Description of the Bully Survey

HomeDescription of the System

Accurate information is the first need of any attempt at prevention/intervention of bullying in a school. For that reason all Bully Surveys are completed anonymously with no trace method for identifying a respondent's results.

Any solution to a school's bullying problem depends upon knowing where, when, why, and how the bullying occurs. This information is unique to each school. The Bully Survey System collects and organizes this information in a format that makes clear the characteristics of the bullying behaviors that are taking place. With that vital information, a problem-solving team (school personnel, students, parents) can make data-based intervention strategies that directly attack the sources of the bullying situation.

There are four versions of the Bully Survey. One is a Student Short Form and is described at the bottom of this page. There are four full surveys aimed at different constituencies in the school community.

Four full versions of the Bully Survey are:
  • Elementary - recommended for Grades 3 - 5
  • Secondary - recommended for Grades 6 - 12
  • Teacher/School Staff
  • Parent
All versions have immediate positive effects on the school community:
  • An awareness of bullying is increased.
  • Discussions about bullying are stimulated.
  • The groundwork is established for making bullying unacceptable behavior.

Full versions of a Bully Survey are thorough in their information gathering and collect all the information needed for data-driven decision-making. The time needed to complete a Bully Survey will vary from 5-25 minutes; the online programming allows each respondent to see only those items that are relevant to him/her.

Each of the four versions contains four sections.
  1. Part A items refer to victims of bullying.
  2. Part B items refer to witnesses (bystanders) of bullying.
  3. Part C items refer to those who bully others.
  4. Part D items refer to attitudes toward bullying and demographic information.

The Student Short Form contains 6 items or less, depending on the relevance to a respondent. The Short Form does increase awareness and stimulate conversation. It also provides a measure of the amount of bullying that is taking place in the school. It does not provide sufficient information for data-driven decision-making.