Parents
Bullying Quiz
The Answers and the Facts
1. Bullying is just a part of growing up. The effects of bullying on victims are short term and minor.
False – In addition to the social, emotional, and physical torment of the actual bullying experience, victims are also more likely than nonvictims to suffer from physical illness, academic trouble, and enduring mental health problems.
2. Bullying is not a serious problem for the bullies; they eventually grow out of this behavior.
False – Studies have established a strong correlation between bullying other students during the school years and experiencing legal or criminal troubles with violence as adults.
3. Most bullying occurs in high school because older students are more confident and willing to pick on others.
False – Some studies indicate that bullying is most prevalent during the elementary school years, while other studies indicate that it increases and peaks during the middle school years.
4. Bullying is usually verbal, not physical, in nature.
True – While bullying can be physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual in nature, verbal bullying – including name calling – is the most common form.
5. Bullies are usually insecure loners with low self-esteem.
False – Bullies are likely to have both friends and followers – in fact, they tend to be rather popular in the early school years. Furthermore, research indicates that bullies typically have average or above average levels of self-esteem and self-confidence.
6. Bullying is almost exclusively male behavior.
False - Both boys and girls bully, just in different ways. Male bullies are more than likely than female bullies to engage in physical bullying; female bullies typically use verbal and emotional tactics.
7. Bullies don’t usually pick on passive students; instead, they bully in response to some sort of provocation from their victims.
False – Only 10-15 percent of victims actually provoke bullies into action. Eighty-five to ninety percent of victims are passive, with many not even reporting that they have been bullied.
8. A bully usually attacks when no one else is watching.
False – Other students are watching as bystanders during most bullying incidents. In contrast, adults – such as teachers and parents – rarely observe bullies victimizing others.
9. Most bullying happens at school.
True – Bullying most often occurs in and around schools – specifically in those areas where there is little or no adult supervision (e.g., playground, hallways, cafeteria, and the classroom before the lesson begins.)
10. Targets of bullies tend to be children with physical differences.
False – Bullies typically do not choose their victims on the basis of physical attributes. Instead, they usually victimize those peers who display a cluster of psychological weaknesses that make them vulnerable to attack. Victims tend to reveal their poor self-concepts, social withdrawal, anxiousness, and fearfulness.
11. If students would just fight back, then bullies would leave them alone.
False – Fighting back is likely to escalate a bullying situation. In other words, it can lead to more aggression and possibly serious injury. Bullies usually try to unnerve and provoke others, so fighting back just gives them what they want.
12. Hanging out with other students, increases the risks of being bullied because there are more people for bullies to target.
False – Hanging out with friends reduces bullying opportunities. There is safety in numbers.
Other Sites to Check Out!
familyeducation.com - http://www.familyeducation.com
Smarterkids.com -http://www.smarterkids.com
National PTA - http://www.pta.org
KidSource.com -http://www.kidsource.com
Parents.com -http://www.parents.com
