The Olweus (pronounced Ohl-VAY- us) Bullying Prevention Program
Program Background
In 1983, after three adolescent boys in northern Norway committed suicide, most likely as a consequence of severe bullying by peers, the country's Ministry of Education commissioned Professor Dan Olweus to conduct a large-scale research and intervention project on bully/victim problems. The resulting Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, developed at the University of Bergen in Norway, has been refined, expanded, and evaluated with positive results in two new large-scale projects in Norway. As part of the Norwegian Government's plans for the prevention of delinquency and violence among children and youth, the Olweus Program is now being implemented on a large-scale basis all over Norway. The program has also been successfully implemented in other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. During the 1990s, Professor Olweus worked closely with a number of U.S. colleagues, notably Dr. Sue Limber and Dr. Gary Melton at Clemson University in South Carolina, to implement and evaluate the program in the U.S.
Summary
The program is a multilevel, multicomponent school-based program designed to prevent or reduce bullying in with students ages six to 15 (elementary through high school). The program attempts to restructure the existing school environment to reduce opportunities and rewards for bullying. School staff is largely responsible for introducing and implementing the program. Their efforts are directed towards improving peer relations and making the school a safe and positive place for students to learn and develop.
While intervention against bullying is particularly important to reduce the suffering of the victims, it is also highly desirable to counteract these tendencies for the sake of the aggressive student. Bullies are much more likely than other students to expand their antisocial behaviors. Research shows that reducing aggressive, antisocial behavior may also reduce substance use and abuse.
How It Works
The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program works with interventions at three levels:
Schoolwide Interventions
*Administration of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire about bullying (filled out anonymously by the students)
*Formation of a Bullying Prevention Coordinating Committee
*Staff training
*Development of schoolwide rules against bullying
*Development of a coordinated system of supervision during break periods
Classroom-level Interventions
*Regular classroom meetings about bullying and peer relations
*Class parent meetings
Individual-level Interventions
*Individual meetings with children who bully
*Individual meetings with children who are targets of bullying
*Meetings with parents of children involved more positive attitude toward schoolwork and school
Proven Results
*A 30% to 70% reduction in student reports of being bullied and bullying others; results are largely parallel with peer ratings and teacher ratings
*Significant reductions in student reports of general antisocial behavior (e.g., vandalism, fighting, theft, and truancy)
*Significant improvements in classroom order and discipline
Program Developer Bio
Dan Olweus, Ph.D.
For almost 30 years, Professor Dan Olweus has been involved in research and intervention in the area of bullying among school children and youth. In 1970, he started a large-scale research project, now generally regarded as the world's first scientific study of bully/victim problems. In the 1980s, he began the first systematic study of bullying intervention and documented the positive effects of this program. During the late 1990s, Professor Olweus and his research and intervention group at the University of Bergen conducted several new large-scale intervention projects using a somewhat different study design, again gaining good results. Dr. Olweus has been named “the world's leading authority” on bully/victim problems by The Times newspaper of London. His book, Bullying at School: What We Know and What We Can Do, has been published in 15 different languages.
