DOCSLIB.ORG

The Internet Playground: One School's Experience of Cyberbullying

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Internet Playground: One School's Experience of Cyberbullying “The Internet Playground: One School’s Experience of Cyberbullying” Susan Ryan Dip. Ed. (Australian Catholic University, Ballarat), B. Ed. (Deakin University), Postgrad. Dip. Ed. St. (Student Welfare) (University of Melbourne), M.Ed. (Research) (University of Melbourne) A thesis submitted in (partial) fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Faculty of Education at the University of Tasmania April, 2017 Declaration of Originality This thesis does not contain material, which has been accepted for any other degree in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by any other person, except where due reference is given in the text. Signature: ii Authority of Access This thesis may be made available for loan and limited copying and communication in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. Signature: iii Statement of Ethical Conduct The research associated with this thesis abides by the international and Australian codes on human and animal experimentation, the guidelines by the Australian Government's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator and the rulings of the Safety, Ethics and Institutional Biosafety Committees of the University. Signature: iv Acknowledgements The research presented in the following pages would not have been possible without the ongoing support of many people. Thank you to the staff and students at the case study school who willingly participated in this research. Your honesty in sharing your experiences of cyberbullying show that this issue is significant and that we must work together to respond to and manage the issue. I am grateful for the ongoing support of my supervisors at University of Tasmania, particularly Associate Professor Karen Swabey, whose positive encouragement over several years was enormously helpful. Thank you also to Dr Jeanne Allen who was a secondary supervisor for the first years of my study, and to Dr Christine Gardner, who has more recently taken over this role and provided some valuable feedback. I thank my family for their encouragement and generosity during the process of this project. Their love and support and unfailing belief in me has definitely cheered me over the line. I could not have made it through this journey without them. I dedicate this work to my father, Dr Charles Albert Anderson, who in life, and since his passing, has continued to inspire me to strive for change. He deserves special recognition for his enduring belief in education and for always encouraging me to question the status quo. He would be proud. v Abstract There is extensive documentation that clearly demonstrates that bullying is a persistent and insidious problem in schools, a matter of ongoing concern for teachers, parents and young people, and one that presents a grave threat to child and adolescent development. In recent years, the emergence of a new form of bullying through the use of technological tools such as mobile phones and online sites such as Facebook, has added to the impact and potential damage caused by and to young people. This study emerged as a result of my involvement in dealing with the human consequences of cyberbullying in a large co-educational secondary college in Tasmania and in response to evidence that both the academic performance and social and psychological development of adolescents who are bullied can be impacted seriously and negatively (Arseneault, Bowes, & Shakoor, 2010; Breguet, 2007; Cross, Lester, & Barnes, 2015; Hawker & Boulton, 2000; Hinduja & Patchin, 2010a; Swearer Napolitano, Espelage, Vaillancourt, & Hymel, 2010). This research is based on the assumption that the issue of bullying does not exist in isolation with the victim and the perpetrator; rather, it is conducted within a much broader social context, which includes peers, family and the larger school community. This study aims to develop a fuller understanding of the nature of cyberbullying during the Middle Years of education, specifically Years 7 and 8, the first two years of secondary schooling in the Tasmanian education system, where both my anecdotal experience and professional learning gave strong support to the view that the issue was particularly pervasive during the Middle Years. Such an understanding is also widely supported by literature (BoysTown, 2010a; Cross et al., 2009; Pepler et al., 2006; Williams & Guerra, 2007), which evidences a peak during these early transition years to secondary school. A large Tasmanian secondary school provided the vi case study setting for the in-depth exploration of this issue for this study, and was an attempt to explore the experience of cyberbullying from the perspective of key individuals, including bystanders, and to fill a void in current research with the involvement of staff members as stakeholders in this issue. The study examined the impact of a relatively new and growing form of bullying – cyberbullying – on two key groups within the case study setting: Middle School students who have newly transitioned to secondary school, and are generally aged 12-14 years, including those who become victims, are perpetrators and bystanders; and Staff including teachers, non-teaching support staff and management staff. It explored the perspectives of key school community members, Middle School students and staff, both teaching and non-teaching, within the wider school setting. Specifically, the research focused on (a) the pervasiveness of cyberbullying in the Middle School, and (b) the perceptions that school staff and students have about cyberbullying. The study also investigated