Conclusions

Bullying is a common and persistent problem in society, particularly in schools. Overall, a large number of children and youth will experience some type of bullying during their educational experience. Bullying has been identified as a problem in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Switzerland, England, Ireland, and Finland (Ross, 2002; Smith, Morita, Junger-Tas, Olweus, Catalano, & Slee, 1999) and has taken a front seat in the research arena in many of these countries (Smith et al., 1999).

Considerable debate surrounds the definition of bullying. What does it mean to say someone has been ‘‘bullied?’’ Experts in the field agree that a worldwide-accepted definition of bullying is needed. The literature on the subject carries a variety of operational definitions for the phenomenon, and these discrepancies allow for weaknesses in the research. Thus, more effort in creating a solid operational definition is needed.