A secondary school teacher’s experiences as a victim of learner cyberbullying

ABSTRACT

This instrumental case study reports on the unique experiences of a secondary school teacher who was a victim of learner cyberbullying. This teacher experienced severe emotional distress, family stress, anxiety, anger, intense humiliation and loss of dignity as a result of cyberbullying. On a professional level he felt unsupported by his teachers’ union, school management team and teaching authorities. Support from his family, his community and the opportunity to share his experience with other teachers influenced his resilience positively while taking action made him feel like a role model for other teachers. This study highlights the effects of aggression in schools and raises concern about school climate and the need for social emotional competence programmes for learners.

Keywords:

• cyberbully
• cyberbullying
• cybervictim
• denigration
• learner
• psychosocial characteristics
• psychosocial risks
• teacher