Cyberbullying in High Schools: A Study of Students' Behaviors

and Beliefs about This New Phenomenon

Abstract

This study explores high school students' beliefs and behaviors associated with cyberbullying.
Specifically, it examines this new phenomenon from the following four perspectives: (a) What happens
after students are cyberbullied? (b) What do students do when witnessing cyberbullying? (c) Why do
victims not report the incidents? and (d) What are students' opinions about cyberbullying? Data were
collected from 269 Grade 7 through 12 students in 5 Canadian schools. Several themes have emerged
from the analysis, which uncovers some important patterns. One finding is that over 40% would do
nothing if they were cyberbullied, and only about 1 in 10 would inform adults. Students feel reluctant to
report cyberbullying incidents to adults in schools for various reasons, which are discussed in depth.

KEYWORDS: beliefs and behaviors, bystanders, cyberbullying, cyber victim, high school students

Technology continues to develop rapidly and is therefore changing our ways of functioning in society.
This brings new dimensions to our responsibilities as educators and mentors. Doors are constantly
opening, bringing more opportunities and at the same time requiring all of us to rethink the ethical use
of technology in schools. For example, Internet cell phones and other communication technologies,
while providing us with conveniences, also expose our students to interactions that put their safety and
emotional well-being at risk. This article examines one negative use of technology—cyberbullying—that
is a new form of bullying with distinct differences in form, personality, and response.

Recent research studies have shown that a substantial number of students are victims of cyberbullying,
which leads to a wider realization that cyberbullying is becoming a serious problem (Cross, 2008; Li,
2006a, 2006b; Thompson, Smith, & Goldsmith, 2008; Willard, 2004a). This finding calls for a thorough
understanding of cyberbullying that requires us to dissect the relationships among related variables in
social, physical, institutional, and community contexts. This study, therefore, explores student beliefs
and their behaviors associated with cyberbullying.

RELATED LITERATURE

Cyberbullying can be briefly defined as “sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images using the
Internet or other digital communication devices” (Willard, 2004b, p. 1). This section starts with a
definition of the term and an exploration of various forms of cyberbullying. Then, findings from some
empirical studies are discussed to provide background information for this study.
Cyberbullying Defined

Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies, such as e-mail, cell
phone and pager text messages, instant messaging, defamatory personal Web sites, and defamatory
online personal polling Web sites, to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual
or group that is intended to harm others (Belsey, 2004). According to Willard (2004a), cyberbullying can
take different forms, with the main forms ranging from flaming, to harassment, to cyberstalking. The
following list gives a formal definition for each form:

Flaming—Sending angry, rude, vulgar messages directed at a person or persons privately or to an online
group.

Harassment—Repeatedly sending a person offensive messages.

Cyberstalking—Harassment that include threats of harm or is highly intimidating.

Denigration (put-downs)— Sending or posting harmful, untrue, or cruel statements about a person to
other people.

Masquerade—Pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material that makes that person
look bad or places that person in potential danger.

Outing and trickery—Sending or posting material about a person that contains sensitive, private, or
embarrassing information, including forwarding private messages or images. Engaging in tricks to solicit
embarrassing information that is then made public.

Exclusion—Actions that specifically and intentionally exclude a person from an online group. (Willard,
2004b)
Cyberbullying can occur on blogs (interactive Web journals), Web sites, in e-mails, listservs, chats,
instant messaging, and text/digital image messaging via mobile devices. It can relate to racial, religious,
and cultural biases.

Some Empirical Findings

Cyberbullying can occur at different age levels and in different geographical areas. For example, a survey
was conducted in 2004 involving 432 Grade 7 to 9 students from nine junior high schools from middle-
class, ethnically diverse communities in Calgary, Canada. The results showed that more than two thirds
of students have heard of cyberbullying incidents and about one quarter have been cyberbullied (Beran
& Li, 2005).

