Caribbean Studies Internal Assessment

Theme: Cyber bullying

Topic: The effects of cyber bullying on the students of Cowen Hamilton

Secondary School.

Candidate’s Name: Nicholas Kristopher Charles

Candidate’s Number:

Name of School: Cowen Hamilton Secondary

Centre Number: 160016

Territory: Trinidad and Tobago

Date of Submission: February 2017

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE
Introduction and Purpose of Research

Acknowledgements

Literature Review

Data Collection Sources

Presentation and Analysis of Data

Discussion of Findings

Conclusion

Limitations

Recommendations

References

Appendices
Introduction
Background

Young people today are using the internet more than ever. The internet and more so mobile

technology are viewed as positive aspects of society. The internet and mobile technology are the

two biggest systems of communication which play a vital role in our daily lives and the

development of identities. However, these technologies can and are used in a negative way.

Cyber bullying is become an ever more alarming issue not only within Trinidad and Tobago but

worldwide. Cyber bullying is bullying that takes place using electronic technology to harass

others. Cyber bullying is a serious problem among teens and it can take many forms. Cyber

bullying can be very damaging to adolescents and teens and can have several negative effects.

Statement of Problem

This project seeks to examine the effects of cyber bullying on the students of Cowen Hamilton

Secondary School. This investigation into cyber bullying will be specifically looking at what is

cyber bullying. It will also specifically examine the negative effects of cyber bullying and the

ways that cyber bullying adversely affects students. The forms in which cyber bullying may take

will be indirectly examined.

Research questions that will also be examined include:

1. What causes someone to cyber bullying others?

2. .How can this issue be resolved?

Purpose of study

The main aim of this study is to highlight this marginalized issue and shed light on the negative

effects that cyber bullying can have on students. It will also add to existing literature written on

this issue. Cyber bullying is becoming ever prevalent in modern society since young people

always feel the need to be 'connected' through electronic technology which give individuals who

do cyber bullying an opportunity to do so.

Value of study

This study can be beneficial to both teenagers and adults so that they may be more aware of this

serious issue that teens face. This study allows the researcher in learning research methodology,

and within analyzing this issue and be able to propose possible solutions. This subject is also of

interest to the researcher since there have been multiple incidents within the school population.

The school administration can also benefit from this study.

Definition of terms

Cyber bullying: the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending

messages of an intimidating of threatening nature.

Electronic technology: this includes cellphones, computers and tablets.

Marginalized: treat (a person, group or concept) as insignificant or peripheral.

Specifically: having a special application, bearing, or reference; specifying, explicit or definite:

to state one's specific purpose.

Development: an event constituting a new stage in a changing situation.

Acknowledgment

I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher Mrs. Ellis as well as our

principal Mrs. Small who gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the

topic Cyber bullying which also helped me in doing a lot of Research and i came to know about

so many new things.

I am really thankful to them.

Secondly i would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finalizing this

project within the limited time frame.

I would also like to express gratitude to all respondents who filled out the questionnaire and did

so honestly and also those respondents that returned the questionnaires to the respondent.

I am making this project not only for marks but to also increase my knowledge.

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO HELPED ME.

Literature review

According to the article in The Trinidad Guardian “CYBERBULLYING AND YOUTH”, (2015)

cyber bullying is an old problem in a new guise and is a serious problem in Trinidad and Tobago

and is rapidly becoming an epidemic in more subtle and prevailing forms within the nation’s

schools. According to Belsey (2004) "cyber bullying involves the use of information and

communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an

individual or group that is intended to harm others" (Belsey, 2004).

The cyber world is part of the real world and cannot be viewed as separate or apart since bullies

possess similar motives for their deliberate and hostile behavior that are multiple and complex.

Cyber bullies intentionally inflict harm and put fear into others under the cloak of anonymity as

cyber bullying is covert in nature (Trinidad Guardian, 2015). According to Hinduja and Patchin

(2004) the act of cyber bullying is the unfortunate by product of the union of adolescent

aggression and its growth is a cause for concern.

