I am based at the Unit for School and Family Studies, which I headed from 1998-2011. As an Emeritus Professor I am continuing with research, writing, and some postgraduate supervision. I am a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Association of Psychological Sciences, and the Academy of Social Sciences. In 2015 I was awarded the William Thierry Preyer award for Excellence in Research on Human Development, by the European Society for Developmental Psychology.

I am primarily researching school bullying, cyberbullying, the causes of bullying and ways of preventing it in school. I carried out a research project on the success of anti-bullying strategies in schools in England, funded by the DCSF/DfE (2008-2010).  

I was Chair of COST Action IS0801 on cyberbullying, from 2008 to 2012. This resulted in a book Smith, P.K. & Steffgen, G. (eds) (2013). Cyberbullying through the new media: Findings from an international network. Hove: Psychology Press

I have also written a general overview of research and knowledge on school bullying Smith, P.K. (2014). Understanding school bullying: Its nature and prevention strategies. London: Sage

I am particularly interested in similarities and differences between bullying in different countries, such as ijime (in Japan), and wang-ta (in Korea). A recent edited book is

Smith, P.K., Kwak, K, & Toda, Y. (eds) (2016). School bullying in different cultures: Eastern and western perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

From 2013-2015 I was PI of an Indian-European Research Networking Programme in the Social Sciences grant on Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Pupil Safety and Well-Being. This brought together teams in England, France, Germany and the Netherlands, with two teams in India, plus collaboration with researchers in Australia. 

A book in press from this project is

Smith, P.K., Sundaram, S., Spears, B., Blaya, C., Schafer, M. and Sandhu, D. (eds) (2018). Bullying, cyberbullying and pupil well-being in schools: Comparing European, Australian and Indian Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

From 2013-2015 I was Co-PI with Professor Muthanna Samara and others on a grant Comparative study of cyberbullying in Qatar and the UK: risk factors, impact on health and solutions. This was funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), and a number of publications are in process. 

From 2017 to 2019 I am co-PI with Dr Noel Purdy and others on a project Blurred lives: a cross-national, co-     participatory exploration of cyberbullying, young people and socio-economic disadvantage. This is funded by the EU under the Erasmus+ programme.

Another research interest has been grandparenting, and I coordinated a project funded by the European Commission under its Fifth Framework Research Training Network (RTN) programme, entitled Grandparenthood and Intergenerational Relationships in Aging European Populations (2002-2006). This comprised 2 teams from the UK and 1 each from Finland, France, Greece, Norway and Spain. A recent publication is

Smith, P.K. & Wild, L. (in press 2018). Grandparenthood. In Handbook of Parenting, Volume 3: Being and Becoming a Parent, (3^rd ed.) ed. M. Bornstein. New York: Routledge

I have carried out research on children's play, and published a book on this in 2010:      

Smith, P.K. (2010) (with one chapter by Y Gosso). Children and play. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

An edited volume on this topic is in press:

Smith, P.K. & Roopnarine, J.L. (eds) (in press). The Cambridge Handbook of Play: Developmental and Disciplinary Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

With Craig Hart I have edited a second edition of an advanced text on children’s social development:

 Smith, P.K. & Hart, C.H. (eds), (2011). Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development, 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.                   

and with Helen Cowie and Mark Blades, have published a sixth edition of a successful textbook on children’s development:

Smith, P.K., Cowie, H. & Blades, M. (2015). Understanding Children's Development, 6th edition. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.

Another book for a wider audience is

Smith P.K. (2016). Adolescence: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Book

Adolescence: A Very Short Introduction
Smith, Peter K. 2016. Adolescence: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199665563

Understanding Children's Development 6th edition
Smith, Peter K.; Cowie, Helen and Blades, Mark. 2015. Understanding Children's Development 6th edition. Chichester: Wiley. ISBN 978-1-118-77298-0

Understanding School Bullying: Its Nature & Prevention Strategies
Peter K, Smith. 2014. Understanding School Bullying: Its Nature & Prevention Strategies. London, UK: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1-84887-904-2

Emotional and behavioural difficulties associated with bullying and cyberbullying.
Smith, Peter K.. 2013. Emotional and behavioural difficulties associated with bullying and cyberbullying. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-63498-4

Children and Play: Understanding Children's Worlds
Smith, Peter K.. 2009. Children and Play: Understanding Children's Worlds. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-23521-7

Edited Book

School Bullying in Different Cultures
Peter K, Smith; Keumjoo, Kwak and Yuichi, Toda, eds. 2016. School Bullying in Different Cultures. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-03189-0

Cyberbullying through the New Media Findings from an international network
Smith, Peter K. and Steffgen, Georges, eds. 2013. Cyberbullying through the New Media Findings from an international network. Hove, East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press. ISBN 9781848722538

Book Section

Educational systems: a basis for some comparative perspectives
Jessel, John. 2016. Educational systems: a basis for some comparative perspectives. In: Peter K. Smith; Keumjoo Kwak and K Toda, eds. School Bullying in Different Cultures: Eastern and Western Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 229-258. ISBN 978-1-107-03189-0

