'The more public it is, the more severe it is': teachers' perceptions on the roles of publicity and severity in cyberbullying

Macaulay, PJR ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4891-9940, Betts, LR ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6147-8089, Stiller, J ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6122-5911 and Kellezi, B ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4825-3624, 2020. 'The more public it is, the more severe it is': teachers' perceptions on the roles of publicity and severity in cyberbullying. Research Papers in Education. ISSN 0267-1522

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Abstract

Those in the teaching profession are facing additional challenges when responding to cyberbullying due to the unique features of publicity and severity. Such features are known to negatively impact on young people's cyberbullying experiences. Teachers'views on publicity and severity of cyberbullying are currently unknown. The current research draws on data from 10 focus groups with 63 teachers (10 males) who taught across primary, secondary, and college educational levels in the UK. Reflexive thematic analysis identified three themes: (a) role of severity, (b) differential roles of publicity, and (c) bystander intentions. Participants discussed the role of severity, where visual acts of cyberbullying were perceived more severe than written forms, suggesting the type of cyberbullying is an important indicator in perceived severity. Participants acknowledged how cyberbullying can transition from private, semi-public, and public incidents, which influenced their perceived intervention strategies. Finally, levels of publicity were discussed regarding young people's bystander intentions, with public incidents of cyberbullying instigating positive and negative bystander intervention. The findings are discussed in relation to practical implications, especially the need to promote awareness for teachers on the issues of publicity and severity in cyberbullying.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Research Papers in Education
Creators:	Macaulay, P.J.R., Betts, L.R., Stiller, J. and Kellezi, B.
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Date:	18 May 2020
ISSN:	0267-1522
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1080/02671522.2020.1767183 DOI 1316561 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	20 Apr 2020 13:13
Last Modified:	18 Nov 2021 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/39697

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