Cyberbullying: causes, effects, and remedies
| Pages | 652-665 |
| Date | 14 August 2009 |
| Published date | 14 August 2009 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09578230910981107 |
| Author | Dianne L. Hoff,Sidney N. Mitchell |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Cyberbullying: causes, effects,
and remedies
Dianne L. Hoff and Sidney N. Mitchell
The University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present research exploring the pervasiveness and causes of
cyberbullying, the psychological impact on students, and the responses to cyberbullying from
students and administrators. The goal is to give school leaders a greater understanding of this
phenomenon and suggest steps to deal with this challenging issue.
Design/methodology/approach – The data are collected from 351 students using a survey, which
contains limited choice, scaled response, and open-ended questions. This qualitative/quantitative
design enables collection of data from a large population along with rich qualitative data that expand
and explain students’ experiences.
Findings – The paper reveals that cyberbullying emerges most commonly from relationship
problems (break-ups, envy, intolerance, and ganging up); victims experience powerfully negative
effects (especially on their social well-being); and the reactive behavior from schools and students is
generally inappropriate, absent, or ineffective.
Research limitations/implications – This is self-reported data collected from a group of students
in one institution, who are asked to recall instances from their pre-college experience. Additional
research on from a variety of age groups and cross-culturally would add another layer of
understanding about cyberbullying among teens.
Practical implications – Technological advances have created new challenges for schools in
keeping students safe. This paper has implications for educational policy and practice, including steps
school leaders can take to curtail cyberbullying.
Originality/value – This paper builds on a small body of research on cyberbullying and focuses on
underlying causes, categories of psychological effects, and specific remedies.
Keywords Bullying, Leadership, Internet, Communication technologies, Schools,
United States of America
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Historian Howard Segal (Nagle, 2008) suggests that all technological developments are
mixed blessings, presenting society with both tremendous benefits and unexpected
burdens. This is certainly the case with technology in schools, for despite the endless
opportunity and access that technology can provide for learning, it has also become a
vehicle for cyberbullying, a burgeoning form of teen social cruelty (Harmon, 2004).
Educators are increasingly faced with the challenge of keeping students safe at
school – not only in their physical space, but also in a virtual world that has become a
very dangerous environment, with few rules and very little oversight (Shariff and Hoff,
2007). The pervasiveness and causes of cyberbullying in schools, the psychological
impact on students, student and administrators’ responses to cyberbullying, and the
steps school leaders can take to deal with this challenging issue are presented here.
Defined as “willful and repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic
text” (Patchin and Hinduja, 2006, p. 152), cyberbullying puts targets under attack from
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-8234.htm
JEA
47,5
652
Received June 2008
Revised November 2008
Accepted November 2008
Journal of Educational
Administration
Vol. 47 No. 5, 2009
pp. 652-665
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0957-8234
DOI 10.1108/09578230910981107
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