Another study of 177 seventh-grade students in Canada showed a similar pattern (Li, 2007). Particularly,
almost 15% of the students admitted that they cyberbullied others. A theme that emerged was the
anonymity associated with this type of behavior in that over 40% of the cybervictims had no idea who
the bullies were. Further, less than 35% of the bystanders reported the incident to adults.

This situation, however, is not unique to Canada. Survey studies conducted in the United States, Great
Britain, and other countries showed that cyberbullying occurred in a similar fashion. For example, the
2004 i-SAFE survey of 1,500 Grade 4 to 8 students (i-SAFE, 2004) and a study conducted in the United
Kingdom (Kennedy, 2005) showed the same trend.

Cyberbullying can be devastating for victims and their families. The psychological harm inflicted by
cyberbullying, just like bullying, is reflected in low self-esteem, school failure, anger, anxiety, depression,
school avoidance, school violence, and suicide. It is even possible that the damage from cyberbullying
would be greater than bullying because there is no escape for the victims; harmful material could be
easily preserved as well as quickly and widely spread. Further, many people who would not harass
others face-to-face might cyberbully peers because they believe that they could hide or it would be
acceptable to engage in such behavior virtually (Beran & Li, 2005; Willard, 2004b).

When gender was considered, research (Borg, 1999; Boulton & Underwood, 1992) demonstrated that
males and females showed different patterns in bullying-related behaviors. In addition, it was suggested
that females might prefer to use electronic communication media such as chat rooms and e-mail to
bully others (Nelson, 2003; Thorp, 2004).
Some studies on traditional bullying identified a victim–bully cycle in school (Besag, 1989; Ma, 2001). It
was found that students who are physically stronger are less likely to be either victims or bullies (Perry,
Kusel, & Perry, 1988). A similar pattern was discerned in cyberspace. The findings of a recent Canadian
study of 264 middle-school students revealed a bullying–cyberbullying–victim cycle. That is, bullying,
cyberbullying, and victimization are closely related. A research study showed that about half the bullies
were also cyberbullies. Similarly, over half the victims were involved in cyberbullying, either as
cyberbullies or as victims (Li, 2006a). Similar trends were reported in studies elsewhere (Ybarra &
Mitchell, 2004; Ybarra, Mitchell, & Finkelhor, 2006).

Patchin and Hinduja (2006) conducted an online survey involving 384 respondents who were under 18
years of age. Their results showed that various forms of bullying occurred online, including being
ignored (60.4%), disrespected (50.0%), called names (29.9%), threatened (21.4%), picked on (19.8%),
made fun of (19.3%), and having rumors spread about them (18.8%). Despite the relatively large sample
size, some scholars (Hoover, Wilkins, Miltenoff, Downing, & Davis, 2007) cautioned readers not to
overgeneralize this result because this work consisted of a convenience sample. Using data from a
multinational DAPHNE project, Thompson et al. (2008) studied the incidence of cyberbullying among
adolescents. In examining the group dynamics of cyberbullying, the study shows important relationships
not only between traditional bullying and cyberbullying, but also between the cyberbullying participant
role and individual levels of self-esteem and loneliness. Data from Australia demonstrated similar
patterns. Cross, Epstein, Clark, and Lester (2008) surveyed 10,000 Australian children aged 8 to 15 years
in 2007 to investigate the nature and extent of cyberbullying, and to assess the extent, mechanisms,
characteristics, and social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral affect it had on the students who were
bullied in this way. Their preliminary analysis showed that 20% of the students reported they were
cybervictims and 10% were cyberbullies. Text messaging over mobile phones was the most common
medium used for cyberbullying.

Research studies have indicated that cyberbullying is becoming a major issue in schools and has various
negative effects. Nevertheless, it is not clear how students' beliefs and opinions affect their behaviors
online, whether as a cyberbully, a cybervictim, or a bystander. This study, therefore, examines student
opinions and beliefs in relation to their behaviors.

