Evidence Rating: Promising | More than one study
Date:
This was an antibullying program for all students involved: victims, passive bystanders, and bullies. The program is rated Promising. Elementary, middle, and high school treatment groups experienced statistically significant greater proportions of students reporting no participation in bullying-related roles at the posttests. The elementary student treatment group saw statistically significant reductions in bullying and victimization but no statistically significant change in bystander behavior.
A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).
This program's rating is based on evidence that includes at least one high-quality randomized controlled trial.
This program's rating is based on evidence that includes either 1) one study conducted in multiple sites; or 2) two or three studies, each conducted at a different site. Learn about how we make the multisite determination.
Program Goals/Target Population
The Success in Stages: Build Respect, Stop Bullying® program was a multicomponent bullying intervention that involved victims, passive bystanders, and bullies to reduce the occurrences of bullying and create a climate of respect in school. Success in Stages offered three different versions of the Build Respect, Stop Bullying® program that were specifically tailored for either elementary, middle, or high school students. Each Success in Stages version could also be used in conjunction with other programs to support schoolwide antibullying initiatives.
Program Theory
The program was based on the Transtheoretical Model, which consists of five stages: 1) Precontemplation, 2) Contemplation, 3) Preparation, 4) Action, and 5) Maintenance. The model seeks to change behaviors by personalizing interventions for each participant based on their specific stage of change. The Transtheoretical Model teaches reinforcement and decisionmaking skills so that a program participant can progress to the next stage—learning the tools necessary to maintain their modified behaviors (Johnson et al. 2005).
Program Components
The primary component of the Success in Stages program was the tailored Internet-based expert system. Students initiated the program by running the multimedia CD, which brought the participants to the program website. Once students had registered for the program on the program website, logged in, and consented to be part of the research, they were given instructions on how the program worked. The program led the student through a series of screens that included assessment questions, feedback on their answers, images, and movies that were all tailored to the student’s specific needs. Students participated in three program sessions.
The program began with an assessment of students’ behaviors and roles in terms of bullying. To generate individualized expert system feedback, students were then assessed on each Transtheoretical Model construct relevant to their specific stage of change. The program analyzed students’ responses and then determined which stage of change they were currently in. The expert system then produced individualized feedback, in both text and graphical form, which was used to optimize a student’s movement to the next stage of change.
The first intervention session provided students with normative feedback only. This normative feedback compared the individual’s use of change principles and processes with those of peers who were most successful in progressing. Sessions 2 and 3 provided both normative (compared with peers who had progressed the most) and ipsative (compared with self) feedback on how they were progressing since their last interaction with the program. The feedback also positively reinforced any progress they were making and provided behavioral strategies they could use to progress to the next stage. The program was retailored to the individual student’s needs at each session.
The program included text and multimedia components. The text was also read to students who chose the “sound on” version if they had headphones available. Images on the screen were matched to the specific feedback that was provided. Finally, short movies of students giving testimonials about bullying or changing their own behavior were provided at specific times throughout the program.
Additional information about the program was distributed in packet form to administrators, teachers, and parents of the participating children. Administrators’ packets included information regarding the software requirements to run the system at their school, suggestions on how to prepare a timeline for implementing the program, and instructions on how to access the school-level reports. Teachers’ packets included instructions on how to run the program, general information about bullying and possible classroom exercises to support student change, and a guide on how to work with parents during the program’s duration. Parents were given information about the program and about bullying in general.
Study 1
Proportion of Students in Action or Maintenance
Johnson and colleagues (2005) found that Success in Stages treatment group elementary schools had more students in the Action or Maintenance stages of change, meaning they reported not participating in any bullying-related role, compared with students in control group elementary schools at the 1-year follow-up. The difference was statistically significant.
Proportion of Students Reporting Being a Bully
Fewer treatment group students reported being a bully, compared with students in the control group, at the 1-year follow-up. The difference was statistically significant.
Proportion of Students Reporting Being a Passive Bystander
There was no statistically significant difference between treatment group students and control group students in reports of being a passive bystander to bullying behavior at the 1-year follow-up.
Proportion of Students Reporting Being a Victim
Fewer treatment group students reported being a victim of bullying, compared with students in the control group, at the 1-year follow-up. The difference was statistically significant.
