Abstract:  Defenders are the only participants in bullying which have a positive role and hence they play an important part in school bullying prevention and intervention. Despite this, theoretical researches and practical applications involving defenders are limited. Defenders are distinguished from other participant roles at function, as well as gender, age, trait and coping strategy. In addition, context factors like peer pressure, companion status and evaluation of potential danger in bullying situations will also have an impact on behavior of defenders. Taking the KiVa program as a specific example, we demonstrated the great value and effectiveness of conducting bullying prevention programs which emphasized the importance of defenders. Finally, potential future research areas and educational interventions on school bullying based on defenders were discussed.

Key words: school bullying, participant roles in bullying, defender.