The bully has been a figure in adolescent life for decades; however, the nature of bullying in the 21st Century has changed as it has moved to cyberspace. Bullying has taken on a new form termed cyberbullying. This quantitative survey design study examined Catholic school teachers’ legal understanding and perceptions of cyberbullying. In examining Catholic school teachers’ understanding of the law governing cyberbullying, their concerns about cyberbullying, their perceived responsibility in addressing cyberbullying, and their perceived ability to respond to cyberbullying, the study examined the human interactions that reflect not only legal responsibilities, but also ethical obligations as caring and just leaders in Catholic schools. A survey instrument was distributed online to eight Catholic schools within the Diocese of St. Aquinas (a pseudonym). The study showed that Catholic school teachers had limited understanding of the law governing cyberbullying. Findings indicated that Catholic school teachers were concerned about cyberbullying and perceived a high level of responsibility in addressing cyberbullying, but did not perceive an ability to effectively respond to cyberbullying. The findings support the need for professional development programs to increase Catholic school teachers’ awareness of cyberbullying and provide comprehensive training on how to respond effectively. Findings also suggest re-examination of teacher preparation programs to provide training to teachers on how to recognize and effectively manage cyberbullying. Persistent attention to private school law and current case analysis should be an ongoing practice at the diocesan level with the intent to disseminate legal information and direction to Catholic school principals and teachers.

Social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, have become increasingly popular among teens and young adults because of the availability of the internet. Because these websites promote interpersonal connections and information sharing among individuals around the world, personal information to online "friends" may be shared carelessly. However, little is known about the correlation between engaging in online activities, sharing personal information online, and susceptibility to online victimization and cyberbullying. This study analyzes data from the Parents & Teens 2006 Survey to examine the applicability of Routine Activities Theory as a theoretical framework for understanding cybervictimization and cyberbullying. Online teens and teens on social networking sites (SNS) were examined separately in this study to determine if social networking (SNS) teens were at an increased risk. The results indicated that participating in online activities and sharing personal information increased the risk for receiving a threatening email, instant message or text message. Teens whose parents did not have rules regulating their online activities and behaviors were also at an increased risk for receiving a threatening email, instant message or text message. The logistic regression models show that for social networking (SNS) teens, gender and age increase the odds of receiving a threat, compared to online teens.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This research examines the relationship between status and cyberbullying among U.S. adolescents. It distinguishes between several status variables and three categories of involvement in cyberbullying: bullies, victims, and non-participants. Utilizing Milner's (2016) theory of status relations, it was hypothesized that cyberbullying is a means by which high school students attempt to gain status among their peers and enforce the status hierarchy of their schools. The more rigid the differentiation between peer groups in a high school, the more likely there would be cyberbullying present. In addition, this research examined if any differences in cyberbullying existed based on the location of the high school in an urban or rural area. Using a multinomial logistic regression to analyze survey data collected from a university in southwest Virginia, partial support for Milner's (2016) theory was found as some status variables, in particular social association, group mobility, and individual mobility, were related to cyberbullying, but no significant results were found by location type. This research contributes a to new theoretical framework for examining cyberbullying and advances the discussion on the influence of peers in cyberbullying, which can impact prevention and intervention efforts aimed at curbing cyberbullying among adolescents. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation examines the effects of popularity and peer groups on cyberbullying among US adolescents. Milner (2016) argued that popularity matters in his theory of status relations and implied the more peer groups were differentiated in a school, the more likely bullying was present in the school. Milner (2016) argued bullying was one way students tried to gain popularity in a school setting. However, Milner's (2016) theory has never been tested. This research tests Milner's (2016) to see if it can explain cyberbullying among U.S. youth. College students at a university in southwest Virginia were surveyed about their cyberbullying experiences in high school and asked about popularity of different groups and themselves. Using statistical methods, the data was analyzed and found some support for the assertion that popularity and peer groups matter when it comes to cyberbullying. In addition, this dissertation examined if the location of the high school (urban, suburban, town or rural) impacted cyberbullying, but no support was found for this hypothesis.

The study examines the acceptable computer system use policies of each of the public school districts in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as the Virginia School Boards Association and the National School Boards Association policies as they relate to cyberbullying. Public middle school and public secondary school administrators across the Commonwealth were surveyed to determine to what extent cyberbullying is an issue in their schools, and to determine their views of their districts' current policies and procedures as they relate to cyberbullying. The study addresses the legal framework, based upon case law and statutory law that school districts must work within to balance students' free speech rights without abandoning the need to provide a safe and controlled learning environment. The study examines five arenas of students' First Amendment rights as they relate to cyberbullying with particular attention paid to Internet Service Provider liability, including: 1) form of the speech, political or obscene, 2) school-sponsored speech, 3) severity of the disruption caused by the incident, 4) site(s) of the incident, and 5) if the incident rises to the level of a true threat. The study evaluates existing school district policies in addition to public school administrators' perceptions relative to related statutory and case law in order to formulate a model policy that is legally defensible and would be appropriate for adoption by Virginia public school districts. / Ed. D.