Study 2
Percentage in Action or Maintenance Stage
Evers and colleagues (2007a) found that the treatment group showed a higher percentage of middle school students progressing to the Action or Maintenance stage of change for all three roles (bully, victim, and passive bystander), compared with the control group, at approximately 1 month follow-up. The difference was statistically significant.
Study 3
Percentage in Action or Maintenance Stage
Evers and colleagues (2007b) found that the treatment group showed a higher percentage of high school students progressing to the Action or Maintenance stage of change for all three roles (bully, victim, and passive bystander), compared with the control group, at approximately 1 month follow-up. The difference was statistically significant.
Study 1
Johnson and colleagues (2005) used an elementary school population to examine the effects of the Success in Stages: Build Respect, Stop Bullying® program. A 3x3 experimental design was used, which crossed three experimental groups (one control and two treatments) with three assessments (including two treatment groups in the study allowed for replication of the intervention).
The sample of 1,807 fourth and fifth grade students came from 12 elementary schools located across the United States and in various types of communities (urban, rural, and suburban areas). Schools with higher percentages of students receiving free lunches were given preference for inclusion. Schools were matched on several key variables, including type of community, number of students receiving free lunches, and region of the country. Males comprised 51.1 percent of the total sample. A majority of students were white (59.4 percent), followed by Black (17.5 percent), and Hispanic (13.1 percent). Just over 40 percent of students were eligible for free lunches. An equal number of fourth and fifth grade students participated.
The control group received a pretest and three posttests, which included only assessment questions on roles related to bullying and stage of change. The two treatment groups received a pretest; up to three Internet-based sessions; guides for the school administrators, staff, and family; and three posttests. Treatment and control schools were given the pretest as soon as they were ready to participate. The treatment groups were asked to complete the final two Internet sessions a minimum of 30 days apart. The first posttests for the treatment groups were to be administered a minimum of 7 days after the last Internet session. The second posttests were to be given 4 months after the first posttest for all groups, and the final posttest was to be completed 8 months after the second posttest for all groups. All posttests were to be completed approximately 1 year from each group’s start date. The treatment sessions were completed within a 2-month window, ranging from 1 month to 3 months. The overall program length was 12 months when factoring in posttests. The CrimeSolutions review of this study focused on the outcomes for treatment group 1 (n = 662) compared with the control group (n = 506).
Outcomes on the percentages of students who were no longer categorized in the three roles related to bullying (bully, victim, or passive bystander) at posttest were measured, as was the percentage who were no longer participants in all three roles combined. The bullying-related roles were assessed as 1) Bully: treats other kids in mean ways and/or pushes, hits, or kicks other kids to hurt them; 2) Victim: kids treat them in mean ways and/or push, hit, or kick them to hurt them; 3) Passive bystander: lets kids be mean to other kids and lets kids push, hit, or kick others while doing nothing to prevent or discourage such behaviors. For each role, students were asked a single item to assess their stage of change for that role. Students who responded negatively for both of the behavior items related to a particular role were asked how long they had been acting this way to determine whether they were in the Action stage (meaning they had not participated in any of the three roles related to bullying for less than 6 months) or Maintenance stage (meaning they had not participated in any of the three roles related to bullying for 6 months or longer) for that role. Students who responded affirmatively to either of the behavior items related to a role were asked their intentions to make changes so they would no longer be participating in that role. Students completed all assessments and measures of self-reports on computers.
At baseline, there were 48.9 percent of students involved in roles as bullies, 77.2 percent as victims, and 36.5 percent as bystanders. Many students participated in multiple roles. Further, 12 percent of students were in the Action or Maintenance stages at baseline. The rest of the students were in the Precontemplation, Contemplation, or Preparation stages of change. There was a statistically significant difference between the control and treatment groups at baseline for the bullying role; specifically, there were fewer bullies in the control group. Statistical procedures were employed to control for these baseline differences. There were no other statistically significant baseline differences regarding bully-related role or stage of change between the treatment and control groups.
