The previous selection is about student life in middle school. However, we actually did the study described in that selection in the whole school system, from grades two to twelve. Here, we will briefly describe some striking findings about students and teachers witnessing and responding to bullying, and changes in this over the years. We regard positive bystandership to be of great importance in reducing bullying – which may be defined as negative behavior such as harassment, intimidation, and verbal or physical aggression, especially when this is repeatedly directed at the same persons.

In general, the findings of the study across all grades were similar to the findings in middle school. For example, positive behaviors directed at students were associated with each other, and negative behavior directed at students were associated with each other, at every grade level. However, there were also differences. For example, fewer students reported that they were bullied in the previous week in the lower grades, before the fifth grade, than in subsequent grades (see Figure 16.1).

When someone is badly treated, the response of a witness can have an enormous impact on the severity and frequency of such negative behavior. A witness who does not act when he or she sees one student bullying another we consider a “passive bystander.” Active bystanders react in a positive or helpful manner, such as trying to stop the bullying, speaking on the behalf of the victim, or alerting an authority figure.