danielle schaubert advisors: dr. yoshiko saito-abbott dr. shigeko sekine bullying at school in...

Danielle Schaubert

Advisors:Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott

Dr. Shigeko Sekine

BULLYING AT SCHOOL IN JAPAN AND AMERICA

Significance of StudyResearch QuestionBackground Research

Definitions of “Ijime” Types of Bullying in Japan and America Effects of Bullying In Japan and America

Research MethodResearch FindingsConclusionBibliographyAcknowledgements

OUTLINE

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

I have been curious about the topic of bullying since I was bullied in Elementary School. When I studied abroad in Japan, I realized that bullying is a big problem. I am interested in seeing the differences between bullying in both societies.

I would like to know what factors cause bullying in both societies. I hope to find out what is being done to stop bullying.

http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/00807/pictures/BULLYING.jpg

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What bullying (Ijime) problems have occurred for the past decade in schools in Japan and America? 2. What are the causes and effects of bullying?

1) What are the causes and effects of bullying in Japan and the US?

2) What are the similarities and differences ?

3. To what extent are the school system and parents trying to solve this problem in Japan and the US?

Background Research Definitions of “Ijime” Types of Bullying in Japan and America Effects of Bullying In Japan and America

BACKGROUND RESEARCH

http://www.babypips.com/blogs/piponomics/images/101020/china-bully.pnghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kiqDVA7wW2g/S-wc-TbZtUI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/nHaqlUWpVZE/s1600/ijime-1.gif

BACKGROUND RESEARCH 1:WHAT IS “IJIME”?

Definitions of Bullying

“Use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone), typically to force him or her to do what one wants”

(http://oxforddictionaries.com)

“To treat in an overbearing or intimidating manner”(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bullying)

Ijime translates from Japanese to English as “bullying”

In Japan the three top bullying occurrences are:1) Mean messages/name calling 2) Hazing3) Shunning

BACKGROUND RESEARCH 2: TYPE OF BULLYING

http://www.peter.murmann.name/images/uploads/japan_flag2.jpg

(Uchida, 1993; Denmark,2006;Yoneyama,1999)

What types of bullying are common in Japanese Schools?

TYP ES O F BULLY ING IN JAPANESE SC H OO LS

1)Mean messages and name calling “the use of abusive names to belittle or humiliate another

person” (Dictionary.com)

e.g. “ ‘kusai’ (stink), ‘kitanai’ (dirty)… ‘gomi’ (trash), [and] ‘shine’ (die)

(Yoneyama, 1999)

2) Hazing e.g. “hiding … the victim’s possessions (i.e. shoes,

bags, pencils often in the toilet)”. (Yoneyama, 1999)

TYPES OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS

(http://www.shinrankai.net/tokusyuu/images/20061220b.gif)

TYPE OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS

3) Shunning“persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or something) through antipathy”

(oxforddictionaries.com)

e.g. “Some children are actively rejected by peers. Others are simply ignored, or neglected“

(Burton,1986)

http://pastordanvera.com/wp-content/gallery/new-image-gallery/ignore_01.jpg

In America the three top bullying occurrences are:1) violence2) cyber bullying 3) name calling/teasing

(Atlas & Pepler,1998; Coyl, 2009; Farrington,1993;Salmon,James & Smith, 1998)

TYPES OF BULLYING IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS

http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/flag.gif?w=315&h=265

What types of bullying are common in American schools?

1) Violence Violence is “rough or injurious physical force, action, or treatment” (dictionary.com) e.g. A boy named Billy suffered violence at school when a student in …

class punched Billy so hard that when he came to, his braces were caught on the inside of his cheek

(Dan Barry,2008)

Types of Bullying in American Schools

http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/spotlite/slpress/050702.htm

2) Cyber bullying Cyber bullying “is bullying through email, instant messaging (IMing),

chat room exchanges, Web site posts, or digital messages or images sent to a cellular phone or personal digital assistant”.