Data were measured using two sets of analyses: 1) posttest-only comparisons of the number of participants who no longer reported involvement in any or all roles, and 2) a repeated-measures comparison of the number of participants who reported they no longer participated in any or all roles. Posttest-only comparisons used an arcsine transformation difference in proportion of movement into Action or Maintenance. An intent-to-treat analysis was used to examine all records, rather than only those that could be matched. The last-observation-carried-forward method of replacement was used when a posttest value was missing. This method replaced the missing value with the last known observation for that record. Repeated-measures analyses for all students across all time points and random effects logistic models were used to examine any changes across the course of the study and to control for baseline covariates. No subgroup analysis was conducted.
Study 2
Evers and colleagues (2007a) used a 3x2 factorial experimental design that had three experimental groups crossed with two assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of Success in Stages: Build Respect, Stop Bullying® for a middle school population.
Of 2,839 middle school students who began the program, 1,230 student participants could be matched from baseline to posttest. These students were from 12 middle schools (sixth to eighth grades) from a variety of communities (rural, urban, suburban) that were recruited for participation. Similar to Study 1 (Johnson et al. 2005), preference was given to schools with higher percentages of students eligible for free lunches. Schools were then matched based on region of country, type of community, and number of students eligible for free lunches. Just over 50 percent of the student sample were female, and 48 percent were eligible for free lunches. Students who could be matched at baseline were white (40.5 percent), Hispanic (27.4 percent), Black (12.0 percent) and Asian-American (4.4 percent). The largest percentage of students (45.1 percent) were in the seventh grade, and the rest were spread throughout the sixth through eighth grades.
The control group completed only pretest and posttest measures. Students in treatment group 1 received up to three 30-minute, Internet-based, individualized and interactive sessions during the school year, a Staff Guide and a Family Guide, and a posttest. Students in treatment group 2 received the same protocol as treatment group 1 and, in addition, received a pretest before their first intervention. This group allowed for a replication of the interventions and a control for any effects owing to a pretest. The treatment groups completed all sessions within a typical 2-month window ranging from 1 to 3 months. The CrimeSolutions review of this study focused on the outcomes for treatment group 2 (n = 266 students) compared with the control group (n = 483 students).
Using self-report measures, students indicated participating in any of the three roles related to bullying (bully, victim, or passive bystander, which were assessed the same way as described in Study 1) and their intention to stop. The middle school sample had 80.6 percent of students involved in roles as victims, 75.6 percent as bullies, and 64.4 percent as bystanders at baseline (students could be involved in multiple roles). Stage of change was then determined by a single item matched to the roles students engaged in. Students were asked their intentions to make changes such that they would no longer be participating in specific roles. At baseline, only 4 percent of the middle school students were in the Maintenance stage and 1 percent were in the Action stage. The rest of the students were in the Precontemplation, Contemplation, or Preparation stages of change. There were statistically significant differences between the treatment and control groups on grade level and ethnicity at baseline. The statistical analyses controlled for effects of all baseline measures.
Outcome measures included the percentage of students who were no longer participating in each of the three roles related to bullying (bully, victim, or passive bystander) and the percentage who were no longer participants when all three roles were combined, at approximately 1 month posttest. This study used the same statistical procedures from Study 1 (Johnson et al. 2005) when analyzing the data. No subgroup analysis was conducted.
Study 3
Evers and colleagues (2007b) also evaluated the effectiveness of Success in Stages: Build Respect, Stop Bullying® for a high school student population. The methodology was the same as described in Study 2 (Evers et al. 2007a).
Of 2,713 high school students who began the program, 1,203 participants could be matched at posttest. These students were from 13 high schools (grades 9–12) from a variety of communities (rural, urban, suburban) that were recruited for participation. Similar to Studies 1 and 2, preference was given to schools with higher percentages of students eligible for free lunches. Fifty-five percent of the sample was female, with 42 percent of the total high school sample eligible for free lunches. Ninth graders made up the largest percentage of the sample, at 41.6 percent. No other characteristics of the sample were provided.
The control group and two treatment groups completed the same assessments and received the same intervention as described in Study 2. The CrimeSolutions review of this study focused on the outcomes for treatment group 2 (n = 531 students) compared with the control group (n = 309 students). Of the high school students, at baseline, 69.8 percent reported being bullies, 71.2 percent as victims, and 74.7 percent as bystanders (students could be involved in multiple roles). Further, 6.5 percent were in the Maintenance stage and 6.0 percent were in the Action stage. In addition to grade level and ethnicity, there were statistically significant gender and baseline stage-of-change differences between the treatment and control groups. Statistical analysis procedures were used to control for effects of all baseline differences.
