www.storiesofus.com

Founder/Filmmaker: Christopher Faull

Specialist Collaborators: Shane Jimerson, University of California, Santa Barbara; Dorothy Espelage, University of Illinois, Urbana-

Champaign; Susan Swearer, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships: A Collaborative Approach to Reducing Bullying.

Presented by:

Shane Jimerson, Skye Stifel, Matthew Ruderman, James Earhart, Shelley Hart, & Tyler Renshaw

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

Agenda

• Brief overview of the context underlying P3R

• Review of the P3R program and materials

• View some of the P3R film resources

• Discuss evaluation efforts and results so far

• Discuss a new option for evaluating P3R outcomes

• Answer questions and engage in discussion

Context Underlying P3R

• School violence is a global concern

• Yet schools are still among the safest places for youth

• But they are also epicenters for lower-level violence

• Bullying is especially problematic

• Bullying peaks in the Middle School (6-8) years

(Astor, Benbenishty, & Marachi, 2006; Dupper & Meyer-Adams, 2002; Furlong, Pavelski, & Saxton, 2002; Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher, & Furlong, 2006)

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

Context Underlying P3R

• Commonly defined via 3 core elements

• Comprised of multiple and dynamic student roles

• Negatively effects students, staff, and school climate

• Best conceptualized via a social-ecological perspective

(Alsaker & Gutzwilerl-Helfenfinger, 2009; Espelage & Swearer, 2004; Jimerson et al., 2009; Swearer & Espelage, 2004; Olweus, 2009; )

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

Context Underlying P3R

• Meta-analyses of interventions reveal mixed effectiveness

• More likely to change attitudes than behavior

• Characteristics of effective programs have been identified

• Types and scopes of programs are homogenous

• So, MORE and DIFFERENT interventions are warranted

• Enter P3R

(Merrel et al., 2008; Ttofi et al., 2008)

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

• P3R aims to reduce bullying by promoting positive peer relationships

• 4 film-based resources—takes a social-ecological perspective

• Design consistent with empirically validated intervention features

• NOT comprehensive and NOT resource-intensive

• Initial evidence supports effectiveness in changing student attitudes

(Faull, Swearer, Jimerson, Espelage, & Ng, 2008)

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

Context Underlying P3R

Overview of P3R

• Production process was collaborative and non-traditional

• Based off of the “Stories of Us” project in Australia

• Developed with students, school psychs, and other educators

• 2 authentic films are the foundation of the Classroom Resource

• Staff and Community Resources are supplemented with training

• Curricula are designed to be socially-valid for classroom use

(Faull, Swearer, Jimerson, Espelage, & Ng, 2008)

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

Overview of P3R

• Classroom Resource

• DVD of student stories• Multiple lesson plan options• Facilitator’s guide with additional activities

• Professional Development Resource

• DVD of professional training combined with student stories• Multiple format options• Facilitator’s guide with core and additional modules

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

Overview of P3R

• Community Education Resource

• DVD of professional training combined with student stories• Multiple format options• Facilitator’s guide with additional resources

• Make Your Own Film Resource

• DVD of student stories• Facilitator’s guide for making your own “Story of Us”• Resources for carrying out various phases of production

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

View P3R Film Resources

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

P3R Implementation and Evaluation

• Implemented in a variety of formats

• Initial results from small-scale evaluations are encouraging!

• For over 3 years, studies have been conducted with:

• 6th graders at local Elementary Schools

• 7th & 8th graders at local Junior High Schools

• Current efforts focused on improving evaluation and measurement methods.

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

New Evaluation Option for P3R

BULLY ATTITUDINAL MEAUSRE (BAM; under development at UCSB)

•Communication self-efficacy

•Bystander self-efficacy

•Positive school perceptions

•Empathy

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

Questions?

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)

For more information, contact:

Shane Jimerson

jimerson@education.ucsb.edu

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R)