Introducing KiVa school-based antibullying programme to the UK: A preliminary examination of effectiveness and programme cost

Abstract

Bullying is an internationally recognized problem and school-based bullying is particularly pervasive. KiVa is a robustly evidenced school-based antibullying programme developed and evaluated at Turku University, Finland, and subsequently disseminated across Finland. Following a positive UK trial of Unit 2 (for 10- to 12-year-olds), further UK dissemination has taken place. This study presents (a) pupil self-reported levels of victimization and bullying prior to, and after, one year of KiVa implementation (Units 1 and 2) with 7- to 11-year-olds from 41 schools, and (b) programme training and delivery costs. Data from 41 primary schools were analysed using a linear mixed model effects analysis. Results revealed statistically significant reductions in victimization and bullying after one year of programme implementation. Ongoing costs were small, at £2.84 per Key Stage 2 pupil per annum. These promising results highlight the need for further more rigorous evaluation of KiVa in the UK, including the exploration of factors associated with effective implementation, and the importance for educators and policy makers of evaluating both impact and costs when implementing programmes to prevent and reduce bullying.

An Evaluation of the KiVa Anti-bullying Program in New Zealand

“…The overall findings that after just one year, KiVa appears to be having a positive impact on rates of victimization and Fig. 3 The probability of bullying others at least once or twice in the last few months (with 95% confidence intervals) by gender, school year, and experience of KiVa bullying are in line with previous studies (see Clarkson et al 2019;Hutchings and Clarkson 2015). Furthermore, in the Finnish studies to date, this trend has continued over the ensuing years (e.g., Herkama and Salmivalli 2014;Kärnä et al 2011aKärnä et al , b, 2013.…”

“…Due to the uncontrolled pre-post design and the inability to track students, we were not able to account for any cohort effects or establish any causal relationship for individual children related to the experience of KiVa. Future evaluations need to utilize a quasi-experimental method where students can be tracked across time using a cohort longitudinal design with adjacent cohorts (Clarkson et al 2019;Kärnä et al 2011a, b;Olweus and Alsaker 1991).…”

“…The authors suggested that the support provided to schools in randomized control trials may have contributed to the higher levels of fidelity. Furthermore, Clarkson et al (2019) also state that a lack of program support in their sample of 41 schools appeared to show varying results in outcome data. It is evident the program does not only have a positive impact on the students themselves but can also be highly beneficial to teachers.…”

“…In particular, there was a significant reduction in bullying and victimization for girls, but only a reduction in bullying perpetration for boys. In a more recent study of 7-11-year-old children from 41 schools in the UK, Clarkson et al (2019) found that KiVa had a positive impact on victimization and bullying and there were no reported gender differences. There is evidence to suggest that the effectiveness of KiVa may vary as a function of year level within schools.…”

“…The program has a strong evidence base, with randomized control trials demonstrating significant decreases in bullying and victimization after nine months of implementation, particularly for younger children aged 7 to 12 years (e.g., Kärnä et al 2011a, b;Kärnä et al 2013). In addition, further studies outside of Finland are beginning to emerge, where equally positive results have been reported in the UK (Clarkson et al 2019;Hutchings and Clarkson 2015) and Italy (Nocentini and Menesini 2016). Furthermore, some studies have revealed additional positive side effects of the KiVa program, including a reduction in internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression Salmivalli and Poskiparta 2012;Williford et al 2012) Studies based on Finnish samples have not revealed any gender differences in terms of how effective the program is at reducing bullying and victimization; however, Hutchings and Clarkson (2015) reported gender differences in their sample of 748 9-11-year-old pupils from 17 schools in the UK.…”