Cyberbullying: A TAFE Perspective

• NCJ Number: 227955
• Journal: Youth Studies Australia Volume: 28 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2009 Pages: 41-49
• Author(s): Barbara Reeckman; Laine Cannard
• Date Published: June 2009
• Length: 9 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

This study documented the incidence and methods of "cyberbullying" (a form of bullying perpetrated through an Internet service such as e-mail, chat rooms, discussion groups, instant messaging, or Web pages) among students enrolled in the Youth Unit at Australia's Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT) in 2007.

Abstract

When surveyed about cyberbullying experiences connected to NMIT, 9 percent of respondents reported experiences that involved other NMIT students, and 7 percent reported experiencing cyberbullying while on the NMIT campus. Thus, despite the high levels of access to technology by TAFE students, they report relatively low levels of cyberbullying. Most of their cyberbullying experiences happened during their secondary school years or were not linked to their being a TAFE student. Cyberbullying unconnected to TAFE was significantly higher than the range reported in the literature (58 percent of respondents had been targets compared to a literature range of 9-34 percent). A number of factors could explain this high level of general cyberbullying experiences. First, Youth Unit students often reported conflict with peers or bullying as reasons for leaving school. Coupled with this, many experienced higher levels of stress related to their health and social circumstances, which might lead them to engage in bullying behaviors. Another explanation is that Youth Unit students did not include a repetitive component in their conception of cyberbullying. One-time incidents were often cited as cyberbullying. The most common methods used in general cyberbullying were text messaging, instant messaging, and e-mail. It is not surprising that mobile phones are used most often to perpetrate cyberbullying, given that 98 percent of Youth Unit students have mobile phones. Recommendations are offered for how TAFE institutes can counter cyberbullying. 6 tables and 19 references