Bullying in schools: thirty years of research
Smith, Peter K.. 2011. Bullying in schools: thirty years of research. In: Iain Coyne and Claire P. Monks, eds. Bullying in Different Contexts. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 36-59. ISBN 9780521132596

Behavioural Genetics
Gregory, Alice M.; Ball, Harriet A. and Button, Tanya M.. 2010. Behavioural Genetics. In: Peter K. Smith and Craig Hart, eds. The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Childhood Social Development, 2nd Edition. London and Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 27-43. ISBN 978-1-4051-9679-6

Peer support as a means of improving school safety and reducing bullying and violence
Cowie, Helen and Smith, Peter K.. 2010. Peer support as a means of improving school safety and reducing bullying and violence. In: Beth Doll; William Pfohl and Jina Yoon, eds. Handbook of Youth Prevention Science. New York: Routledge, pp. 177-192. ISBN 978-0-8058-6332-1

Family level intervention with bullies and victims
Curtner-Smith, Mary Elisabeth; Smith, Peter K. and Porter, Malvin. 2010. Family level intervention with bullies and victims. In: Eric Vernberg and Bridget Biggs, eds. Preventing and Treating Bullying and Victimization. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 75-105. ISBN 9780195335873

Cyberbullying: the European perspective
Smith, Peter K.. 2010. Cyberbullying: the European perspective. In: Joaquin Mora-Merchan and Thomas Jaeger, eds. Cyberbullying: A cross-national comparison. Landau: Verlag Empirische Pädagogik, pp. 7-19. ISBN 978-3-941320-51-2

Cyberbullying: the nature and extent of a new kind of bullying, in and out of school
Smith, Peter K. and Slonje, Robert. 2010. Cyberbullying: the nature and extent of a new kind of bullying, in and out of school. In: Shane Jimerson; Susan Swearer and Dorothy Espelage, eds. The International Handbook of School Bullying. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 249-262. ISBN 9780805863925

Bullying in primary and secondary schools: Psychological and organizational comparisons
Smith, Peter K.. 2009. Bullying in primary and secondary schools: Psychological and organizational comparisons. In: Shane Jimerson; Susan Swearer and Dorothy Espelage, eds. The International Handbook of School Bullying. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 137-149. ISBN 9780805863925

Prevention and responses to bullying
Thompson, Fran; Tippett, Neil and Smith, Peter K.. 2009. Prevention and responses to bullying. In: Kathryn Geldard, ed. Practical Interventions for Young People at Risk. Thousand Oaks: Sage. ISBN 9781847875624

Article

Bullying and Cyberbullying: Their Legal Status and Use in Psychological Assessment
Samara, Muthanna; Burbidge, Vicky; El Asam, Aiman; Foody, Mairéad; Smith, Peter K. and Morsi, Hisham. 2017. Bullying and Cyberbullying: Their Legal Status and Use in Psychological Assessment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(12), p. 1449. ISSN 1661-7827

Cross-ethnic friendships, psychological well-being, and academic outcomes: Study of South Asian and White children in the UK
Bagci, Sabahat C.; Kumashiro, Madoka; Rutland, Adam; Smith, Peter K. and Blumberg, Herbert H.. 2017. Cross-ethnic friendships, psychological well-being, and academic outcomes: Study of South Asian and White children in the UK. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 14, pp. 190-205. ISSN 1740-5629

Cyber safety for adolescent girls: bullying, harassment, sexting, pornography, and solicitation
Smith, Peter K.; Thompson, Fran and Davidson, Julia. 2014. Cyber safety for adolescent girls: bullying, harassment, sexting, pornography, and solicitation. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 26(5), pp. 360-365. ISSN 1040-872X

Cross-ethnic friendships: Are they really rare? Evidence from secondary schools around London
Bagci, Sabahat C.; Kumashiro, Madoka; Smith, Peter K.; Blumberg, Herbert H. and Rutland, Adam. 2014. Cross-ethnic friendships: Are they really rare? Evidence from secondary schools around London. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 41, pp. 125-137. ISSN 0147-1767

Annual Research Review: Harms experienced by child users of online and mobile technologies: the nature, prevalence and management of sexual and aggressive risks in the digital age
Livingstone, Sonia and Smith, Peter K.. 2014. Annual Research Review: Harms experienced by child users of online and mobile technologies: the nature, prevalence and management of sexual and aggressive risks in the digital age. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55(6), pp. 635-654. ISSN 0021-9630

Are minority status children's cross-ethnic friendships beneficial in a multiethnic context?
Bagci, Sabahat C.; Rutland, Adam; Kumashiro, Madoka; Smith, Peter K. and Blumberg, Herbert H.. 2014. Are minority status children's cross-ethnic friendships beneficial in a multiethnic context? British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 32(1), pp. 107-115. ISSN 0261-510X

Are minority status children's cross-ethnic friendships beneficial in a multiethnic context?
Bagci, Sabahat C.; Rutland, Adam; Kumashiro, Madoka; Smith, Peter K. and Blumberg, Herbert H.. 2014. Are minority status children's cross-ethnic friendships beneficial in a multiethnic context? British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 32(1), pp. 107-115. ISSN 0261510X

The Importance of Developmental Science for Studies in Bullying and Victimization
Smith, Peter K. and Jones, Alice P.. 2012. The Importance of Developmental Science for Studies in Bullying and Victimization. International Journal of Developmental Science, 6(1-2), pp. 71-74.