Theoretical Perspectives

The dynamic systems theory, originating from science, provides a theoretical framework for this study.
In this view, all human systems have emerged from the “synthesis of the interaction of its parts. A
systems view suggests that the essential quality of a part or component of a system resides in its
relationship with and contribution to the whole” (Banathy, 1994, p. 28). The system's view, therefore,
extends the research into cyberbullying beyond examining the cyberbullying–victim interaction.
Examining cyberbullying demands the exploration of the interaction among its components (e.g.,
cyberbullies, cybervictims, peers, teachers, and administrators) rather than simply focusing on any
group in isolation.

Further, the framework developed by Constantine, Curry, Diaz, and Huh-Kim (2000), building on the
theory of reasoned action, influences the design of this research. In this framework, five construct
domains—beliefs and attitudes, perceived school/home climates, perceived self-efficacy, behavioral
intentions, and behaviors—are considered to be critically related and contributing to student actions, in
this case, actions related to cyberbullying. Therefore, students' beliefs and opinions, whether as
cyberbullies, as cyberwitnesses, or as bystanders, about cyberbullying and their perceived school and
home climates (including bystanders' and adults' behaviors) all contribute to their actions during and
after the cyberbullying incidents.

Research Questions

This theoretical framework has guided the research design of this study, including the specific research
questions asked. As a result, addressing cyberbullying issues entails a solid understanding of each of its
components. This study seeks to understand two critical groups (students involved in cyberbullying and
their peers) and examines their beliefs and behaviors. Specifically, I was interested in the behaviors of
both cybervictims and bystanders during and after the cyberbullying incidents. Also of interest were
their opinions about cyberbullying in general and why they chose to be silent. Specifically, the following
research questions guide this exploration:

What happens after students are cyberbullied?

What do students do when they witness cyberbullying?

Why do cybervictims choose not to report the incidents?

What are students' opinions about cyberbullying?

METHOD
Sample

Although a random selection of individual students was preferred, to ensure complete anonymity and
protect students from any negative consequences, a random selection of classes rather than individual
students was used. That is, 15 classes of Grade 7 through 12 students who were enrolled in five
suburban and rural schools (with a balanced male–female ratio) in western Canada were randomly
selected from 167 classes. Originally, teachers of these 15 classes distributed the survey to 312 students.
Among these students, only 269 (148 males, 101 females; 20 did not report gender) returned the
completed survey, which formed the sample of this study. Over 90% of these students used the Internet
at home and close to 47% used cell phones at school. The self-reported academic achievement showed
the following pattern: 9.8% excellent, 37.5% above average, 44.9% average, and 7.8% below average.
The grade distribution of the sample is listed in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Student Grade Distribution

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Measures

Because cyberbullying is a relatively new phenomenon, limited research is available in this field.
Consequently, few measures have been developed to assess cyberbullying and related issues. This
survey was built on the survey instrument created by Willard (2004a) and my previous research in this
area. In addition, the theoretical framework described earlier and the existing literature guided the
development of this instrument.

For example, because student-perceived school and home climates contributed to cyberbullying, we
asked students to comment on behaviors of school adults and family members related to cyberbullying.
They were also asked to share their thoughts and experience as bystanders to explore another
important group in the mix: the witnessing peers. Because few research studies have examined
cyberbullying, which can be seen as bullying moving to a new medium, it made sense to explore
contributing factors based on the relatively well-researched literature on traditional bullying. Previous
research showed that victims of bullying usually lacked the social networks that could keep them from
being victimized (Shaffer, 2000). Peers as silent acceptors contributed greatly to the establishment and
maintenance of bullying systems (Jeffrey, Miller, & Linn, 2001). In addition, bullies tended to have more
physical power than their victims (Olweus, 1994). Based on these results, questions were asked relating
to students' social lives (e.g., friends, extracurricular activities), physical strength compared to age peers,
and the reasons people chose to be silent accepters.
The survey consisted of four parts. The first part collected students' demographic data. The second and
third parts examined students' behaviors and beliefs related to cyberbullying as either participants or
bystanders. The cyberbullying section dealt with students' experiences and was scored in a dichotomous
fashion. The witness section examined students' behaviors and opinions related to bystanders. The
fourth part of the survey included students' opinions about online behaviors in general, as well as their
social and physical lives. Responses for each item in this section ranged from 1 (strongly agree) to 5
(strongly disagree) on a 5-point Likert-type scale (see Appendix for details).

