The College of Education, Health and
Human Sciences
Announces the Final Examination of
Joel Leonard Harris
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
June 5, 2015 at 10:00 am
103 Ball Hall, University of Memphis
Memphis, TN
Biographical Sketch
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, University at Buffalo
Master of Education, School Counseling, University at Buffalo
Advisory Committee
Chrisann Schiro-Geist, Ph.D., Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research, Committee Chair
Douglas Strohmer, Ph.D., Professor Chair, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research
Chloe Lancaster, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research
Michael Mackay, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research
Major Field of Study
Counseling Psychology
Period of Preparation: 2011-2015
Comprehensive Examination Passed: August, 2013
The Effectiveness of an Anti-Bullying Intervention for Elementary School Students
Abstract
Kids On the Block (KOB) is a program designed to increase knowledge and improve attitudes toward disabled students in schools. Research has not yet examined KOB’s effects on students with regard to bullying. The present study examined the program’s effectiveness at increasing knowledge and prosocial attitudes toward bullying by comparing student knowledge and attitudes prior to viewing the show to their attitudes and knowledge after the show, and by comparing students who saw the show to those who did not. Social Cognitive Theory was used to provide a theoretical framework for approaching this question. Fourth and fifth grade students completed measures of bullying knowledge, explicit attitudes toward bullying, and implicit attitudes toward bullying. The measures were administered at three time points using an interrupted time-series design with the intervention introduced after the first time point for one group of participants. Another group acted as a control group and did not view the intervention until later. After viewing the show, students demonstrated increased knowledge and explicit prosocial attitudes toward bullying after viewing the show compared to prior to the show, and compared to the control group. These findings support the future use of KOB as an anti-bullying intervention.