Short-Term Longitudinal Relationships Between Children's Peer Victimization/Bullying Experiences and Self-Perceptions Evidence for Reciprocity
Boulton, Michael J.; Smith, Peter K. and Cowie, Helen. 2010. Short-Term Longitudinal Relationships Between Children's Peer Victimization/Bullying Experiences and Self-Perceptions Evidence for Reciprocity. School Psychology International, 31(3), pp. 296-311.

The impact of a peer counselling scheme to address bullying in an all-girl London secondary school: A short-term longitudinal study
Houlston, Catherine and Smith, Peter K.. 2010. The impact of a peer counselling scheme to address bullying in an all-girl London secondary school: A short-term longitudinal study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(1), pp. 69-86. ISSN 0007-0998

Investigating the extent and use of peer support initiatives in English schools
Houlston, Catherine; Smith, Peter K. and Jessel, John. 2009. Investigating the extent and use of peer support initiatives in English schools. Educational Psychology, 29(3), pp. 325-344. ISSN 0144-3410

Bullying in different contexts: Commonalities, differences and the role of theory
Monks, Claire P.; Smith, Peter K.; Naylor, Paul; Barter, Christine; Ireland, Jane L. and Coyne, Iain. 2009. Bullying in different contexts: Commonalities, differences and the role of theory. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14(2), pp. 146-156. ISSN 13591789

Cyberbullying: Another main type of bullying?
Slonje, Robert and Smith, Peter K.. 2008. Cyberbullying: Another main type of bullying? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 49(2), pp. 147-154. ISSN 0036-5564

How schools tackle bullying, and the use of whole school policies: changes over the last decade
Samara, Muthanna and Smith, Peter K.. 2008. How schools tackle bullying, and the use of whole school policies: changes over the last decade. Educational Psychology, 28(6), pp. 663-676. ISSN 0144-3410

Victimization in Korean Schools: The Nature, Incidence, and Distinctive Features of Korean Bullying or Wang-Ta
Koo, Hyojin; Kwak, Keumjoo and Smith, Peter K.. 2008. Victimization in Korean Schools: The Nature, Incidence, and Distinctive Features of Korean Bullying or Wang-Ta. Journal of School Violence, 7(4), pp. 119-139. ISSN 1538-8220

A content analysis of school anti-bullying policies: progress and limitations
Smith, Peter K.; Smith, Cherise; Osborn, Rob and Samara, Muthanna. 2008. A content analysis of school anti-bullying policies: progress and limitations. Educational Psychology in Practice, 24(1), pp. 1-12. ISSN 0266-7363

Concepts of bullying: Developmental and cultural aspects
Smith, Peter K. and Monks, C. P.. 2008. Concepts of bullying: Developmental and cultural aspects. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 20(1), pp. 101-112. ISSN 0334-0139

Cyberbullying: its nature and impact in secondary school pupils
Smith, Peter K.; Mahdavi, Jess; Carvalho, Manuel; Fisher, Sonja; Russell, Shanette and Tippett, Neil. 2008. Cyberbullying: its nature and impact in secondary school pupils. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(4), pp. 376-385. ISSN 0021-9630

Interventions to reduce school bullying
Smith, Peter K.; Ananiadou, Katerina and Cowie, Helen. 2003. Interventions to reduce school bullying. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 48(9), pp. 591-599. ISSN 07067437

Aggressors, victims and defenders in preschool: peer, self and teacher reports
Smith, Peter K.; Monks, C. and Swettenham, J.. 2003. Aggressors, victims and defenders in preschool: peer, self and teacher reports. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 49(4), pp. 453-469. ISSN 15350266

Victimisation in the school and the workplace: Are there any links?
Smith, Peter K.; Singer, M.; Hoel, H. and Cooper, C.. 2003. Victimisation in the school and the workplace: Are there any links? British Journal of Psychology, 94(2), pp. 175-188. ISSN 00071269

Definitions of Bullying: A Comparison of Terms Used, and Age and Gender Differences, in a Fourteen Country International Comparison
Smith, Peter K.; Cowie, Helen; Olafsson, Ragnar and Liefooghe, Andy. 2002. Definitions of Bullying: A Comparison of Terms Used, and Age and Gender Differences, in a Fourteen Country International Comparison. Child Development, 73(4), pp. 1119-1133. ISSN 00093920