the impact of cyberbullying on members of the school community. Significantly, it explored the role of the bystander as well, as growing emphasis has been placed on the role of bystanders as powerful moderators of behaviour in cyberbullying situations (Ball, 2007; Kraft, 2011; Price et al., 2014). The research technique was a survey conducted with school students and staff. The qualitative and quantitative techniques used aimed to increase understanding and awareness of the impact of cyberbullying on school members by eliciting data on both the perceptions of the frequency and intensity of Middle School cyberbullying, as well as providing a vehicle for respondents to express in narrative form their experiences, concerns and suggested management strategies related to this issue. The findings from this study showed that cyberbullying at this vii case study school was strongly prevalent and has had a considerable impact on educational engagement, student wellbeing and school climate. Cyberbullying affected academic performance within the case study setting, but also had a profound effect on social and psychological wellbeing. A significant concern to emerge was that victims reported suffering from extreme isolation and feelings of hopelessness. This study has also unveiled the damaging psychological impact of cyberbullying on bystanders, both students and staff: they also indicate feelings of distress and uncertainty about how to manage this phenomenon. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of students’ involvement in the occurrence of cyberbullying and provide a foundation for developing prevention and management interventions for educational settings. This study will inform educational practices and contribute to improved management of cyberbullying among adolescents within this and other educational settings. I strongly maintain it is the moral and professional obligation of educators to pursue answers to this phenomenon and to be proactive in the informed and appropriate response to cyberbullying. viii Glossary of Terms Middle Years Years 7 and 8 Indirect aggression which may involve verbal assault, teasing, name calling or social isolation and manipulation Relational or social aggression and this is a common form of bullying by girls, linked to damage to self-esteem The period following the onset of puberty during which a Adolescence young person develops from a child into an adult The process of victimizing others through the use of Cyber-victimisation information and communication technologies The notional environment in which communication over Cyberspace computer networks occurs. Online fights using electronic messages with offensive Flaming language and angry tone Harassment Repeatedly sending insulting and hurtful messages Denigration or ‘dissing’ (an abbreviation of ‘dismissing’ - May include sending or posting rumours or gossip about a frequently used by adolescents in person with the intent of damaging their character Australia Pretending to be someone else and attempting to get that Impersonation person in trouble or damage their relationships Outing Sharing secret information or images online ix Coercing someone into revealing secret information or Trickery images online Deliberately excluding someone from an online group with Exclusion the intent to offend Repeated harassment and denigration that includes threats Cyberstalking or incites fear The phenomenon of hiding behind a screen, thereby Disinhibition diminishing the sense of accountability as fear of being caught is reduced The perspective that individuals act and say things in an Disinhibition effect online medium that they would not normally say or do in face-to-face interactions An individual who was born after the widespread adoption Digital native (cf. digital of digital technology (cf. those who were not born into the foreigner/immigrant) digital world but have, at some later
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 5. Women in Australian Politics: Mothers Only Need Apply
    CONTEMPORARY GENDER ISSUES 5. Women in Australian politics: Mothers only need apply ABSTRACT When Julia Gillard considered running for the leadership of the Austral- ian Labor Party in early 2005, her political enemies immediately raised three reasons for opposing her: she is female, single and without children. These criticisms prompted a flurry of discussion in the media about the relevance of a person’s family situation to their ability to work effectively in politics. This article examines the treatment of female politicians by the press over the more than 80 years since the first woman appeared in any Australian parliament. It finds that there continues to be pressure on women to continue in the traditional roles of wife and mother, while more recently, female politicians have had to contend with an extra layer of coverage concentrating on their sexual attributes. CATHY JENKINS Griffith University, Queensland Introduction N JANUARY 2005 the Australian Labor Party was in the throes of elect- ing a new leader. One of those considering running to replace outgoing Ileader Mark Latham was Julia Gillard, a frontbencher who had proved her mettle in the shadow portfolios of immigration, indigenous affairs and health. But there were perceived problems. Gillard is female, single and child free, and her political enemies wasted no time in using these attributes as weapons against her. Many media outlets were prepared to jump on the sin- gle-and-child-free issue, with help from their political sources. ‘The relation- ship between sources and journalists resembles a dance, for sources seek access to journalists, and journalists seek access to sources, but more often than not, sources do the leading’ (Gans 1979, p.
