Intervening in Bullying: Differences across Elementary School Staff Members in Attitudes, Perceptions, and Self-Efficacy Beliefs

Although a growing body of research has investigated the experiences of certified school staff in antibullying efforts, a dearth of research exists on noncertified staff. To that end, the present study examined differences in attitudes, perceptions, and self-efficacy beliefs to intervene among certified (for example, teachers, counselors, school social workers) and noncertified (for example, paraprofessionals, teacher aides, lunchroom and custodial staff) elementary school staff members. A total of 252 (165 certified and 87 noncertified) school staff members from six elementary schools participated in a one-time, anonymous online survey. Stepwise robust regression was used to assess for differences between certified and noncertified staff, while also controlling for any significant variation found across the six schools. Results revealed significant differences in attitudes toward victims and bullies, self-efficacy beliefs to intervene, and likelihood of intervention with cyberbullying, favoring certified staff members. Findings suggest that additional training efforts may be necessary to support noncertified staff members to successfully identify and intervene with bullying. The key role that school social workers can play in these training initiatives is highlighted, thus drawing attention to the implications for school social work practice.