Abstract:
Parallel with the spread of technology use, cyberbullying has become a serious
problem in schools, particularly those in developed countries where most young people have ready access to the Internet and mobile phones. Cyberbullying can cause significant
emotional harm, disrupt social development, and can be associated with negative student
outcomes. As schools must provide students with a safe learning environment, they are
challenged with ways to address the phenomenon of cyberbullying. To minimize the negative
effects of cyberbullying, and to assist school staff to understand and address this issue, it is necessary to examine the views of school staff on cyberbullying. Positioned within the
framework of Social-Ecological Theory, this study explored teachers’ and senior managers’
perceptions and attitudes towards cyberbullying. Data were collected using an anonymous
online self-report questionnaire on cyberbullying. One hundred and twelve senior managers
and ninety eight teachers, currently working in New Zealand schools, participated in the
study. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate whether groups of items of
the questionnaire assessed distinct attitudinal constructs. Results from the exploratory factor
analysis indicated that attitudes towards cyberbullying was a multi-dimensional construct
composed by three factors (i.e., ‘Concern’, ‘Empathy’ and ‘Responsibility’). The results also
showed that most school staff understood what behaviours constitute cyberbullying.
However, a significant proportion of school staff were unlikely to identify social exclusion as
being a component of cyberbullying. School staff perceived cyberbullying as conducted
mainly by girls and by students across all age groups. In addition, school staff were
concerned about cyberbullying, they were empathetic towards cybervictims and they believed
that cyberbullies could be helped. However, school staff, especially senior managers, were
unlikely to perceive cyberbullying as a problem in their schools and likely to report low
frequencies of cyberbullying. Moreover, school staff felt only moderately responsible for
preventing cyberbullying as it commonly occurs outside the school. Theoretical and applied
implications, for the different levels of the Social-Ecological Theory that affect cyberbullying
behaviours, are discussed.