    [Show full text]
  • 1. the Sex Discrimination Act and Its Rocky Rite of Passage
    1. The Sex Discrimination Act and its Rocky Rite of Passage Margaret.Thornton.and.Trish.Luker Through an analysis of the parliamentary debates on the Sex Discrimination Bill 1983–84, this chapter underscores the anxiety that preoccupied the opponents of the Bill. Their fear that the Bill would give rise to a totalitarian regime, reminiscent of an Eastern bloc country, is clearly apparent from their own words. Not only would the passage of the Bill signal a blow to democracy, it would result in the creation of a unisex society and, most significantly, the demise of the nuclear family. Introduction Will the Prime Minister give an assurance to Australian women that neither the Government’s proposed sex discrimination Bill nor ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women will in any way discriminate against women who choose life within the family, will not force them to go out to work, separate them from their children or break up their families, as some people have recently been suggesting?1 The passage of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (SDA) represents a high political moment in the history of gender relations in Australia. The seemingly protracted debates of 1983–842 were marked by a deep anxiety about sex roles, the patriarchal family and the wellbeing of children. The hysterical propaganda campaign and the fear engendered by the Bill were out of all proportion to its modest liberal intent that women be ‘let in’ to certain domains of public and quasi-public life, including employment, on the same terms as men.
    [Show full text]
  • Gillian Triggs Speech at CT 21 March 2019
    Her Place : Know the past: shape the future Prof. Gillian Triggs 21 March @ CT Congratulations to all those with the vision to establish Her Place as both a record of women’s accomplishments and a place to think about the contributions we can continue to make in the future. First, the past. We all stand on the shoulders of others. It is important that we recognize and honour the many women who have paved the way for careers like mine. They include those who have publicly challenged the submissive role history has assigned to women: trailblazing jurist Elizabeth Evatt; writers and activists Germaine Greer and Anne Summers; politicians Susan Ryan and Julia Gillard; trade unionist and now politician Ged Kearney; First Nations peoples’ advocate Pat Anderson; former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick. Among these intelligent, feisty women, one who inspires me especially is Jessie Street, a remarkable and surprisingly modern woman I have admired since I first learned of her work as a law student at the University of Melbourne. Born in India under the reign of Queen Victoria, Street studied at the University of Sydney and become a pioneer activist for equal rights. She joined the Labour Party in 1939 but failed to gain political office despite several attempts; she lost an election in Wentworth on preferences—perhaps if she were alive today, she too would have given the former member, Mr Turnbull, a run for his money. Despite these setbacks, Street had tenacity and a clarity of vision for an Australia she wanted to see thrive on principles of equality and justice.
    [Show full text]
  • Senate Brief No. 3
    No. 3 January 2021 Women in the Senate Women throughout Australia have had the right national Parliament (refer to the table on page 6). to vote in elections for the national Parliament for more than one hundred years. For all that time, There were limited opportunities to vote for women they have also had the right to sit in the before the end of the Second World War, as few Australian Parliament. women stood for election. Between 1903 and 1943 only 26 women in total nominated for election for Australia was the first country in the world to either house. give most women both the right to vote and the right to stand for Parliament when, in 1902, No woman was endorsed by a major party as a the federal Parliament passed legislation to candidate for the Senate before the beginning of the provide for a uniform franchise throughout the Second World War. Overwhelmingly dominated by Commonwealth. In spite of this early beginning, men, the established political parties saw men as it was 1943 before a woman was elected to the being more suited to advancing their political causes. Senate or the House of Representatives. As of It was thought that neither men nor women would September 2020, there are 46 women in the vote for female candidates. House of Representatives, and 39 of the 76 Many early feminists distrusted the established senators are women. parties, as formed by men and protective of men’s The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 stated interests. Those who presented themselves as that ‘all persons not under twenty-one years of age candidates did so as independents or on the tickets of whether male or female married or unmarried’ minor parties.
