“It’s so fluid, it’s developing all the time”: pre-service teachers’ perceptions and understanding of cyberbullying in the school environment

ABSTRACT

To gain an insight into how those entering the teaching profession regard cyberbullying, two focus groups were conducted with nine pre-service teachers (PSTs). Thematic analytical approach revealed three themes: (a) evolving nature of bullying, (b) involvement in cyberbullying and (c) management of cyberbullying. PSTs discussed how cyberbullying was evolving and becoming socially acceptable in the modern world. Participants addressed features of victimisation and perpetration associated with cyberbullying. PSTs reflected on the responsibility to address cyberbullying, discussing effective strategies to manage the issue. Participants considered the extent to which their initial teacher training course prepared prospective teachers to manage cyberbullying.

Abbreviations

PSTs: Pre-service teachers; ITT: initial teacher training; ODE: online disinhibition effect

KEYWORDS:

• Cyberbullying
• digital technologies
• pre-service teachers
• initial teacher training
• education

Disclosure statement

There are no competing interests to declare. All authors have approved the final article. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter J. R. Macaulay

Peter J. R. Macaulay is a PhD candidate in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, UK. His research interests consider educators, adolescents and parental views towards cyberbullying. Peter also has research interests in young people’s technology use in an educational context, perceived online safety and bystanders’ reactions in online and off-line settings.

Lucy R. Betts

Lucy R. Betts is an associate professor in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, UK. Lucy’s main research interests lie within the area of social developmental psychology. In particular, Lucy’s work focuses on experiences of cyber bullying, face-to-face bullying and harassment. One current strand of research examines young people’s experiences of cyber bullying, the impacts of cyber bullying for psychosocial adjustment and adolescents’ perceptions of the relative risk of experiencing cyber bullying. A second strand of ongoing research explores young people’s experiences of street harassment.

James Stiller

James Stiller is a senior lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, UK. James’ main research interests include perception and cognition in relation to social networks, evolutionary psychology and theory of mind and social clique formation.

Blerina Kellezi

Blerina Kellezi is a lecturer in Social Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, UK. Blerina’s research has focused on how people deal with and are affected by extreme life events from illness and accidents to war, torture and detention. Her PhD work investigated the influence of social identities on understanding and dealing with human rights abuses and trauma.