manner cannot only protect students from further harm but also save school personnel time and money. This presentation focuses on the Problem Analysis Triangle as an approach to analyzing and addressing school bullying. Derived from the routine activity approach (Cohen & Felson, 1979), the Problem Analysis Triangle recognizes that there are three interconnected factors in a bullying situation: the offender (bully), the target (victim), and the opportunity. The theory considers that all three factors are necessary for a bullying situation to occur. If school personnel can work to control only one of these factors, instances of bullying in schools can be reduced. In addition, the Problem Analysis Triangle considers another layer to the problem. There are influencers in each of the parts of the triangle. The handler influences the offender. The victim and the opportunity are protected by the guardian and the manager, respectively. Each of these influencers can either hinder the extent of the problem in a school or fail to control it. This presentation will discuss how each of the sides of the triangle (bully, victim, and opportunity) influence each other in the bullying process and offers practical school-ready solutions for school personnel. Participants will also learn how to strengthen the roles of “handlers” to remediate bullying behavior, “managers” to better predict and prevent bullying in specific locations, and “guardians” to provide support for victims.