According to various researchers, cyber bullying is different from traditional bullying due to the

anonymity that the Internet can provide. Cyber bullies do not have to take responsibility for their

actions due to the anonymity and cyber bullying is often outside of the legal reach of schools and

school boards since it often happens outside of the school (Belsey, 2004).This perceived

anonymity along with the safety of being behind a computer when one can’t be seen are ideal

conditions for cyber bullying to occur. Cyber bullying can occur at any time due to the new

epoch of the constant use of technology.

Heirman & Walrave (2008) list anonymity and infinite audiences, although they add other

concern, were the two main reasons for concern. These are 24/7 attainability, the private nature

of online communication, and the absence of non-verbal communication cues. As they describe
it, 24/7 attainability refers to the fact that the bullying follows the victims home and is present

online and on the victim's phones, all hours of the day. The internet never turns off and therefore

the victim can be bullied at anytime, anywhere that they have their computer or phone with them.

Cyber bullies inflict harm on others because they may feel the need to feel empowered, popular,

superior or may even be pressured by their peers to do so, others may have even be victims

themselves. Likewise, others may be motivated by anger, revenge, and frustration or even to

defend themselves or torment others. Forms of cyber bullying go beyond name calling and enter

a world of impersonation and cyber threats. According to Willard (2006), there are nine main

forms of cyber bullying: flaming, harassment, denigration, impersonation, outing, trickery,

exclusion, and cyber stalking and cyber threats.

There are numerous ways in which cyber bullies reach their online victims. According to Willard

(2006) these ways include sending cruel, vicious and sometimes threatening messages, creating

web sites with content about the victim without the victim knowing, or posting pictures online

asking other people to rate things such as social status in school.

Other cyber bullies may break into the victim's e-mail account to send e-mails posing to be the

victim engage the victim in a conversation via instant messaging and send the information

collected to other people, or take pictures of the victim without them knowing (Willard, 2006).

According to Beale and Hall (2007), the six main ways are email, instant messaging, chat

rooms/bash boards, small text messaging, Web sites, and voting booths.

Cyber bullying can affect victims both psychologically and emotionally evoking a variety of

different feelings.

According to the article in The Trinidad Guardian “CYBERBULLYING AND YOUTH”, (2015)

an individual that has been cyber bullied may become paranoid, embarrassed, trapped, frustrated,
experience depression, sadness, anger, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, loss of confidence, all of

which can propel him/her to participate in deviant behavior or even indulge in drugs and alcohol

or have thoughts of suicide which can negatively affect everyone around them. The article

continues by noting that cyber bullies are physically distant from his/her victim and are often

shielded from their target’s response. Cyber bullies fail to recognize the seriousness of the harm

they are deliberately inflicting. The negative psychological effects can be long term resulting in

poorer functioning in the child’s social and occupational roles, decrease in academic

performance, poorer mental/emotional health and various other adverse effects (Trinidad

Guardian, 2015).

According to studies done by previous researchers, cyber bullying is more likely than other

forms of bullying to go unreported to parents and administrators. This is due to victim feeling

that they need to learn how to deal with it for themselves and also being afraid that if they tell

their parents, their internet privileges will be reduced or taken away from them. It has been found

that 90% of respondents in the Juvonen and Gross study (2008) reported not telling adults about

cyber bullying incidents due to these reasons.

Work done by previous writers suggest that all students must be taught ways to respond

appropriately to cyber bullying and potential bullies must recognize there are serious

consequences associated with such behavior, including school discipline, litigation, and criminal

prosecution (Beale & Hall, 2007). Some writers suggest that more is known about proven

effective ways to combat bullying; care must be taken to monitor the outcomes of current

practices to help ensure that they result in the desired effects (Snakenborg, Van Acker, & Gable,

2011). This study lacks much information on how cyber bullying affects students and ways it can

be done away with, the study being done by the researcher seeks to fill the gaps in these areas.
Data Collection Sources
In order to carry out this research on the effects of cyber bullying on students within the Cowen

Hamilton community the researcher made use of both primary and secondary sources. The

method of primary data collection chosen was a printed questionnaire while secondary sources

comprises of texts, books, articles and the use of the internet.

