Student Web Activites

Chapter 2: Psychological Research Methods and Statistics

"Researching Bullies"

Introduction
Finding the latest results on research topics from adolescence to weight loss is as easy as connecting to the Internet. At these Web sites, psychologists' studies and results are described in detail. Recently, studies were conducted to examine the role of bullies in middle school-aged children. The studies used surveys, a longitudinal study, and interviews to research the bullying environment in middle school. Not only do the reports give you an idea of how researchers collect data, but what they found out about bullies may surprise you!

Web sites
APA News Release/Bullying
Browse the American Psychological Association's Web site to read about studies done on bullying in middle schools.

Bullying in Middle School: Prevention and Intervention
Read about the studies, consequences, recommendations, and considerations on middle school bullying at the National Middle School Association's Web site.

PBS Kids
PBS offers advice on how to handle a bully and how to stop this inappropriate behavior.

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Activity
Imagine you are a researcher continuing the research undertaken in these studies. Select a new hypothesis generated by the research and, on a separate sheet of paper, create a survey of five questions. Indicate your pre-research question at the top of the page and describe which of the three sample groups you will survey.