Centre for Restorative Justice
Regulatory Institutions Network
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Centre for Restorative Justice
Regulatory Institutions Network
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The Life at School Project
What is the Life at School Project? Why was the Life at School Project established? What is special about the Life at School Project? What has the Life at School Project achieved? What are the future goals of the Life at School Project? Who is involved in the Life at School Project? Publications and other useful documents Related organisations What is the Life at School Project? The Life at School Project started in 1996 when 32 primary schools in Canberra were asked to participate in distributing self-completion questionnaires to children and parents about the quality of school life. The focus of the research was school bullying, who was most likely to be a victim or a perpetrator of bullying, how well were schools dealing with bullying, and what should be done to manage the problem better. Since 1996, versions of the Life at School Survey have been conducted in Bangladesh and Canada. In 1999, a follow-up was conducted in Canberra. The project also promotes an intervention program to prevent bullying and create a safe school environment. The program is called the Responsible Citizenship Program (RCP). Why was the Life at School Project established? Increasing concern worldwide about the safety of the school environment demands the cooperation of diverse groups including researchers, educationalists, parents and students. The school is second only to the family as a centre for learning, preparing children for adult life. Children need security to learn. The main purpose of the Life at School Survey is to identify the factors that prevent schools from being safe environments and to develop approaches that reduce threats to children's learning. What is special about the Life at School Project? The research conducted in 1996 identified poor shame management as a factor associated with bullying others and being the victim of bullying. Shame is an emotion that we all feel when we don't meet the standards we set for ourselves. When shame is managed well, we acknowledge mistakes and disappointments, and work out what we must do to make things right. When shame is not managed well, we can blame others, get angry at the outside world, and take out our frustrations on those who we can dominate. Children who can't manage shame and hit out as a result, are more likely to bully others. Other forms of poor shame management exist. Sometimes, children become overwhelmed by shame and are consumed in self-blame. These children are likely to be victims of bullying. The research undertaken in the Life at School Project shows that children who remain outside the bullying subculture have a greater capacity to manage shame well. A follow-up study three years later confirmed that having good shame management skills is critically important to children's development and adjustment at school. There was a disturbing trend for children who had poor shame management skills in 1996 to also have poor shame management skills in 1999. In 1999, the RCP was developed to assist children to develop effective shame management skills. The program also emphasized the importance of self-help, that is, children, teachers and parents can work together to learn these skills and create a safer school. RCP is a preventive program, and is advocated as the first base for schools in countering bullying. More recent work has focused on the next stage of intervention, that is, what do you do when you have a bullying incident in the school. At the present time, different models of conferencing are being considered from the restorative justice tradition. Conferences bring together victims and their circle of support, and offenders and their circle of support, in a bid to identify the harm done and the steps that need to be taken to make amends. A central theme of restorative justice is to condemn the action while affirming the worthiness of the wrongdoer, and to restore social bonds to a level where forgiveness and mutual respect can prevail. What has the Life at School Project achieved?
Who is involved in the Life at School Project? Dr. Brenda Morrison is a postdoctoral fellow in the Research School of Social Sciences at ANU. Her training is in social psychology, holding an undergraduate degree from the University of British Columbia and a PhD from the Australian National University. Brenda is the author of the Responsible Citizenship Program. She is recognized internationally as an expert on school bullying and its management, and has represented the Life at School Project at numerous conferences and workshops in Australia, the United States, Canada, Belgium and the United Nations. Dr Eliza Ahmed is a postdoctoral fellow in the Research School of Social Sciences at ANU. Eliza was previously an Assistant Professor at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has since completed her PhD at the ANU. Eliza developed the Life at School Survey and undertook the theoretical and empirical work that provided a base for the development of the concept of shame management. She has also been responsible for extending the work to Bangladesh. Eliza is joint author of a book entitled Shame Management Through Reintegration. Dr. Valerie Braithwaite is a Fellow in the Research School of Social Sciences at ANU. Valerie has been director of the Life at School Project since its inception. She works across a number of regulatory contexts examining the ways in which institutions can be modified to better meet the needs of individuals whom they are meant to serve. The work extends across a range of areas including aged care, affirmative action, and taxation. Ms. Helene Shin is a postgraduate student in the Research School of Social Sciences. Helene completed her undergraduate degree at Ewha Womans University, Korea. Ms. Shin's is currently doing her PhD at the Research School of Social Sciences at the Australian National University. Her research examines shame management and conflict in the workplace from a cross-cultural perspective as a part of the Life at School Project. She is currently collecting data from teachers in Australia and in Korea. Dr Guy Masters is a post-doctoral research fellow specialising in restorative justice. He received a BSc. (Hons) degree in Psychology from Lancaster University (England), where he also completed his PhD on the pastoral and disciplinary measures that exist in Japanese schools. In recent years he has held various research and policy positions relating to restorative justice. Guy has also provided training and general consultancy to youth offending teams in England & Wales. He has published numerous articles, wrote national guidance for the UK government on restorative justice, and recently authored a briefing paper on restorative justice in schools for the Sussex Centre for Restorative Justice (England). Related organisations include: Bullying and Violence Prevention Project ACT Register through Family Planning ACT
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Page last updated: 20 August 2008 Please direct all enquiries to: CRJ Director Page authorised by: Delegated Officer |
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