This study followed the same methodology as Study 2 (Evers et al. 2007a) with regard to timeline and implementation of the program. The same statistical procedures from Study 1 (Johnson et al. 2005) were also used when analyzing the data. No subgroup analysis was conducted.
Implementation information and instructions can be found in the Success in Stages: Build Respect, Stop Bullying® Administrator and Staff guidebooks. These guides were updated in 2004 and include practical information regarding bullying and the Transtheoretical Model. They also include instructions on how to prepare students for Success in Stages, how to run the computer program, and techniques to support student change. School staff did not require any training before implementing the program (Johnson et al. 2005; Evers et al. 2007a; Evers et al. 2007b).
These sources were used in the development of the program profile:
Study 1
Johnson, Janet L., Deborah F. Van Marter, Sharon J. Dyment, Kerry E. Evers, Janice M. Prochaska, and James O. Prochaska. 2005. Elementary School Bullying (ESB): Effectiveness Trial Data Analysis Report. West Kingston, R.I.: Pro Change Behavior Systems, Inc.
Study 2
Evers, Kerry E., James O. Prochaska, Deborah F. Van Marter, Janet L. Johnson, and Janice M. Prochaska. 2007a. “Transtheoretical-Based Bullying Prevention Effectiveness Trials in Middle Schools and High Schools.” Educational Research 49(4):397–414.
Study 3
Evers, Kerry E., James O. Prochaska, Deborah F. Van Marter, Janet L. Johnson, and Janice M. Prochaska. 2007b. “Transtheoretical-Based Bullying Prevention Effectiveness Trials in Middle Schools and High Schools.” Educational Research 49(4):397–414.
These sources were used in the development of the program profile:
Prochaska, James O., Kerry E. Evers, Janice M. Prochaska, Deborah Van Marter, and Janet L. Johnson. 2007. “Efficacy and Effectiveness Trials: Examples From Smoking Cessation and Bullying Prevention.” Journal of Health Psychology 12(1):170–78.
Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:
The practice includes programs designed to reduce bullying perpetration and victimization and to increase positive bystander behavior in bullying situations. The practice is rated Effective for reducing bullying perpetration (e.g., overall and physical), reducing bullying victimization (e.g., overall and relational), and increasing positive bystander behavior. The practice is rated No Effects for increasing bystander empathy for bullying victims and reducing verbal bullying victimization.
Evidence Ratings for Outcomes
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors - Bullying | |
Victimization - Overall bullying victimization | |
Victimization - Relational bullying victimization | |
Victimization - Physical bullying victimization | |
Victimization - Bystander intervention | |
Mental Health & Behavioral Health - Empathy for the victim | |
Victimization - Verbal bullying victimization |
Designed to foster the development of five interrelated sets of cognitive, affective, and behavioral competencies, in order to provide a foundation for better adjustment and academic performance in students, which can result in more positive social behaviors, fewer conduct problems, and less emotional distress. The practice was rated Effective in reducing students’ conduct problems and emotional stress.
Evidence Ratings for Outcomes
Juvenile Problem & At-Risk Behaviors - Multiple juvenile problem/at-risk behaviors | |
Mental Health & Behavioral Health - Internalizing behavior |
In 2013, Success in Stages received a final program rating of Promising, based on the reviews of studies by Johnson and colleagues (2005), Evers and colleagues (2007a), and Evers and colleagues (2007b). In November 2021, CrimeSolutions conducted a re-review of the same studies, using the updated CrimeSolutions Program Scoring Instrument. The program maintained the final rating of Promising.
Age: 10 - 17
Gender: Male, Female
Race/Ethnicity: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander
Geography: Suburban Urban Rural
Setting (Delivery): School
Program Type: Bullying Prevention/Intervention, Classroom Curricula, Conflict Resolution/Interpersonal Skills, School/Classroom Environment, Violence Prevention
Current Program Status: Not Active
1174 Kingstown Road, Unit 101
President and CEO
Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc.
RI 02879
United States
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