Development, Usability Testing and Short-term outcomes of the Brief, Bullying Bystander Intervention (STAC) Teacher Module

Bullying is a significant problem for students in the U.S., peaking in middle school. The STAC intervention is a brief bullying bystander intervention developed by Aida Midgett, Ed.D. to train middle school students how to defend students who are targets of bullying.  STAC stands for the four bullying intervention strategies: “Stealing the Show,” “Turning it Over,” “Accompanying Others,” and “Coaching Compassion.”  STAC was designed to place a low demand on schools both in terms of costs and time commitment.  

Using an MRI grant, Dr. Midgett, Professor and Chair of the Department of Counselor Education at Boise State University and Diana Doumas, PhD, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Counselor Education at Boise State University, have developed a Teacher Module as a companion training to the STAC intervention and have adapted it for use by middle school teachers.  They indicated that school offerings are limited and that there is a need for bullying-specific training.  Participants also identified challenges to implementation including limited time, financial resources, and the need for teacher buy-in. 

The majority of participants reported they were likely or very likely to use the Teacher STAC strategies to support students who intervene in bullying in the future. Additionally, most participants found the training was easy to use, useful, relevant, and appropriate. These findings provided feedback on ways to improve the program, including revising role plays and guidance on understanding student behavior.  Participants also shared perceptions on the program feasibility and the need for bullying-specific prevention. Assessment of pre- and post-training surveys indicated teachers reported an increase in knowledge and confidence to support students to intervene in bullying, confidence and comfort in managing bullying, and bullying self-efficacy.

Data from this project will also be used for a future grant application for an NIH grant for translating the STAC Teacher module to a technology-based format as a companion training to the STAC -T student bystander bullying intervention.