PRIMARY SOURCES.A questionnaire is a set of pre-set questions given to persons who make a

population of study. For this study, a questionnaire was created in order to collect data from

respondents. A total of twenty three (23) questions were asked which consisted of (21) close

ended questions and (2) open ended questions. The researcher chose questionnaires since it is a

method of data collection which is appropriate as it allows for the collection of quantitative data.

Questionnaires are easy to distribute and generalizations can be made based on the data that was

collected and applied, in this case to the students within the Cowen Hamilton Community. It is

also a cost effective method when collecting data from a large sample.

Cowen Hamilton has an approximate population of six hundred and fifty (650) students. The

population sample was chosen using the stratified sampling method where the researcher divided

the population of Cowen Hamilton into groups based on their form level which may influence

the respondents answer then a probability sample was then drawn from each group. The sample

chosen represents the students who were cyber bullied at one point in their academic life. Thus

ninety (90) students were chosen to be in the sample (fifteen students from each form level). The

study was conducted in November 2016. Two week in the month of November (November 6th –

November 20th) was used to collect data for this study. The questionnaires were distributed to the

students of Cowen Hamilton and the respondents were given two (2) days to complete the

questionnaires and return them to the researcher. The researcher gave out ninety (90)
questionnaires, eighty eight (88) of which were returned to the researcher. The data collected by

the researcher were valuable and vital for the issue under investigation.

SECONDARY SOURCES. The secondary sources were used in order to gain a greater

comprehension of the issue under investigation. The sources used were a variety of books, texts,

online articles and E-books written by reputable persons. As there was not a large amount of

information within Trinidad and Tobago or the wider Caribbean, information from other sources

contributed to understanding the issue and also help gave examples and details. All the sources

mentioned helped the researcher to obtain information and a fundamental understanding of the

issue of cyber bullying.

 Presentation of Data

Question 9: Have you ever been cyber bullied in any way (text, pictures or video,
emails, websites, chat rooms, mobile phone calls or other?)

Fig 1: PIE CHART SHOWING IF STUDENTS WERE CYBER BULLIED IN ANY WAY

Have you ever been cyberbullied in any way?

Yes No

0%

100%
Question 10: If you answered yes to previous question, select which apply.

Fig 2: BAR GRAPH SHOWING WAYS STUDENTS WERE CYBER BULLIED

Ways in which students have been cyber bullied

35

30
P
e
r 25

c
e
n 20

t
a
g 15

10

0
Text Pictures or Email Websites Chatrooms Mobile
videos phone calls
Mediums through which students were bulllied
Question 11: How regular did the bullying occur?

Fig 3: PIE CHART SHOWING REGULARITY OF CYBER BULLYING AMONG

STUDENTS

Regularity of cyber bullying among students

14%

12%
Once a week
56%

18% Twice a week

Three times a week

More than three times a

week
Question 15: If you have been cyber bullied, do you think it has adversely affected
you?

Fig 4: PIE CAHRT SHOWING IF STUDENTS WERE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY

CYBER BULLYING

Students who were adversely affected by

cyberbullying

41%

Yes No
59%

.
Question 16: In what way did cyber bullying affect you?

Fig 5: BAR GRAPH SHOWING WAYS CYBER BULLYING AFFECTED

Ways cyber bullying affected students

40

35
P
e 30
r
c 25
e 20
n
t 15
a
10
g
e 5

0
Low self-esteem Depression and anxiety Decreased academic Suicidal thoughts
performance
Effects of cyber bullying

STUDENTS

.
Question 19: In which of the following areas were you targeted?

Table 1: TABLE SHOWING AREAS WHERE STUDENTS WERE TARGETED

Areas students were targeted by cyber bullying

For your appearance 38%

Because of your racial background 26%

Because of your sexual orientation 5%

For your intelligence 11%

For your self-worth 20%

Question 22: If you were being cyber bullied and you could not get it to stop by
yourself would you tell your parents?

