Bullying continues to be a significant problem for children and adolescents. Peers are often involved in bullying as bystanders. Through their actions or inactions, bystanders can support the bullying, or can stop it by defending the person who is victimized. The increasing use and availability of digital communications technology has provided an avenue for electronic bullying. Little is known about the role of peers in electronic bullying, nor about how peers behave across traditional and electronic bullying. Using a developmental contextualism framework to examine how the peer group context and environmental contexts of bullying influence adolescent interactions, this group of studies aimed to identify and explore peer roles in electronic bullying, and to compare peer roles across traditional and electronic bullying contexts. The first study developed and validated an assessment of peer roles in electronic bullying, the Electronic Bullying Roles Questionnaire (EBRQ), based on the traditional bullying roles identified by Salmivalli and colleagues (Salmivalli, Lagerspetz, Björkqvist, Österman, & Kaukiainen, 1996). The second study examined the correspondence between peer bystander roles across traditional and electronic bullying environments. The third study examined peers who intervene in traditional and electronic bullying, by examining whether perceptions of the harmfulness of bullying would influence subsequent defending behaviours. Overall, our findings confirmed that peers are involved in electronic bullying, and that these electronic roles parallel the behaviours and characteristics associated with traditional peer roles. However, our findings also suggest that the unique features of the electronic environment can lead to inconsistencies in adolescent bystander behaviours across bullying contexts. This research has implications for understanding how the peer group behaves when witnessing bullying in both bullying contexts. In addition, this research illuminates some of the similarities and differences between traditional and electronic bullying. It is our hope that this research leads to a greater understanding of the factors related to peer participant roles in both bullying contexts. Understanding traditional and electronic peer roles may help to provide insight into the peer processes involved in bullying, which may in turn inform intervention efforts to encourage adolescents to defend others when confronted with bullying, no matter the context. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2012-10-14 10:50:15.583

Bullying is a pervasive problem in schools, but more recent attention has been given to bullying that takes place via electronic media. To study electronic bullying and aggression effectively research needs to consider the unique qualities of the electronic medium including its capacity for anonymity, disinhibition, public forum, and under-regulated content. Electronic bullying does not occur in isolation; therefore it must be studied in relation to peer processes that occur in the “real world.” Research has neither uncovered the potential “real world” precursors of electronic bullying and aggression nor has it uncovered how students perceive the harmfulness of electronic aggression. The two studies presented here fill these gaps in the literature. The first study examined the precursors of electronic bullying and victimization in a sample of grade 9 and 10 students who were followed longitudinally. Students were administered questionnaires assessing electronic bullying/victimization, perceived harm of electronic aggression, empathy, normative beliefs, and prosocial behavior. The results indicated that “real world” behaviors such as verbal bullying and prosocial behavior were precursors of electronic bullying, while victimization by social bullying and social aggression were precursors for electronic victimization. In addition, females, older students, and students with less prosocial behavior were at risk for involvement in electronic bullying. Implications for these findings include the importance of integrating interventions that foster positive behavior in the “real world” and online, particularly for students at highest risk for involvement. The second study examined students’ harm perceptions of electronic aggression and how similar behavioral and cognitive factors may also influence perceptions of electronic aggression. Cross-sectional data were collected from students in grades 7 through 9 who were administered the same questionnaires above. Electronic bullying was perceived as more harmful than physical and social aggression, particularly for girls and students with highly prosocial behavior. Thus, electronic aggression is a very serious issue for students and education is needed to change the social norms for acceptable behavior in cyberspace. Consistent with social-cognitive theory, similar demographics and behaviors predicted electronic behavior and perceptions. Future research should continue to extend the social-cognitive model to electronic conflict. / Thesis (Master, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-22 21:15:56.732

This study investigated the issue of student cyberbullying in Florida's public middle schools. First, a content analysis of six Florida school district anti-bullying policies was conducted to determine the alignment between the state model policy and district policies. Next, 68 middle school principals from the same six Florida school districts completed the Cyberbullying Policies and Response Principal Survey online. Survey respondents were either members or non-members of the state mentoring team against bullying and harassment. Findings showed that all six school districts' anti-bullying policies were comprehensive in addressing the definitions of bullying behaviors, to include cyberbullying, as well as for reporting and responding to bullying incidents. However, it was found that improvements could be made concerning periodic review and updating of bullying policies as well as addressing issues of inclusiveness. Additionally, it was found that the middle school principals were generally aware of the seriousness of cyberbullying regardless of their membership status on the state mentoring team against bullying and harassment. They enforced both technology and bullying policies to prevent and respond to student cyberbullying. This was done either by their own initiative or as directed by the school districts. It was also discovered that principals were sensitive to the fact that students at their schools had been cybervictims, cyberbullies, or both. Moreover, principals believed that a majority of those activities occurred off-campus. It remains, though, uncertain as to what factors influence whether or not a school has a campus specific cyberbullying policy. However, principals conveyed an understanding that education about and enforcement of cyberbullying policies was imperative. Hence, more research is needed to determine how educators can continue to confront this type of adolescent aggression both on and off-campus.

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This thesis deals with the issue of cyberbullying. It describes technical and technological means by which cyberbullying can be generated and distributed. Part of the work is devoted to creation, forms, manifestations, consequences and effects of cyberbullying on the involved. It warns of the dangers which threaten children on the Internet. Moreover, it also discusses the possibilities, resources and recommendations for prevention and preventive programmes against cyberbullying. The empirical part is devoted to research and its analysis, a description of the findings and assessment of research.