Procedure and Analysis

An ethics review was sought from the Research Ethics Board (REB). After receiving the ethics approval,
the Cyberbullying Student Survey was administered to students during a regular class period. The REB
recommended not using consent forms to ensure complete anonymity. Instead, it suggested accepting
unfilled questionnaires as an indication of unwillingness to participate.

Following the REB's recommendation, students were informed that the purpose of the research was to
study their experiences of and beliefs about cyberbullying. Letters and surveys were sent to the
students' homes. In the parent letter, it was stated that if parents allowed a student to participate, the
student would put the completed questionnaire in the envelope provided (without names) and return it.
If parents were not interested, students would simply return the envelopes with the blank
questionnaires.

In this article, quantitative analysis of the student questionnaires was used to examine students'
behaviors and beliefs about cyberbullying. This study was a preliminary analysis of the data, and only
descriptive statistics were used.

RESULTS

The first research question directed our attention to what happened after students were cyberbullied.
This was examined through the following four perspectives: reaction, behavior, consequence of
informing others, and helper (see Table 2 for details).

TABLE 2 Reaction, Behavior, Consequence, and Helper

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What were students' reactions to cyberbullying? The results showed that the students were almost
evenly divided into four groups: one group thought it was no big deal and one group just lived with it.
The third group felt upset or really upset, and the fourth group had no opinion.

What did students do after they were cyberbullied? Apparently, only a few tried to take revenge; the
majority of students chose not to inform anyone. Two out of five did nothing, and less than a quarter
told the cyberbully to stop. Two out of five victims chose to get away (e.g., log off) from the cyberbully.
Only a small proportion (6%) tried to take revenge on the cyberbully or bully others. One tenth of them
informed adults, and about one in five told friends.

What happened after the students told someone about the incidents? The students' responses showed
that only 15% said the situation got better, but about 6% said it got even worse. Two in five students
never told anyone, but nothing had changed for another 40% of the students. Who tried to help if
students were cyberbullied? Nearly 15% said parents and almost 10% said siblings. Only 2.1% students
reported that school adults (e.g., teachers, school administrators) tried to help. Over 37% said that their
friends tried to help, but nearly half said that nobody tried to help.

The second research question asked about the behaviors of bystanders. The results demonstrated that
over 43% reported they had never witnessed cyberbullying, about 28% reported they saw cyberbullying
once or twice, close to 15% reported seeing cyberbullying a few times, and another 15% reported they
observed such behavior many times or almost every day.

When students witnessed cyberbullying, about one in seven chose to join in and one in eight actually
cheered the cyberbully on. The vast majority, over 70%, reported that they watched but did not
participate. Over 25% said they chose to leave the online environment. Almost 9% reported they
objected to others but not directly to the cyberbully, whereas 23% answered they objected directly to
the cyberbully. About 35% tried to help or befriend the victim, but less than 10% reported the incidents
to someone who could help the victim (see Table 3 for details).

TABLE 3 Witness

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Participants were asked a hypothetical question: “If you were cyberbullied at school or at home, would
you report the incident to a school counselor, teacher, or administrator?” Less than 18% responded
“Probably yes,” and over 80% answered “No.” What were the main reasons students chose not to report
the incident? Over 17% said they did not think the school staff would understand or believe them; close
to half did not think the school would or could do anything to stop it. Nearly 18% thought they could get
themselves into trouble either because they might also be at fault or for no reason. More than 28%
worried that it could exacerbate the problem; over one-fifth of the students were concerned that other
students would make fun of them. Close to 27% worried that their parents might restrict their access to
the technology. Although 23% of the students believed they needed to learn to deal with cyberbullying,
close to 45% thought people should simply ignore cyberbullying because it was “no big deal.” See Table
4 for details.

