Responding to Bullying Victimization: Comparative Analysis of Victimized Students in General and Special Education

Focused on 3,305 students who self-reported frequent bullying victimization, this study compared the use and effectiveness of responses to address bullying victimization among students in special education, as compared with students in general education. Students in special education were less likely to make a joke, but more likely to tell the aggressor how they felt, hit the aggressor, and tell an adult at school and home, according to self-report. Furthermore, students in special education were significantly more likely to report that “things got worse” after using each response. Implications for educational policy and future research are discussed.