Speaker
Description
Bullying in schools is universal and widespread problem with average of 20% of Estonian students suffering from victimization every year. KiVa Program was introduced in Estonian schools in 2013 as a comprehensive school-based initiative, encompassing KiVa lessons for students in grades 1-9. Additional support options for schools have been created to enhance the implementation quality. Schools have been closely followed through the years. This presentation aims to delineate the various implementation strategies and their correlation with observed changes in bullying and victimization prevalence.
A three-year cohort-longitudinal study was conducted from 2022 to 2024, encompassing 32 schools with a total of 10742 students. The study commenced with the implementation of the KiVa program and subsequently included an additional 117 schools that had already adopted the program, with a total of 37 391 students and 1010 staff members enrolled in 2024. In annual web-based student surveys, the prevalence of bullies and victims with the general items from the Olweus/Bully Victim Questionnaire was assessed. Program implementation data from student and annual staff surveys were included to describe the predictors for program success.
The changes in bullying and victimization rates in schools differed across age groups – KiVa effects appeared larger in younger Grades. Several aspects of program implementation dosage were related to reductions in victimization. The implementation fidelity of KiVa Program in schools needs to be supported to achieve expected results.
Keywords
bullying prevention, implementation quality, KiVa Program, cohort-longitudinal study
| Please indicate what type of scientific contribution it is | Quantitative method study |
|---|---|
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Scientific |
