Abstract

Results from recent meta-analyses have indicated that bully prevention programs tend to produce little discernable change in student behavior. Possible reasons include a lack of teacher buy-in and teachers' questioning about the effectiveness of such programs. Teacher buy-in is an essential ingredient when implementing and maintaining effective school-based interventions, including bully prevention programs. In order to examine teachers' perceptions, a questionnaire was administered to 66 high school teachers in a western U.S. urban high school. The questionnaire examined teachers' attitudes regarding the impact of cyber bullying on students; which intervening strategies teachers were likely to use when dealing with cyber bullying; and which prevention strategies would be most helpful in preventing cyber bullying at school. Descriptive statistics and effect sizes (Cohen's d effect size) were used to describe teachers' perceptions. Based on participants' responses, about 25% of teachers indicated that cyber bullying does not have long lasting negative effects, and that cyber bullying prepares students for life. When addressing cyber bullying, teachers were most likely to report incidents to administrators, talk to the cyber bully, and talk to the victim. Approximately 42% of teachers indicated that a formal bully prevention program that addressed cyber bullying should be implemented. Of proposed strategies to decrease cyber bullying, teachers perceived the following strategies as most helpful: increased parental involvement, warning students about consequences for cyber bullying, and increased consequences for cyber bullying. Administrators are encouraged to survey and consider teachers' perceptions before implementing formal bully prevention programs that target cyber bullying. Additionally, strategies should be considered to foster greater teacher buy-in, thus improving intervention fidelity and ultimately creating a unified effort focused on decreasing student cyber bullying.

Degree

EdS

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Counseling Psychology and Special Education

Rights

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