    [Show full text]
  • Preselection 2010: the ALP Selects Its Candidate for Fraser
    Preselection 2010 The ALP selects its candidate for Fraser Fear and loathing on Anzac eve? For eight aspiring Federal politicians and 241 ALP Members April 24 was the culmination of five weeks of frenetic campaigning. At stake was the labor candidacy for the Federal Division of Fraser. The campaign had been hard and long, though fair and clean. The winner was a youngish gen Xer Andrew Leigh, a professor of economics at the ANU. Voting took place at the Polish White Eagle Club in the inner northern suburb of Turner on a cold showery day, verifying the old Canberra adage that winter starts on Anzac day. In the weeks from the announcement of the preselection to preselection day the eight candidates devoted themselves to winning over the hearts and minds of pre selectors. Campaigning was intense and redefined to new levels of sophistication. How did Andrew Leigh win? Or why did the other seven lose? This is the story of that campaign. Fraser always labor The Federal Division of Fraser covers Canberra’s north side1 plus the Jervis Bay territory. It comprises the three communities of Belconnen, Gungahlin and North Canberra. The division was created in 1974 when the old ACT electorate was split in two, the Division of Canberra covered most of the south side. For a brief period 1996 to 1997 the ACT was divided into three Divisions with Fraser covering the more northern parts of the ACT. It was named after highly regarded Jim (James) Fraser who was the ALP member for the ACT from 1951 to 1970.
    [Show full text]
  • Bob Hawke … a Leader for Australian Women
    Bob Hawke … A Leader for Australian Women. Many words have been written about Bob Hawke’s leadership role in transforming the national public policy agenda but his commitment to equality of opportunity for Australian women has received less attention. Therefore I was impressed when just hours after his death was announced, I received a call from BBC Scotland requesting an interview about the former Prime Minister who had spoken at an International Women’s Day event in Brisbane in 1990! I well remember the occasion…..over 1000 women packed the Brisbane City Council hall at a special breakfast hosted by Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson with Bob Hawke, Premier Wayne Goss and myself as guest speakers. But after nearly three decades why would this be the focus for remembering Bob Hawke’s illustrious career? In the speech Hawke gave that day he focussed on the gender reforms our government had initiated to ensure Australian women had “A Say, A Fair Go and Choice “. As I listened to the BBC archived voice recording I realised these words must have resonated internationally as very progressive for that era when few governments recognised sex discrimination and women’s contribution in society was grossly undervalued. My young interviewer wanted to know why a typical bloke of Bob Hawke’s generation could be so committed to changing opportunities for Australian women. I could have pointed to the role of the second wave of Australian feminists campaigning since the 1970s for recognition in a male dominated society. Or certainly acknowledged the significance of Susan Ryan as the first Labor woman Minister who was assisted by a small number of women parliamentarians in that first Hawke Government.
    [Show full text]
  • Whitlam and Women
    REVISITING THE REVOLUTION: WHITLAM AND WOMEN The Hon Susan Ryan AO, Whitlam Institute Distinguished Fellow December 2020 Legacy Series, Vol. 8 The Whitlam Institute The Whitlam Institute is a nationally significant institution delivering distinctive, bold and inspiring policy research and programs that promote common ground, inclusive national identity and civic engagement for all Australians. We seek to be recognised across the political spectrum as delivering a nation-building agenda. “...help the great and continuing work of building a more equal, open, tolerant and independent Australia.” Gough Whitlam 2010 For more information about the Whitlam Institute, please visit our website whitlam.org Table of contents The Author 3 Foreword 4 Revisiting the Revolution: Whitlam and Women 5 The Women’s Movement and Whitlam 6 The Beginnings of the Women’s Electoral Lobby 7 The New Labor Government Takes Action 8 Women and the Whitlam Government 9 The Whitlam Legacy 13 Cover photo: McKinnon, John. & Australian Information Service. (1975). Women on the march wave their placards at the International Women’s Day march, Melbourne, March 8, 1975. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137045864 Copyright: The Whitlam Institute within Western Sydney University 2020. 2 In memory of the Hon Susan Ryan AO, 1942–2020 Susan Ryan served as Australia’s first Age From 1975 to 1988, Susan was Senator for the Discrimination Commissioner (2011-2016) and ACT, becoming the first woman to hold a Cabinet as Disability Discrimination Commissioner (2014- post in a federal Labor Government. In the Hawke 2016). As Age Discrimination Commissioner she Government she served as Minister for Education was highly effective in drawing the attention of and Youth Affairs, Minister Assisting the Prime policy makers and the public to the extent of Minister on the Status of Women and Special discrimination against older people.