TABLE 4 Reasons for Not Reporting

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The last research question concerned students' opinions about cyberbullying, which were explored from
the following perspectives: cause, feeling, and beliefs. Table 5 provides details.

TABLE 5 Student Beliefs About Cyberbullying

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What did the students consider the intention of cyberbullying to be? About one in five thought it was
because cyberbullies considered such behavior “cool”; almost 45% of the students thought the
cyberbullies either felt insecure or were angry or jealous. Over 63% believed that cyberbullies did it for
fun. Almost 45% of students thought that the cyberbullies were mean, bored, or having family problems.
Nearly 30% believed that cyberbullies used it as a defense mechanism.

How did students feel about people being cyberbullied? Only 8% thought the victims deserved it. It was
evenly divided (over 45%) between the students who thought there was nothing that could be done
about it and those who thought it needed to be stopped, although both groups believed cyberbullying
was bad.

What were students' opinions and beliefs about cyberbullying? Over 35% thought that what happened
online should stay online. Close to 18% considered that people have the right to say anything they want
online, even if what they say hurts someone or violates his or her privacy. One fifth of the students
would like adults to stay out of this; over 46% called for the creation of a kinder and more respectful
online world.
DISCUSSION

This study extends the literature on cyberbullying in several ways. First, because cyberbullying is a
relatively new phenomenon, there are few studies on this issue. Of these studies, few, if any, explored
students' beliefs and behaviors related to these aggressive acts. For the first time, therefore, this study
has investigated the possible relationships between the opinions and actions of the students, whether
as cyberbully, victim, or bystander.

Second, several themes have emerged that enable us to understand the factors related to cyberbullying.
One finding is that although almost a quarter of the students felt upset about cyberbullying, over 40%
would do nothing if they were cyberbullied. About one in 10 would inform adults. This shows that a
sizable number of the victims are rather passive. Whether bullying happens in the real world or in the
cyberworld, victims' strategies are either to ignore it or try getting away from it rather than informing
others, much less adults.

Why would many of the victims choose not to tell others about the incidents? Looking into the
consequences, we see that in less than one in six cases, the situation got better when the victims told
others about the incident. In a few cases, things got even worse. In most cases, nothing changed, so the
students thought, “Why bother?” In examining the helpers, we realized that friends were the ones most
likely to help. This could be explained by the fact that the victims often inform only their friends. As
suggested by dynamic systems theory, cyberbullying is a result of the interaction of its system's
components. Thus, peers play a strong role in sustaining cyberbullying, and this is consistent with our
observation of regular bullying (Espelage & Holt 2001). Because friends have a strong influence on
students' emotional, behavioral, and affective development (Bukowski, 2001; Nangle & Erdley, 2001),
they can help reduce cybervictims' anxiety. Friends can also provide protection and coping advice to
victims in the real world or in cyberspace (Hodges & Perry 1999; Jeffrey et al., 2001). As demonstrated
by this study, one in four onlookers confronted the cyberbully directly, and over 35% tried to help or
befriend the victim. One implication is that we need to pay particular attention to students when
designing prevention programs. We need to educate them about their responsibilities and how to
support each other.

An important task of this study was to reveal why students feel reluctant to report cyberbullying
incidents to adults in schools. Several important issues emerged that were related to this. First, the data
show that in less than 3% of cases did adults at schools try to help. Second, the highest proportion (close
to half) of the students said, “I do not think the school would or could do anything to stop it.” One
reason for this phenomenon might be that cyberbullying is a relatively new phenomenon and most
schools have yet to understand the issue, let alone establish effective protection and intervention
programs (Trolley, Hanel, & Shields, 2006). Third, many students have expressed their distrust of others,
particularly adults in schools (e.g., “I don't think school staff would believe me”). Considering these
reasons, we should not be surprised that students keep silent. More important, the student narrative “I
do not trust other people” capitalizes on the need to establish trustworthy relationships among students
and adults in schools and beyond. It shows the importance of developing policy and programs to combat
cyberbullying.

