Long‐term school‐level effects of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP)

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of psychology 2020-02, Vol.61 (1), p.108-116
• Main Authors: Olweus, Dan, Solberg, Mona E., Breivik, Kyrre
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bullying; Elementary schools; evaluation; long‐term effects; Olweus bullying prevention program; Prevention programs; Students; victimization
• ISSN: 0036-5564; 1467-9450
• DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12486

In agreement with two predictions, this somewhat unusual study documented that 70 elementary schools (A‐schools) with continued and repeated use of the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (OBQ) in a four‐year follow‐up period of 2007–2010, two to eight years after original implementation of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP), had a clearly more favorable long‐term development in terms of being‐bullied problems, as measured with a completely independent data source, the National Pupil Survey than 102 comparable schools (B‐schools) that had not conducted any OBQ‐surveys in the same period. The odds of being bullied for students in a Norwegian average elementary school were also almost 40% higher than for students who attended a school with continued use of the OBQ, and very likely, other components of the program. Several alternative explanations of the findings were explored and found wanting. Results suggested that A‐schools with continued use had changed their “school culture” for the better with regard to awareness, preparedness and competence in handling and preventing bullying. This form of ‘organizational learning’ has major consequences in that new groups of students will benefit from such a school environment. It was generally concluded – in spite of a highly stable average of the level of bullying problems in Norway – that it is fully possible to substantially reduce such problems not only in one‐year evaluations, as has been amply documented before, but also in the long term, up to eight years after original implementation, with a program such as the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.