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An interpretative phenomenological analysis study on the effects of cyberbullying on public school children in Central Pennsylvania
Dissertation   Open access

An interpretative phenomenological analysis study on the effects of cyberbullying on public school children in Central Pennsylvania

Carl Lance Krause
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
01 Mar 2015
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-6428
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Abstract

Cyberbullying--Public schools--Pennsylvania Cyberbullying--Rural schools--Pennsylvania Educational leadership Education
This research study was an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the impact bullying and cyber-bullying had on students, their caregivers, their families and how these incidents altered lives as evidenced from interviewing a small, rural school district in Central Pennsylvania. Interviews were conducted with students and their caregivers to examine how the bullying incidents changed the manner in which the volunteers conducted their routine in the school and at home. Applying a grounded theory approach to analyze the collected data to develop themes, the researcher came to understand the phenomena in terms of the stories told by these student volunteers and their caregivers. Purposeful sampling was used to identify potential candidates for the interview process by seeking out the assistance of the district guidance counselor. The primary research question sought to understand the events regarding how the student became a victim of bullying and cyber-bullying, with the researcher conducting personal interviews with the students and their caregivers to recall the events. The interviews also explored the manner in which the students' friends treated them as the process unfolded, both in face to face meetings and by means of contact using different social media sites, how their days in school were impacted, what support they received from the adults in their lives and the types of strategies the students used in an attempt to control the situation. The research illuminated a range of outcomes for the victims of the attacks, from an annoying distraction to depression and consideration of suicide. The research exposed the limits school officials find themselves when confronting a bullying situation which takes place outside the school day and the negative impression left on the victims of these attacks and their families. The manner in which digital natives and digital immigrants use the information and communication technologies became readily apparent.

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