(olweus.org) e.g. Billy was also bullied by classmates online when a group of boys

“started a Facebook page called ‘Every One That Hates Billy Wolfe.’” (Dan Barry, 2008)


http://www.cyberbullyingprotection.net/images/3114527.jpg

3) Name calling or teasing “abusive language or insults”

(oxforddictionaries.com) e.g. “What begins as words, perhaps a taunt or name-calling, escalates

into pushing and shoving, which then may lead to a bloody nose, a black eye, or even a broken bone”

(Chen, 2008)

http://churchfun.com/2008/12/02/teasing-hurts-what-to-do-about-it/


Japan’s three top effects of bullying in schools: 1. Suicide2. Depression3. Hikikomori (social withdrawal)

BACKGROUND RESEARCH 3: AFFECTS OF BULLYING

http://www.mytinyphone.com/wallpaper/209721/

(Gallagher,2008; Yoneyama,1999; Uchida, 1993; Dziesinski, 2003; Taki, 2001; Furlong, 2008)

１） Suicide

Suicide is “the intentional taking of one's own life.” (dictionary.com)

e.g. “A 13–year–old student hanged himself and left a despairing suicide note accusing several boys of having created a living hell for him”. ( Naito & Gielen, 2005)

EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS

What are the effects of bullying in Japanese schools

http://www.zeitnews.org/images/stories/suicide431.jpg

２） Depression “severe despondency and dejection, typically felt over a period of time and

accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy”

(oxforddictionaries.com)

e.g. “Overwhelmingly, suicide is an adult phenomenon—but not exclusively, and the clinical depression that generally underlies it, … is steadily trickling down the age scale”

(japantoday.com)

http://img148.imageshack.us/i/nanastarringmikanakashigh4.jpg/sr=1


３） Hikikomori (Social Withdrawal)

The definition of Hikikomori is a “state or condition of acute social withdrawal, esp. among adolescents or young adults”

(dictionary.com) e.g. Japanese students are “turning into modern hermits - never

leaving their rooms.” ( Rees, 2002)

http://rarelyknown.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/hikikomori.jpg


America’s top three effects of bullying in schools: 1. Suicide2. Depression3. School shootings

BACKGROUND RESEARCH 2: TYPE OF BULLYING CONTINUED…

http://www.sodahead.com/fun/what-do-you-do-when-it-is-raining/question-1009033/?link=ibaf&imgurl=http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/2200000/pon-n-zi-pon-and-zi-azuzephre-cartoons-2282093-349-500.jpg&q=pon%2Band%2Bzi%2Bumbrella

(James, 2009; Toppo, 2009; Barry, 2008)

What are the effects of bullying in American schools?

１） Suicidee.g. “Eric Mohat, 17, was harassed so mercilessly in high school

that when one bully said publicly in class, ‘Why don't you go home and shoot yourself, no one will miss you,’ he did”

(James, 2009)

EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS

http://designcrack.com/v2/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/just-do-it-blade.jpg

２） Depression e.g. “Both bullies and their victims are more likely to suffer from

depression than youth who are not involved in bullying”(bullyingstatistics.org, 2009)


http://www.elements4health.com/images/stories/conditions/depressed-teenager.jpg

３） School shootings “In 2002, researchers presented their first findings: School

shooters, they said, followed no set profile, but most were depressed and felt persecuted.” (Toppo, 2009) e.g. Columbine Shooting. Two boys shot and killed 13 before

themselves.


http://www.school-counselor.org/images/school-violence-prevention.jpg

RESEARCH METHOD

• Survey Participants

• Japanese college students: 51• 34 female and 17 male

• American college students: 60• 37 female and 23 male

• Age 18 – 24

• Data Collection Instrument• Online Survey on Google Documents

Japanese Survey Link:http://tinyurl.com/5skmp7r

English Survey Link: http://tinyurl.com/5wdj5ws

Research Question 1:What bullying (Ijime) problems have occurred for the past decade in schools in Japan

and America?

