About the Book
'This extraordinarily comprehensive book authored by the leading international authority in the field integrates research, theory and practice on the topic of school bullying. In an already research saturated field Peter Smith's writing captures the humanity of why this topic strikes such a chord in the community. He reminds us in a thoughtful, practical and caring manner why we must continue to advocate on all levels for those impacted by bullying.'
-Professor Phillip T. Slee, Flinders University, Australia
'Understanding School Bullying offers a refreshingly clear account of the wealth of insights gained over a quarter of a century of research. As Smith's comprehensive review convincingly shows, much has been learned and much of this has been put to good use in improving children's wellbeing. This is surely essential reading for any researcher concerned with bullying, childhood or life at school.' -Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, author of Children, Risk and Safety Online
'Peter Smith's new book will occupy a prominent place on my bookshelf. It provides a thorough and highly readable discussion of the breadth of research on school bullying. Dr. Smith includes discussions of important challenges related to research on this topic along with an excellent review of important studies and findings. This unique volume has influenced my thinking about the direction of my own research. The book will be an invaluable resource for researchers, consumers of research, and others who seek a research-based understanding of this important topic.' -Sheri Bauman, Ph.D., Professor at University of Arizona
Bullying involves the repeated abuse of power in relationships. Bullying in schools can blight the lives of victims and damage the climate of the school. Over the last 25 years a burgeoning research program on school bullying has led to new insights into effective ways of dealing with it, as well as new challenges such as the advent of cyberbullying.
This new book, by a leading international expert on the topic, brings together the cumulative knowledge acquired and the latest research findings in the area, with a global perspective especially covering research in Europe, North America, Australasia, and Asia. It will appeal to those taking academic courses in psychology, social work, educational psychology, child clinical psychology and psychiatry, and teacher training, but it will also be of interest to parents and teachers.
Table of Contents:
School bullying as a personal issue, a practical issue and a research program
What we mean by ‘bullying’, and a history of research on school bullying.
How we can find out about bullying
Basic knowledge about school bullying and cyber bullying
Who is at risk, and what are the effects?
Coping with bullying and the success of interventions
Acting to reduce bullying and the status of the research program
About the Author :
Peter Smith is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, U.K. His publications include Bullying in Schools: How Successful can Interventions be? (Cambridge UP, 2004), the Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development, 2nd ed. (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011) and Bullying in the Global Village: Research on Cyberbullying from an International Perspective (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012). He was Chair of COST Action IS0801 on Cyberbullying (2008-2012), and is PI of Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Pupil Safety and Wellbeing, financed by the Indian-European Research Networking in the Social Sciences initiative (2012-2015).
Review :
′Understanding School Bullying offers a refreshingly clear account of the wealth of insights gained over a quarter of a century of research. As Smith’s comprehensive review convincingly shows, much has been learned and much of this has been put to good use in improving children’s wellbeing. This is surely essential reading for any researcher concerned with bullying, childhood or life at school.′
′Peter Smith’s new book will occupy a prominent place on my bookshelf. It provides a thorough and highly readable discussion of the breadth of research on school bullying. Dr. Smith includes discussions of important challenges related to research on this topic along with an excellent review of important studies and findings. This unique volume has influenced my thinking about the direction of my own research. The book will be an invaluable resource for researchers, consumers of research, and others who seek a research-based understanding of this important topic.′
′This extraordinarily comprehensive book authored by the leading international authority in the field integrates research, theory and practice on the topic of school bullying. In an already research saturated field Peter Smith’s writing captures the humanity of why this topic strikes such a chord in the community. He reminds us in a thoughtful, practical and caring manner why we must continue to advocate on all levels for those impacted by bullying.′
Peter K. Smith’s masterful new book is a comprehensive and authoritative, but also clear and readable analysis of the latest national and international researches in the important area of school bullying. For 25 years, Smith has been at the forefront of international research into school bullying. The author of more than 20 books and over 100 research articles, there could be few better qualified to review critically the burgeoning research on school bullying, and this book does not disappoint.
Professor Smith set out to produce an in-depth study of bullying. He achieved this aim. The book opens with an in-depth examination of the definition and language around bullying before moving on to look at risk factors, coping strategies, and actions to reduce its incidence.
The book, with its excellent organisation, simplicity and clarity of language, sensitive analyses and international coverage, is a very important contribution to the school bullying literature... In the end, we would like to state that Peter Smith has well achieved his goals of helping the reader make sense of the ???findings from research in school bullying (spanning multiple decades and countries), and convincing the reader of the necessity of engaging in positive action to make school environments safer, healthier and friendlier for children.?
For a rational and informative overview of the research field, remaining impartial and factual, this is an excellent resource to inform practice and one’s general knowledge of many debates within the arena of bullying research.