Mobbning har visat sig vara ett utbrett problem i högstadieskolor. Idag har sociala medier blivit en allt större del av barn och ungas liv, vilket resulterat i att fula ord, knuffar och kränkande behandling har övergått till mer subtila arenor som sociala medier. Att bli utsatt för mobbning, både online och offline, kan ge negativa konsekvenser för en enskild elev i form av psykisk ohälsa, försämrad skolprestation, utanförskap och skolfrånvaro. Det är viktigt att högstadieskolor skapar en trygg miljö för elever, både online och offline. Tidigare forskning visar på en avsaknad av kunskap om hur det preventiva arbetet ska bedrivas för att förhindra att mobbning via sociala medier sker. Syftet med vår studie är att undersöka hur skolkuratorer i högstadieskolor arbetar för att förebygga mobbning via sociala medier. För att besvara studiens syfte har studien utgått från en kvalitativ metod där fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer med skolkuratorer har genomförts. Det insamlade datamaterialet från intervjuerna analyserades sedan med en tematisk analys, där fyra huvudteman och tio underkategorier identifierades. Vårt resultat visar på att skolkuratorer har ett gediget arbetssätt i att skapa en trygg skolmiljö med systematiskt kvalitetsarbete, vidare visas att det finns systematiska metoder på plats gällande det åtgärdande arbetet. I vårt resultat kan vi se att skolkuratorerna poängterar att det främjande och förebyggande arbetet för att förhindra mobbning på sociala medier sker offline i det dagliga arbetet om hur man är som vän och medmänniska. Genom att bilda en bra grund för hur barn beter sig mot varandra offline kan man se att detta även spiller över på det som sker online. Man kan även utläsa att organisatoriska förutsättningar för hur kränkningar som redan skett på sociala medier var betydligt tydligare än när det kommer till hur det preventiva arbetet mot mobbning på sociala medier ska genomföras. Detta då sociala medier upplevs som en dold arena som är väldigt svår att få insyn i. Det är en stor utmaning för skolor att veta hur dem på bästa sätt ska kunna arbeta preventivt mot de kräkningar som sker på sociala medier, eftersom internet är under ständig förändring.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This master thesis is linked to the Line of Research: Education, Knowledge and Professional Development of the Program of Post-graduationin Education (PPGE at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria). It is focused on the digital violence and interpersonal relationships between adolescents in school environment and as the main aim to investigate to what extent the possible actions of cyberbullying may impact a school ambience, considering how they think and act young people and their teachers. The specific research objectives are to identify predominant characteristics in individuals who suffer and/or practice violence of cyberbullying; to understand feelings present in individuals suffering and/or practice cyberbullying and analyze behavior of confront and survival strategies developed by cyberbullying teens and teachers. Therefore, we address the issue of cyberbullying under a different perspective, involving the virtual context and the school ambience, considering as individuals, students and teachers of a public school in the municipality of Santa Maria/RS. This is a qualitative research of a case study, using the mixed methods, which use quantitative and qualitative data in the same research. The research instruments were questionnaires and narrative interview. Interpretation of the data was performed by Textual Discourse Analysis (TDA), from the perspective of Moraes; Galiazzi (2007). The results were possible to study the characteristics of the individuals, as well targets and authors, as well as the consequences and feelings expressed by the study individuals. Furthermore, it allowed the understanding of the occurrence of cyberbullying fact reflected in interpersonal relationships and influence on school ambience. Finally, we hope that this study adds to the scientific literature about school violence, in order to broaden the thematic, addressing new aspects about cyberbullying, aiding in minimization process of the same, and contribute to the reflection of the contemporary school. / A presente dissertação está vinculada à Linha de Pesquisa: Formação, Saberes e Desenvolvimento Profissional do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação (PPGE) da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Tem como tema central a violência digital e as relações interpessoais entre adolescentes na ambiência escolar e como principal objetivo investigar em que medida as possíveis ações de cyberbullying podem repercutir na ambiência escolar, considerando como pensam e agem os adolescentes e seus professores. Os objetivos específicos da pesquisa são: identificar características predominantes nos sujeitos que sofrem e/ou praticam a violência do cyberbullying; compreender sentimentos presentes nos sujeitos que sofrem e/ou praticam cyberbullying e analisar modos de enfrentamento e estratégias de sobrevivência ao cyberbullying desenvolvidos pelos adolescentes e professores. Diante disso, abordamos a problemática do cyberbullying sob uma ótica diferenciada, envolvendo o contexto virtual e também a ambiência escolar, considerando como sujeitos, alunos e professores de uma escola estadual do município de Santa Maria/RS. