Parents’ perceptions of the KiVa anti-bullying program

Abstract

ABSTRACT The KiVa anti-bullying program is an evidence based whole-school intervention and prevention program that has been implemented in a small number of New Zealand schools to help address high rates of bullying behaviors. Parents are a key component of the whole-school program as without parental support the ongoing sustainability of the program within individual schools could be compromised. Parents of children in schools that had implemented the program for at least one year were invited to complete an online anonymous survey about their knowledge, perceptions and experiences of KiVa. The initial screening question was answered by 409 participants and showed that over a quarter of participants had no knowledge of KiVa prior to being invited to complete the study. The experiences of the 223 participants who completed the main section of the survey (including demographic information) varied considerably in terms of the information received and their overall perceptions of the program. There were 57 parents who provided information about their direct experiences with the KiVa program, half of whom had a positive experience of KiVa and were likely to recommend it. Most of the issues for those who had negative experiences were around the lack of information and poor communication from the school. Unsurprisingly, those who had a negative experience were less likely to indicate that they would recommend the program to others. The findings from this preliminary investigation highlight the importance of effective home-school communication to ensure the sustainability of the KiVa program.