Bystander- Quiz

Have your class take the following quiz ad then discuss the research-based answers.

QUIZ
1.  Choose the one phrase that best describes bullying in schools:
     A.  a personal predicament for the student who is bullying and the targeted student
     B.  a social problem
2.  50%  of school bullying incidents are observed by bystanders   True or False
3.  When bystanders intervene, the bullying stops in 30% of cases.   True or False
4.  About 50% of students say they would help a student who is being bullied.  True or False
5.  Mot common reason bystanders give for not helping a targeted student is their fear of retaliation.    True or False
6.  Bystanders are most likely to help a student being bullied if they think their teacher will approve.  True or False
7.  People are most likely to help others in distress when they are in a group (than by themselves).  True or False

Answers
1.  B.  A social problem- it should be a whole school culture of a bully-free zone
2.  False: Peers are present 85% of bullying episodes in school settings- teachers rarely witness the event
3.  True: in 57% of cases bullying stops within 10 seconds
4.   True: 43% said they would help (in one study, only 11% of the students actually intervened)
5.  True:  there are many reasons that bystanders give as to why they do not help:
         -fear of retaliation, not my concern, blaming the victim, action would be useless or make things worse, *some students said that they approve of bullying (SAD!)
6.  False:  students are more concerned about what their peers think, rather than what the teacher thinks.
7.  False:  people are less likely to help when they are in a group (it is called the "diffusion of responsibility")
(Noble, Toni, ACU National, www.bounceback.com/au)