Interviews

Appendix L

Site Visit Interview Protocol: Teacher

U.S. Department of Education State Bullying Laws and Policies Implementation Study

Field Interview Protocol
Teacher

The U.S. Department of Education is sponsoring a study about bullying in schools. The purpose of the study is to find out how districts and schools are implementing state laws and policies related to bullying. We are asking you to share your observations about bullying among students on your school campus and your experiences responding to bullying situations. [SCHOOL NAME] has been randomly selected as one of 24 school sites nationally to participate in the bullying study. You have been invited to participate in this study because you may be knowledgeable about bullying practices in this district or on this school campus.

POTENTIAL RISKS OR BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION

There are no anticipated risks involved in taking part in this study. Participation may not benefit you personally. However, the information gathered in this study may be valuable for developing effective policies for responding to bullying in schools.

CONFIDENTIALITY

We will not share information identifying you or your district with anyone outside of the study team except if required by law. No one in your school or district administration will be told of your responses to interview questions and your responses will not be tied to any review or evaluation of your professional performance. Responses will be summarized in individual case studies for districts and schools to provide examples of policy implementation in a manner that does not associate responses with a specific individual and does not identify a school or district by name.

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION/WITHDRAWAL

If you agree to complete the interview, you will be considered a participant in a research study on the implementation of state bullying laws and policies. Your participation in the research study is completely voluntary. You may decide not to join, to only answer some questions, or to leave the study at any time. There is no penalty for choosing not to participate.

U.S. Department of Education State Bullying Laws and Policies School Implementation Study
Teacher Interview

Respondent Information
Interview Questions			Open-Ended Elaboration
	How long have you been a teacher at this school? Less than one year 1-2 years 3 -4 years 5-9 years 10 years or more
	What are your specific roles and responsibilities with regard to preventing or responding to bullying problems on your school campus or in your school?

Problem Definition
Interview Questions			Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about bullying that happens among students at your school.
	How do you recognize a bullying situation when you see one? What criteria do you use to determine when a conflict between students should be defined as bullying? What challenges do you encounter when determining whether or not an incident constitutes bullying behavior?
	In what ways are bullying behaviors disruptive?
	Where and when does bullying most frequently occur?
	Are there individual students or groups of students in your school who are more vulnerable to bullying? If so, who are these students, and why are they more likely to be targeted?

Communication
Interview Questions			Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about the bullying policy at your school.
	How were you informed about the school bullying policy? Posted on the district website Posted on school campuses Published in the district employee manual Discussed in staff meetings Reviewed as part of in-service training Other communications
	How familiar are you with the specific requirements in the policy? Very familiar Somewhat familiar Not very familiar Not at all familiar
	How clearly does the policy communicate expectations to school personnel, students, and families?
	Have you ever discussed the bullying policy with students in your classroom? If yes, describe these discussions. Yes No

School Personnel Training
Interview Questions			Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about any training you received related to bullying issues.
	Have you participated in bullying training? Yes No
	Was participation in training voluntary or required? Training was mandatory Training was voluntary
	How often are you required to participate in training?
	What was the content of the training that you received?
	How useful was the training information when you were faced with an actual situation? What about it was helpful or not helpful?

Prevention
Interview Questions			Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about any bullying prevention or education program for students at your school.
	How are the school programs or approaches to address bullying (prevention, intervention, and whole-school approaches to promote school climate) applied in the classroom? What is the teacher’s role in implementation?
	Did you receive any instruction or training on how to implement the school program?
	Have you encountered any challenges related to implementation of the school program? If so, what are the challenges and what steps have you taken to address them?
	What have been the impacts of the school program thus far?

Reporting/Monitoring
Interview Questions			Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about how you respond to bullying situations among students at your school.
	How do you respond to bullying that you witness first-hand? No immediate response, monitor future interactions Intervene to stop the behavior, monitor future interactions Intervene to stop the behavior and report the incident Report the incident to a school administrator Other: ______________________________________________________
	How do you respond to bullying that is reported to you? No immediate response, monitor future interactions Discuss the situation with the bully Report the incident to a school administrator Other: ______________________________________________________
	If you would choose to intervene in a bullying situation, how would you intervene?
	Are you aware of any expectations for reporting by school personnel and students? Is reporting mandatory? Yes, immediate, mandatory reporting by students and school personnel Yes, immediate, mandatory reporting by school personnel Yes, school personnel must intervene to stop bullying; if situation is unresolved, school personnel must report. No, encouraged reporting only Unaware of reporting requirements
	Is there a designated person on campus who you would go to for reporting bullying situations? Who is that person?
	Describe the procedure for reporting bullying incidents. Must submit a standard reporting or complaint form Must submit report in writing (no standardized form or structure) May submit a verbal report to a school administrator May submit an anonymous report. Other: ______________________________________________________

Investigations and Written Records
Interview Questions			Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about a time when you were involved in reporting a bullying incident.
	Have you personally ever reported an incident of bullying? Yes No
	How did you make the decision to report or not report the incident? What criteria would you use to determine that it was a bullying situation?
	What actions were taken by the school administration to follow-up on the bullying report? Teacher participated in a follow-up investigation Teacher was formally notified (i.e., in writing) of the school administration’s response (e.g., intervention plan, disciplinary action, student transfer) Teacher was informally notified of the school administration’s response (e.g., verbal feedback) Teacher was provided formal guidelines for how to intervene if future incidents occur Other
	Are you aware of any specific steps taken by the school to safeguard victims or witnesses from further bullying or retaliation? Yes No

Policy Application and Effectiveness
Interview Questions		Open-Ended Elaboration
	Tell me about some of the challenges associated with implementing the bullying policy in your school. [PROBES] What are the particular components or requirements of the policy that are most challenging to put into practice? What is it about these components that makes them challenging? How have you coped with these challenges? What have you done to resolve them in particular cases? What (additional) steps would help you put the policy into practice in your district?
	Are there components or requirements in your school’s bullying policy that stand out as particularly effective in addressing bullying? If yes, what are these components? What makes these components of the policy effective?
	How effective are your school’s bullying policies in reducing bullying problems? [PROBES] Which problems are most effectively addressed? Which problems are least effectively addressed? What specific policy components or requirements contribute most to effectiveness? What specific policy components or requirements contribute the least to effectiveness?
	Have you observed any changes in the school environment since the bullying policy has been implemented? Increased awareness of bullying Increased reporting of incidents Increased consistency of enforcement Improved school climate Reduced frequency of bullying Other: __________________________________________________
	What advice would you give to others schools that are developing bullying policies and programs?

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