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa do tipo estudo de caso, recorrendo aos métodos mistos, os quais utilizam dados quantitativos e qualitativos na mesma pesquisa. Os instrumentos de investigação foram: questionários e entrevista narrativa. A interpretação dos dados foi realizada por meio da Análise Textual Discursiva (ATD), sob a ótica de Moraes; Galiazzi (2007). Os resultados possibilitaram estudar as características dos participantes, bem como dos alvos e autores, além das consequências e sentimentos expressos pelos participantes estudados. Além disso, este trabalho possibilitou a compreensão de que a ocorrência do cyberbullying de fato se reflete nas relações interpessoais e influencia na ambiência escolar. Por fim, esperamos que este estudo se agregue à produção científica sobre a violência escolar, no intuito de ampliar as temáticas, abordando novos aspectos acerca do cyberbullying, auxiliando no processo de minimização do mesmo, além de contribuir para a reflexão sobre a escola contemporânea.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-05-05T15:15:09Z No. of bitstreams: 1 juliacustodiocarellideoliveira.pdf: 1560546 bytes, checksum: 73e63d9005e1b8f3edb0a87b57e96acc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-06-07T15:40:31Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 juliacustodiocarellideoliveira.pdf: 1560546 bytes, checksum: 73e63d9005e1b8f3edb0a87b57e96acc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-07T15:40:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 juliacustodiocarellideoliveira.pdf: 1560546 bytes, checksum: 73e63d9005e1b8f3edb0a87b57e96acc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-26 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Os últimos anos são marcados por mudanças radicais nos modos de comunicação. A difusão das tecnologias permite que usuários tornem-se expostos à violência interpessoal, perseguições e agressões que ocorrem no meio virtual, o que caracteriza o cyberbullying, definido como ato agressivo e intencional, realizado por um grupo ou indivíduo através de contatos eletrônicos. Com o objetivo de descrever e explorar as suas manifestações, bem como possíveis formas de enfrentamento, foram desenvolvidos três textos. O primeiro tem o objetivo de apresentar e discutir o conceito de cyberbullying, a partir de uma investigação baseada em pesquisa bibliográfica. O segundo artigo objetiva apresentar dados iniciais de uma pesquisa sobre cyberbullying entre usuários de internet (estudo piloto). Participaram do estudo 70 adolescentes entre 13-17 anos de idade (média: 15,6 anos; DP=1,18). As tipologias de cyberbullying mais apontadas foram: insultos em fóruns online (20%); publicação online de foto embaraçosa sem a permissão da pessoa que nela aparece (18,6%). As estratégias de enfrentamento apontadas como mais eficientes foram: remover o agressor da lista de contatos (55,7%), dizer aos pais/familiares (54,3%) e bloquear o agressor (52,9%). Por fim, o terceiro texto buscou analisar os dados de um estudo de levantamento online, realizado com 453 adolescentes entre 13 e 17 anos, residentes na cidade de Juiz de Fora-MG. Dentre os participantes, 67,3% relataram ao menos um incidente de cyber agressão e 63,8% referiram ao menos um episódio de cyber vitimização nos últimos seis meses, sendo que 78,6% pontuaram ao menos um ponto no escore geral, ou seja, vítimas ou agressores. As duas estratégias apontadas pelos participantes como mais eficazes para lidar com o cyberbullying foram bloquear o agressor (81%) e remover o agressor da lista de contatos (84%). Os resultados quantitativos e qualitativos são apresentados, analisados e discutidos com base na literatura disponível, visando contribuir para o conhecimento científico, além de fornecer implicações práticas e uma melhor compreensão do fenômeno no cenário brasileiro. / Recent years are marked by radical changes in communication modes. The diffusion of technologies allows users to become exposed to interpersonal violence, persecution and attacks that occur in the virtual environment, which features cyberbullying, defined as aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual through electronic contacts. In order to describe and explore its manifestations as well as possible ways of coping, three texts were developed. The first aims to present and discuss the concept of cyberbullying from a research-based literature. The second article presents initial data from a survey of cyberbullying among Internet users (pilot study). The study enrolled 70 adolescents between 13-17 years of age (mean: 15.6 years; SD = 1.18). The most frequently mentioned types of cyberbullying were insults in online forums (20%); online publication of embarrassing picture without the permission of the person who appears in it (18.6%). The coping strategies identified as most effective were: remove the aggressor from the contact list (55.7%), tell parents / relatives (54.3%) and block the offender (52.9%). Finally, the third text seeks to analyze data from an online survey study conducted with 453 teenagers between 13 and 17 years, living in the city of Juiz de Fora-MG. Among the participants, 67.3% reported at least one incident of cyber aggression and 63.8% reported at least one episode of cyber victimization in the last six months, and 78.6% scored at least one point in the overall score, or be victims or perpetrators. Both strategies identified by participants as more effective in dealing with cyberbullying were blocking the offender (81%) and remove the offender from the contact list (84%). The quantitative and qualitative results are presented, analyzed and discussed based on the available literature, in order to contribute to scientific knowledge, and provide practical implications and a better understanding of the phenomenon in Brazilian scene.