SURVEY RESULTS

RESEARCH QUESTION 1: TYPES OF BULLYING

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A VICTIM OF BULLYING AT SCHOOL?

Do you have a friend who has ever been bullied at school?

Yes70%

No30%

USA

Yes39%

No61%

Japan

Yes78%

No22%

Yes67%

No33%

WHAT LEVEL OF SCHOOL WERE YOU IN WHEN YOU WERE BULLIED?

Other

College

High School

Middle School

Elementary School

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

0.00%

2.63%

26.30%

39.40%

31.50%

6.80%

6.80%

6.80%

44.80%

34.40%

Japan

USA

THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU WERE BULLIED AT SCHOOL

Other

Making

someo

ne loo

k at u

nwant

ed im

ages

or mov

ies

Physic

ally h

urting

someo

ne

Ignori

ng so

meone

Intern

et Bull

ying

Threa

ts

Steali

ng an

d hidi

ng ob

jects

Name c

alling

or te

asing

0.00%5.00%

10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%30.00%35.00%40.00%45.00%

USA

Japan

In the past decade many Japanese and American students have been bullied or have a friend who has been bullied

The bullying in Japan lessens by high school while in America bullying does not decrease until college

Name calling and teasing occurs most often in both countries

In Japan being ignored occurs often

In America Physical violence occurs often

SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS QUESTION 1

Research Question 2:What are the causes and effects of bullying in Japan and the US?

SURVEY RESULTS

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE BULLIED?

The reasons why people think they are bullied vary greatly.Only one answer matched the group.

USA Male Japanese Male USA Female Japanese Female

“I was kind of a loner”

“I had a small physique”

“I’m fat” “I’m fat”

“Jealousy” “I was a flirt” “I was a tomboy” “Transferred/ new kid”

“my race” “I didn’t listen to the leader”

“I am a nerd” “bullies rotate victims”

“I was too nice” I don’t know “I thought differently”

“Spoke a different dialect”

WHY DID YOU BULLY?

USA Male Japanese Male USA Female Japanese Female

“emotional reasons”


“give them a taste of their own medicine”


“I was bored” “other people did it too”

“stress” “other people did it too”

“peer pressure” “didn’t like the person”

“peer pressure” “I was bullied”

“problems at home”

The responses for why people bullied are very similar.

Do you know or have you heard of anyone committing suicide because of being bullied at school?

Do you know or have you heard of anyone becoming hikikomori (Isolated from the world by refusing to leave the home) because of being bullied?

Yes 52%

No48%

USAYes33%

No67%

Japan

Yes7%

No93%

Yes43%

No57%

DO YOU KNOW OR HAVE HEARD OF ANYONE BEING BULLIED;

THREATEN TO BOMB OR SHOOT AT THE SCHOOL?

Yes30%

No70%

USA

Yes8%

No92%

Japan

http://vanessawest.tripod.com/columbine.jpg

There are various reasons for why people think they were bullied

Bullies in America and Japan have many similarities for why they bully (Emotional reasons being number one)

American students know more cases about suicide and school threats because of bullying

Japanese students know more cases about isolation because of bullying


Research Question 3: To what extent are the school system and parents trying to solve this problem in

Japan and the US?

SURVEY RESULTS 3

AS OF NOW , DO YOU THINK PARENTS AND EDUCATORS ARE DOING ENOUGH TO STOP

BULLYING AT SCHOOL?

Yes12%

No88%

USAYes6%

No94%

Japan

http://militaryschools.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/School-Discipline.jpg

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT STATE OF BULLYING AT

SCHOOLS?

93% Americans think bullying is an average to huge problem69% Japanese think bullying is an average to huge problem

n

1 2 3 4 5

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO STOP BULLYING?

