A Comparative Analysis of the Interface between the School Climate and Teachers – Class Tutors Activities within Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP): the Case of Lithuania and Norway
The aim of the study is to elaborate an interface between the school climate and teachers – class tutors activities within OBPP in Lithuanian and Norwegian schools.
The main hypothesis: a better School Climate stimulates teachers – class tutors to use more actively bullying preventative tools within OBBP.
All children have the right to be protected from violence, exploitation and abuse (UNISEF, 2011). School bullying is understood to be a complex and a systemic problem. Recently, it has been developed and implemented many various evidence-based, schoolwide approach antibullying programs, but the meta-analysis of 44 antibullying programs, done by Ttofi & Farrington (2009: 23), revealed, that “future interventions should be grounded in the successful OBPP<…>”. Bullying in school issues are closely related to school climate, which is defined as “the quality and character of school life” (Cohen et.al, 2009: 182). The ecological system theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) will be applied as a theoretical framework of the research design. It will be applied non-experimental, cross-sectional, explanatory correlational research.
The comparative analysis in the current research will have an international perspective and will focus on Lithuanian and Norwegian schools. The study will be carried out using a quantitative survey approach, where data will be collected through a standardized questionnaire. The Alliance for the Study of School Climate (ASSC) have been contacted and the permission to adopt the Assessment of School Climate instrument has been given. The population will consist of teachers - class tutors of the Lithuanian and Norwegian schools, which have implemented OBPP in school. Ethical issues will be taken into consideration as well.