Another important reason for not reporting the incidents, as indicated by a large number of students, is
the fear that the cyberbully could get back and escalate the problem. It seems that anonymity, this
unique characteristic of technology, works for cyberbullies but against victims. It enables the protection
of bullies by hiding their identity and leaving victims vulnerable. This explains why the students were
apprehensive, and it makes the battle against cyberbullying much harder.

Another fear many students had was that they might get themselves into trouble, for instance, being
ridiculed or restricted in their use of the technology. Research has demonstrated that our students have
changed radically due to the rapid development and diffusion of digital technology (Li, 2005; Prensky,
2001). Technology has become an integral part of their lives; therefore, restricting access to the Internet
or other technology profoundly affects their work and life. These effects should be remembered when
considering prevention strategies.

Many students felt that it was necessary to learn how to deal with cyberbullying by themselves. This is
convergent with recommendations made in previous research studies (Li, 2007; Trolley et al., 2006) and
urges us, as educators and researchers, to develop effective strategies to guide our students.

When the focus shifts to witnesses, we see that about one in eight students who observed the incidents
actually joined in or cheered the cyberbully on. The majority, however, were bystanders who simply
watched but did not participate. Therefore, the behaviors of such substantial numbers of onlookers,
either cheering on, joining in, or even just paying attention, encourages and motivates cyberbullies (Siu,
2004). This situation, coupled with the victim's submissive behavior, exacerbates and sustains
cyberbullies' aggressive acts.

What are students' beliefs about cyberbullying? Why do they think people behave this way? About 45%
think various factors cause the problem, ranging from feeling insecure, angry, jealous, or mean, to
feeling bored or having family issues. A troubling finding, however, is that the majority (about 64%)
believe that cyberbullies do it for fun. Even more disturbing is the fact that one in five perceived
cyberbullying as a “cool” act. This might be explained by students' perception that technology is exciting.
These students might think that using it for aggressive acts is creative. Further, they might not realize
the seriousness of cyberbullying. For example, one student's narrative, “I bully online and it does not
mean anything,” demonstrates that some fail to see the negative effect of cyberbullying or bullying on
victims. The actual reason behind this perception is unclear; nonetheless, it deserves our serious
consideration because this is a potentially dangerous perception.

What do students feel about cybervictims? Almost half think that it is bad but nothing can be done. One
student's comment summarizes this feeling: “No one cares. Deal with it yourself.” Another 45% hold the
belief that this is a serious problem and needs to be stopped. Only a small number of students perceived
that the cybervictims deserved it.

Another important theme emerged relating to freedom of speech. One in six students considered that
people have the right to say anything they want, even if what they say hurts someone or violates
someone's privacy. This finding presents a dilemma: How can we combat cyberbullying yet respect and
exercise our freedom of expression? Although we understand that there is no absolute freedom of
speech, balancing the two is the ultimate question.

A noteworthy finding of this study is that one in three students believed that what happens online
should stay online. This reflects a general perception that the cyberspace is separated from the real
world. Although this might have been true when the Internet was first introduced, our cyberlife is
increasingly intertwined with our real life (Fischer, 2006). What we do online affects what we do in real
life. Harassment that occurs in cyberspace might also occur in person. Therefore, technologies must be
monitored and modified to manage cyberbullying and promote the responsible use of technology.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Addressing cyberbullying should be a collective effort on the part of schools, families, students, and
society. Because cyberbullying happens outside of school boundaries, schools might direct such issues
back to parents, saying that they have no legal jurisdiction. However, cyberbullying can be rooted in
school or vice versa, even if the incidents appear to be initiated using school property. This requires
schools to consider the development of comprehensive programs to fight cyberbullying, including
detailed and unified policies as well as effective programs to educate students. The following are some
recommendations intended to solve the problem.
First, schools need to establish systematic programs to stop cyberbullying. Such programs should
develop strong policies on both traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Administrators should investigate
current acceptable-use policies for technology (e.g., mobile, Internet) in the schools. Telling others such
as school adults or family members remains an effective strategy for combating cyberbullying. It is
important to establish easy and multiple ways of reporting. For example, we could create help lines
(e.g., a phone line), e‐mail, or Web links, and provide a box or similar device in hot spots in schools so
students can report incidents or offer suggestions anonymously.

Second, schools should educate school adults, students, and parents about cyberbullying and provide
clear procedures to follow when cyberbullying occurs. At the fundamental level, adults, including
teachers and parents, need to keep pace with new technology to understand how students
communicate and how cyberbullying happens. The results of this study indicate that school adults
provide limited help, which might be caused by their lack of training in how to deal with cyberbullying.
Effective strategies, therefore, need to be included in school adults' professional development
opportunities. Schools can also provide opportunities for parents to learn such strategies. Similarly,
approaches to cyberbullying issues need to go beyond the one-time workshop mode for students and be
part of regular curriculum learning. Such education can take place in different school situations,
including classrooms, assemblies, and continuing education programs. For example, schools can use
forums not only to mediate between cyberbullies and cyber victims, but also to offer opportunities for
students to develop adaptive skills, such as dealing with emotional conflict and building positive
behavioral patterns. Such forums help to build a strong rapport and trustworthy relationships between
students and school adults as well as among students. In addition, such events can involve parents to
build their competency in stopping cyberbullying.

Students, a key group in fighting cyberbullying, need to learn responsibilities associated with the use of
technology. They should be aware of the consequences of misuse of technology so that responsible
behaviors can be promoted at an early age. They need to understand the dangers that exist and the
importance of getting help from responsible adults when cyberbullying occurs. When reporting
incidents to responsible adults, students should understand that they might need to be persistent to
ensure that adults recognize the seriousness of the incidents. They can also ask the adults what they
plan to do to solve the problem.

APPENDIX CYBERBULLYING STUDENT SURVEY

This survey seeks information from students about cyberbullying. Cyberbullying includes, but is not
limited to sending angry, rude, vulgar messages about a person to an online group or to that person
electronically; or sending harmful, untrue, or cruel statements about a person to other people or
posting such material online; or pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material that
makes that person look bad; or sending or posting material about a person that contains sensitive,
private, or embarrassing information, including forwarding private messages or images, or cruelly
excluding someone from an online group. Cyberbullying might occur at home or at school, through the
Internet network or a cell phone used. Your responses to this survey are confidential . You may also
choose not to respond to this survey. By completing this survey, you are granting the researcher
permission to use this information.

Part I: About You

Your grade:____ Gender: ____M____F Ethnic Background (e.g., Asian): ___________

Do you use the Internet at home? ______Yes ______No

Do you use a cell phone at school? ______Yes ______No

On the following scale, consider A to be the best and C to be the average, your school grades are usually
(circle one):

A………….B…………C…………D………..E

How often do you engage in extracurricular activities, such as band or sports teams?

___Never ___About once/week ___ About 2 times/week ___ About 3 times/week ___4+ times/week

Part II: Cyberbullying (Your Experience)

How often have you been cyberbullied? Check one that applies.

___ Never ___ Once/Twice ___ A few times ___Many times ___Almost every day
How often have you cyberbullied others? Check one that applies.

