This study evaluates the feasibility and short-term outcomes of a teacher training designed as a companion module to a bullying bystander intervention (STAC) for middle school students in rural communities. The aim of this project is to provide a brief, low-cost intervention that can be easily disseminated as part of a school-based bullying prevention program to address this important public health problem.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
18
The STAC Teacher Module is a 30-minute presentation that includes normative feedback, didactic information, a review of the student STAC strategies and corresponding strategies teachers can use to support students who act as defenders, and information about "perceptions vs. facts" about bullying.
Boise State Univerity
Boise, Idaho, United States
Knowledge and Confidence to Support Defenders
Teacher-Advocates Pre- and Post-Scale (TAPPS) Knowledge and confidence to support defenders was measured using the TAPPS. The TAPPS is an 11 item survey that measures knowledge of buying behaviors, knowledge of how to support students using the STAC strategies, and confidence supporting students who intervene in bullying situations. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert Scale ranging from 1 (Totally Disagree) to 4 (Totally Agree) and were summed to compute a total scale score. Minimum =11; Maximum = 44 Higher scores are better outcomes
Time frame: pre-training (baseline); immediate post-training (50 minutes)
Confidence Managing Bullying
Teacher's Attitudes about Bullying Questionnaire Confidence about managing bullying was measured using the Teacher's Attitudes about Bullying Questionnaire. This questionnaire is a 22 item survey. The 3-item Confidence in Managing Bullying Subscale was used. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert Scale ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) and are summed to compute a total scale score. Minimum = 3; Maximum = 15 Higher scores are better outcomes
Time frame: pre-training (baseline); immediate post-training (50 minutes)
Comfort Managing Bullying
National Education Association Bullying Survey Comfort with managing bullying was measured using items from the National Education Association Bullying Survey. Participants were asked "How comfortable would the participant feel intervening when the participant sees the following bullying behaviors?" followed by five types of bullying (a) Physical, (b) Verbal, (c) Relational, (d) Cyberbullying , and (e) Sexting. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert Scale ranging from 1 (Very Uncomfortable) to 5 (Very Comfortable) and are summed to compute a total scale score. Minimum = 5; Maximum = 25 Higher scores are better outcomes
Time frame: pre-training (baseline); immediate post-training (50 minutes)
Bullying Self-Efficacy
Bullying Self-Efficacy Teachers' self-efficacy in handling bullying situations was measured by two items from the National Education Association Bullying Survey. The items are rated on a 4-point Likert Scale ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree) and are summed to compute a total scale score. Minimum = 2; Maximum = 8 Higher scores are better outcomes
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Time frame: pre-training (baseline); immediate post-training (50 minutes)
Number of Participants Reporting a Score of 4 or 5 on Intention to Use Teacher STAC Strategies
The intention to use Teacher STAC strategies was measured using an adapted version of the Use of STAC Strategies for students. Items were adapted from the student version to be appropriate for teachers. The 4-item measures asks teachers "How likely the participant is to support students using these strategies to intervene in bullying in the future?: a) Stealing the Show - support students using humor or distraction to get the attention away from the bullying situation, b) Turning it Over - support a student who reported bullying to the participant or supporting students to report to a principal or School Resource Officer (SRO), c) Accompanying Others - support students who reach out to the student who was the target of bullying, or d) Coaching Compassion - support students who help the student who bullied develop empathy for the target." Items are rated on a 5-point Likert Scale ranging from 1 (Very Unlikely) to 5 (Very Likely).
Time frame: immediate post-training (50 minutes)
Number of Participants Reporting a Score of 3 or 4 on Acceptability and Relevance of the Teacher STAC Training
Program acceptability (e.g., how easy the program is to understand, utility of the program, program characteristics including interesting content and relevance of information presented, participant learning, and interest in recommending program to others) was assessed using a social validity survey composed of 8 items. Items were ranked on a 4-point scale from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 4 (Strongly Agree).
Time frame: immediate post-training (50 minutes)