But that success rate is significantly higher for girls than boys, confirming researchers' belief that programs need to be gender-specific to produce results. The 1993 survey of 1,500 grade 8 to 10 students revealed 51 per cent of boys and 20 per cent of girls had admitted to beating up another person in the previous year. A representative random sample of the same age group taken in the spring of 1998 showed a decrease of over 20 per cent among males and of 50 per cent among females with 39 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls admitting to beating up someone in the past year. The good news is that overall the programs are working, but girls are clearly more ready to respond.
Females are more likely to be willing to analyze the situation and take action to remedy it.
If you've got a group at different attitudinal stages, you can't give them all the same message and expect the same response. You need different approaches. We're having an impact, but it's stronger with girls than with boys. Programs based on positive reinforcement work best with boys while programs focusing on social skills training work best with girls. The girls respond to programs that appeal to their common sense and desire to build positive relationships.