USA Male Japan Male USA Female Japan Female

Discipline bullies more severely

Child-Parent communication

I can't imagine anything could stop it from

happening.Bullying won't go

away

Parents need to control their kids Awareness

Get kids who might be prone to bullying into activities like sports,

clubs. discipline children

Pay more attention guidance for teachers good parentingteach about bullying

at school

Punishments being told to students

kids have to become mentally stronger Raise awareness I don't know

Both Japanese students and American Students do not think parents and educators are doing enough to stop bullying

American students worry about bullying more than Japanese students

In both America and Japan students think that the best ways to solve bullying are to implement more discipline for bullies and have parents talk to their children. Sadly in both countries a handful of female participants do no think bullying can be stopped


Surprisingly, Japanese people do not view themselves as being bullied as much as Americans do

Japanese bully mentally by ignoring people while in America we bully physically

In Japan the students are so busy studying for exams that bullying stops by high school

Americans have more free time to bully people because there are no exams to get into high school so we continue bullying until the end of high school

Bullies in both countries bully because they are lonely In order to stop bullying we have to be more strict

with bullies and parents need to talk with their children

CONCLUSION

Uchida, R. (1993). Ijime no nekko: the source of abuse. Art Village 2100. Denmark, F. , Gielen, U. , Krauss, H. (2006). Violence in Schools: Cross-national and

Cross-cultural Perspectives. Dordrecht: Springer-Verlag New York Inc. Yoneyama, S. (1999). The Japanese High School: Silence and Resistance. London:

Routledge. Yoneyama, S., & Naito, A. (2003). Problems with the paradigm: the school as a factor

in understanding bullying (with special reference to japan). Taylor & Francis. Coyl, D.D. (2009). Kids really are different these days. Phi Delta Kappa International. Farrington, D.P. (1993). Understanding and preventing bullying. The University of

Chicago Press. Salmon, G., James, A., & Smith, D.M. (1998). Bullying in schools: self reported

anxiety, depression, and self esteem in secondary school. BMJ Publishing Group. Atlas, R.S., & Pepler, D.J. (1998). Observations of bullying in the classroom. Taylor &

Francis. Bush, Z. (2009). Ijime: educational hinderance and social illness of japan. Bullying statistics 2009. (2009). Retrieved from

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics-2009.html Naito, T., & Gielen, U. (2005). Bullying and ijime in japanese schools a sociocultural

perspective. Springer eBook. Burton, C.B. (1986). Children's peer relationships. . ERIC Clearinghouse on

Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Retrieved from http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-923/peer.htm

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dziesinski, M. (2003). Hikikomori: investigations into the phenomenon of acute social withdrawl in contemporary japan. Michael Dziesinski.

Taki, M. (2001). Japanese school bullying: ijime - a survey and an intervention program in school -. Canada

Furlong, A. (2008). The japanese hikikomori phenomenon: acute social withdrawal among young people.

Gallagher, P. (2008, February). Gallagher, p. (2008). one japanese suicide every 15 minutes. . Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/24/japan.mentalhealth

No letup in suicide rate. (2010, June 10). Retrieved from http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20100610a2.html

Barry, D. (2008, March 24). A boy the bullies love to beat up, repeatedly . Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/24land.html

Toppo, G. (2009, April 14). 0 years later, the real story behind columbine. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-13-columbine-myths_N.htm

James, S.D. (2009, April 2). Teen commits suicide due to bullying: parents sue school for son's death. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7228335

Japan Today, . (n.d.). Children's depression and suicide a worsening problem. Retrieved from http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi/view/childrens-depression-and-suicide-a-worsening-problem

Rees, P. (2002, October 20). Japan: the missing million. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/2334893.stm

CONTINUED

My Advisors : Dr. Shigeko Sekine & Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott

My friends who support me: Okuda Shinpei, Jonathan Tamashiro, Melissa Cramoline, Kelly Stone & Chesca Brazil

My loving family: mom, dad, and my two sisters

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS