Reduce playground gossip

Is malicious gossip an inevitable part of the playground? Maybe not, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington.

The scientists taught gossipy Seattle grade-school kids empathy and other life skills in a three-month anti-bullying program -- and found that the kids in their sample bad-mouthed fellow students about 70 percent less than before they went through the program. The research was recently published in the School Psychology Review. (Children who did not spread malicious gossip before the program continued on as good sports after the anti-bullying lessons.)

The study may bring hope to school administrators underEducation Secretary Arne Duncan's directive to "eliminate" bullying in the nation's schools.

Researchers, observing the third- to sixth-graders on the playground, entered instances of gossip into PDAs, including: "Is the cootie girl in your class?" and "Did you hear Dan cheated on the exam?" They saw children standing in a group and conspicuously pointing and laughing at another student, as well as more covert instances of what the study calls "relational aggression." Girls were more often the source and target of gossip, and the behavior spiked in sixth grade.

Karin Frey of the University of Washington, who led the study, helped develop the anti-bullying program Steps to Respect, which was implemented at the Seattle schools during the study. Frey decided to study the program's effects on gossip because kids report that it is as painful as physical aggression, and it can lead to physical bullying.

"In its own right [gossip] can be very harmful," Frey told The Lookout. "The intent of gossip is to harm someone's relationship to other people or to harm their reputations. Sometimes this could escalate to more physical types of aggression."

Teachers and parents often underestimate gossip's harm, she says. The study showed that teachers who intervened when they saw students gossiping dramatically reduced instances of aggression. Teachers also receive training in the anti-bullying program.

Another thing the study shows: Kids who believe they should fight back when bullied tend to be victimized more than those who don't. This may be because their lack of self-control attracts more negative attention.

"The kids who lose it are often the ones who are seen as entertaining kids to bully," Frey says.