    [Show full text]
  • Major Tv Drama Event
    HAWKE major tv drama event Premieres 8.30 Sunday July 18 SCREEN EDUCATION 1 WWW. METROMAGAZINE.COM.AU AUSTRALIAN TEACHERS OF MEDIA SCREEN EDUCATION 2 Hawke is a 95-minute feature film biography of Bob Hawke. ith eight years in office, of entering politics and proposes to Hawke was Australia’s Blanche, who accepts. But his mother, longest-serving Labor prime the formidable woman who believed Wminister. He became prime – even before he was born – that he minister after only two years in parliament would one day lead the country, dies. – and only one month as leader of the It’s his destiny. And with Liberal prime Opposition. minister Malcolm Fraser dividing the nation, the time is now. But if Bob’s Building on his success as president of going to run, he’ll need a loving wife the Australian Council of Trade Unions, by his side. Hazel, still in love with him, Hawke reached a consensus among agrees to stick with him. In return, Bob the government, unions and business vows to give up the booze and women. to stabilise wage growth, to improve the ability of business to compete in global Blanche, having already abandoned her markets and to deregulate the Austral- own husband, is distraught. But after ian economy and promote growth. licking her wounds, she decides to write Bob’s warts-and-all biography, giving How do you depict these achievements the country an intimate understanding but still focus on the person himself? of their future leader. The book is a huge That’s the challenge that Hawke success, and Paul Keating agrees to addresses.
    [Show full text]
  • Strengthening the Rights of Older People
    11 SEP Thursday 11th September 2014 Strengthening 12:00pm – 1:00pm AEST the Rights of Webinar AAG Members: FREE Older People NZAG Members: FREE ANZSGM Members: FREE Non-Members: $20 Hear from leading experts THE HON SUSAN RYAN AO Age Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission CHARLES WALDEGRAVE Coordinator, Social Policy Research Unit, Family Centre In a time of rapid population ageing and shifting social, economic and political landscapes, a binding international Convention on the Rights of Older Persons is a timely and necessary instrument for protecting the human rights of older people. This ensures that older people, just Facilitated by: like everyone else, are entitled to live dignified lives as valued SUE HENDY members of society. Chief Executive Officer, COTA Victoria Charles Waldegrave’s presentation will draw on data from two Vice President, International waves the New Zealand Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NZLSA) to Federation on Ageing demonstrate results from discrimination, abuse, loneliness, depression, health and wellbeing scales and show the extent and impact of discrimination and abuse with a national random sample of over 3,000 New Zealanders aged between 50 and 87 years. Susan Ryan will then address the key reasons for supporting a new convention for older persons. She will also outline present strategies in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region for advancing a UN convention, as well as the need to have conversations with all parts of communities and governments about the enormous benefits that a convention could bring. 11 About the presenters Strengthening the Rights of Older People SEP Providing Quality THE HON SUSAN RYAN AO Age DiscriminationCare Commissioner,in Residential Australian Human Rights Commission Susan Ryan is Age Discrimination Commissioner and Acting Disability DiscriminationAged Commissioner Care at the AustralianFacilities: Human Rights Commission.