___Never ___Once/Twice ___A few times ___Many times ___Almost every day

On the following scale, check your reaction to cyberbullying

___No big deal ___Live with it ___Upset ___Very upset ___No opinion

When you are cyberbullied, you (check all that apply)

__Do nothing

__Tell the cyberbully to stop

__Get away (e.g., log off) from the cyberbully

__Cyberbully other people

__Bully other kids

__Tell an adult

__Tell a friend
If you have been cyberbullied, what happened after you told someone?

__It got better

__It got worse

__Nothing changed

__I never told anyone.

__I've never been cyberbullied.

If you have been cyberbullied, who has tried to help you? (check all that apply)

__My parents

__My sister(s) or brother(s)

__A teacher or another adult at school

__My friend(s)

__Nobody

__I've never been cyberbullied.

Why do you think people cyberbully others? Because (circle all that apply)

__It is cool

__They feel insecure

__They are angry

__They are jealous

__They think it's fun

__They are mean

__They are bored

__They think it is a defense mechanism

__They have family problems

__Other, specify_______________________________________________

What is your feeling about people being cyberbullied?

__They deserve it

__It's too bad, but there is nothing we can do about it.

__It is a very serious problem and we need to stop it.

I have friends who (check all that apply)

__have bullied others

__have been bullied by others

__have cyberbullied others

__have been cyberbullied by others

__I have no friends.

Part III: Witness

How frequently have you been a witness to cyberbullying incidents?

___Never ___Once/Twice ___A few times ___Many times ___Almost every day

If you have been a witness to cyberbullying incidents, what is your normal response (check all that
apply)?
__Join in

__Cheer the cyberbully on

__Watch or look, but do not participate

__Leave the online environment

__Object to others, but not directly to the cyberbully

__Object to the cyberbully

__Try to help or befriend the victim

__Report the cyberbullying to someone who can help the victim

__Have not been a witness

__Other, specify________________________________________________

If you were cyberbullied at school or at home, would you report the cyberbullying to a school counselor,
teacher, or administrator?

____Probably yes _____Probably no

If you answered “probably no,” what are the most important reasons why you would probably not
report (check all that apply):

__I don't think school staff would understand or believe me

__I don't think the school would or could do anything to stop it

__I could get myself into trouble, because I could also be at fault

__I could get myself into trouble, even if I had done nothing wrong

__The cyberbully could get back at me and make things even worse

__Other students could make fun of me

__My parents could find out and might restrict my access to the Internet or other technologies

__I need to learn to deal with cyberbullying by myself

__Cyberbullying is no big deal. People should just ignore it

__Other, specify_________________________________________________

If someone was cyberbullying you at home or at school, would you tell your parent/guardian?

____Probably yes ____Probably no

If you answered “probably no,” what are the most important reasons why you would probably not
report (check all that apply):

__I don't think my parent/guardian would understand or believe me

__I don't think my parent/guardian would know how to stop it

__I could get myself into trouble, because I could also be at fault

__I could get myself into trouble, even if I had done nothing wrong

__They cyberbully could get back at me and make things even worse

__Other students could make fun of me

__My parents could find out and might restrict my access to the Internet or other technologies

__I need to learn to deal with cyberbullying by myself

__Cyberbullying is no big deal. People should just ignore it

__Other, specify_________________________________________________

Part IV: Your opinion

Please indicate your opinion to the following statements:

Cyberbullying is a normal part of the online world. There is nothing anyone can do to stop it.

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

I know of someone who has been really hurt by cyberbullying.

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

Things that happen online should stay online.

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

If someone is being hurt by cyberbullying, it is important to tell a responsible adult.

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

I would report cyberbullying incidents, if I could do so without anyone knowing it was me.

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

I have the right to say anything I want online, even if what I say hurts someone or violates someone's
privacy.

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

Adults should stay out of this.

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

I would like to create a more kind and respectful online world.

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

In school, I am very popular

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

In school, I have many friends

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

I have friends who are physically strong

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

Generally speaking, I am physically stronger than my peers

___Strongly agree___ Agree___ Neutral ___ Disagree ___Strongly disagree

In your opinion, what would be the most effective way to stop cyberbullying? Specify.
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