Implementation and evaluation of the Youth Police Academy school bullying prevention program in South Korea

• Published in: International journal of educational research Vol. 110; p. 101881
• Main Authors: Han, You-Kyung, Song, Aeri, Um, Su Jung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2021
• Subjects: Anti-bullying program for bystanders; Community-based bullying prevention; School bullying; Community-based bullying prevention; Anti-bullying program for bystanders; School bullying
• ISSN: 0883-0355; 1873-538X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijer.2021.101881

●Participation in a role-playing activity builds empathy for victims.●The Youth Police Academy (YPA) program promotes anti-bullying attitudes.●The YPA program cultivates effective strategies to cope with witnessing bullying.●The YPA program was more effective in lowering reinforcer behaviors in females.
This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the Youth Police Academy bullying prevention program using a sample of 1649 students. Applying a semi-experimental research design, pre-test and post-test surveys were administered to an experimental group (N = 1,027) and a control group (N = 622). The results of the study reveal that the community-based anti-bullying program targeting bystanders had a positive impact in four areas: bystander indicators, empathy towards victims, anti-bullying attitudes, and coping responses to observations of bullying. Regarding the gender effect, the results show that the YPA program was more effective for female participants in decreasing reinforcer behaviors. We then explored the implications of the results and proposed suggestions for policy-makers and program developers committed to bullying prevention.