    [Show full text]
  • Making Progress: Women in Management in Primary& Secondary Education in Australia
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 285 264 EA 019 606 AUTHOR Randell, Shirley, Ed. TITLE Making Progress: Women in Management in Primary& Secondary Education in Australia. Report ofa National Conference (3rd, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, August 1-4, 1985). INSTITUTION Australian Capital Territory Schools Authority, Canberra.; Australian Coll. of Education, Carlton, Victoria. REPORT NO ISBN-0-909587-35-3 PUB DATE Oct 85 NOTE 225p. PUB TYPE Collected Works - Conference Proceedings (021)-- Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Administrators; Elementary Secondary Education; *Equal Opportunities (Jobs); *Females; *Sex Discrimination; *Women Faculty; Workshops IDENTIFIERS *Australia ABSTRACT This report describes the third conference that the Australian College of Education has conductedon women in educational administration in Australia. Over 150 educators attended, 90percent of whom were women. Meetings and workshops were designed tocanvass four major issues: (1) a political view of imperatives for change; (2) research reports on women's current position in governmentand non-government systems and schools; (3) progress reports; and (4) the design of strategies for change. Following introductoryessays by Shirley Randell and Ros Kelly, the papersappear under three major headings. Under the first heading, "The Current Situation forWomen in Management in Primary and Secondary Education," fourpapers are listed: "Women Teachers and Promotion: A Search for Some Explanations" (Shirley Sampson); "Women
    [Show full text]
  • Senator the Hon George Brandis Qc Attorney
    SENATOR THE HON GEORGE BRANDIS QC ATTORNEY-GENERAL LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SENATE 2 May 2016 LAUNCH OF WILLING TO WORK INQUIRY REPORT PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I am here this afternoon with my friend, the Honourable Susan Ryan, who is Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner, and who has also been in the more recent past the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, to launch a very very important body of work which Susan Ryan has overseen, and that is the latest report of the Australian Human Rights Commission Willing to Work, the report of the national inquiry into employment discrimination against older Australians and Australians with a disability. In March of last year I asked Susan Ryan to examine the barriers to employment for people with disability and for older people in remaining in or entering the workforce and to make recommendations about practices, attitudes and Commonwealth laws that could be changed and actions that should be taken in order to address the problem of employment discrimination against both older Australians and Australians with a disability. I must say, Susan Ryan and the Australian Human Rights Commission have produced a formidable report having undertaken an enormous body of work in the last year or more. There were 120 consultations held in all capital cities and many regional centres. The enquiry met with over 1000 people. It received 342 written submissions and now has produced this very, very significant report. Among the findings of the report we learnt people aged 55 years and over, although making up roughly a quarter of the population, represent only 16 per cent of the workforce.
    [Show full text]
  • Working Past Our 60S REFORMING LAWS and POLICIES for the OLDER WORKER • 2012 Contents
    Working past our 60s REFORMING LAWS AND POLICIES FOR THE OLDER WORKER • 2012 Contents Time to act... 1 1. Why the workplace will depend on older workers 3 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Government action to increase the workforce participation of older Australians since the 1980s 4 1.3 Other factors keeping older people in the workforce 6 1.4 The benefits of an older workforce 6 1.5 An under-employed older workforce 6 2 Age limits on workforce participation 9 2.1 Workers compensation age limits 9 2.2 Income protection insurance age limits 12 2.3 Licensing requirements for professional drivers 14 2.4 Superannuation age limits 19 3. Conclusion 21 © Australian Human Rights Commission 2012 This work is protected by copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part may be used or reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Australian Human Rights Commission. Enquiries should be addressed to the Communications Unit at: [email protected] This publication can be found in electronic format on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s website at: www.humanrights.gov.au/about/publications/index.html Design and layout JAG Designs Photographs Thinkstock The Hon Susan Ryan AO Age Discrimination Commissioner At the Australian Human Rights Commission, we are tackling the fundamental societal attitudes that underlie age discrimination. We also want to shine a light on policies and laws that prevent older people working, even when they can find jobs. Time to act... As a society, we have been slow to recognise that millions of older Australians are locked out of the workforce by age discrimination.
    [Show full text]