Fig 7: BAR GRAPGH SHOWING LIKELIHOOD OF STUDENTS TO TELL THEIR

PARENTS THAT THEY ARE BEING CYBER BULLIED

Likelihood of students to tell their parents that they

are being cyber bullied

Very unlikely

Somewhat unlikely

Somewhat likely

Very likely

0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percentage of students

Question 23: If you saw or knew another student was being cyber bullied, would
you tell your parents or staff member?
 Fig 8: PIE CHART SHOWING LIKELIHOOD OF STUDENT TELLING THEIR
PARENTS OR STAFF MEMBER IF SOMEONE ELSE IS BEING CYBER BULLIED

Question 24: To reduce the possibility of being cyber bullied, you would……..?

Table 2: TABLE SHOWING WAYS SUGGESTED TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF

CYBER BULLYING

Ways suggested to reduce the possibility of cyber bullying

Not respond to the cyber bullying 64%

Talk to your parents and teachers about the 10%

issue

Educate yourself on cyber bullying 22%

Take matters into your own hands 4%

(retaliate)

Likelyhood of students telling their parents or

staff member if someone else is being cyber
bullied

8%
9%
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Somewhat unlikely
59% 24%
Very unlikely
Analysis of Data
Once the surveys had been completed, data was collected. Initial analysis identified key patterns

and trends through the creation of graphical representation of the data in the form of bar graphs,

tables and pie-charts. The open ended questions regarding the effects of cyber bullying was

divided into categories which could then be presented in graphical formats. It was observed in

Figure 1 that one hundred percent (100%) of the sample had been cyber bullied. This is because

only those who were cyber bullied were chosen to partake of the study.

In Figure 2, it shows the different ways in which students were cyber bullied. It is seen that

thirteen percent (13%) of the sample were cyber bullied through text, twenty seven percent

(27%) were cyber bullied through pictures or videos, twelve percent (12%) were cyber bullied

through emails, thirty one percent (31%) were cyber bullied through websites, eleven percent

(11%) were cyber bullied through chat rooms and six percent (6%) were cyber bullied through

mobile phone calls. Majority of the respondents were cyber bullied through websites which

would include social media websites (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp) since these are

what young people today use to stay connected. Hence, it is expected that the figure for websites

would be the most.

Figure 3 shows the result for the question, “How regular did the bullying occur?” In the pie chart

it is seen that the majority of the sample (fifty six percent (56%)) were cyber bullied more than

three times a week, eighteen percent (18%) of the sample were cyber bullied three times a week,

twelve percent (12%) of the sample were cyber bullied twice a week, while fourteen percent

(14%) of the sample was cyber bullied once a week. The majority of the sample responded that
they were cyber bullied more than three times a week; this is because the cyber-bully remains

anonymous therefore it is very easy for cyber bullying to occur multiple times.

Figure 4 seeks to answer the question, “If you have been cyber bullied, do you think it has

adversely affected you?” It is seen that majority of the sample (fifty nine percent (59%)) were

adversely affected by cyber bullying while forty one percent (41%) were not adversely affected

by cyber bullying. The majority of the sample answered “yes” due to the fact that being

constantly harassed online can take a toll on an individual both emotionally and psychologically.

Along with the fact that the victim feels helpless and tries to deal with it on their own, it will

adversely affect them.

Figure 5 deals with the ways in which cyber bullying has affected the students chosen in the

study. From the data collected, thirty eight percent (38%) of the sample were affected with low

self-esteem; twenty seven percent (27%) were affected with depression and anxiety, eighteen

percent (18%) were affected with decreased academic performance and seventeen percent

(17%) were affected by suicidal thoughts. Cyber bullying is a serious issue and can be mentally

and emotionally distressing for the victims which would cause them to be affected in the ways

shown above.

Table 1 illustrates the areas in which the students were targeted by cyber bullying. It is evident

by the data collected that thirty eight percent (38%) of the sample were cyber bullied for their

appearance, twenty six percent (26%) of the sample were cyber bullied because of their racial

background, five percent (5%) of the sample were cyber bullied because of their sexual

orientation, eleven percent (11%) of the sample were cyber bullied for their intelligence and

twenty percent (20%) of the sample were cyber bullied for their self-worth. From the
percentages obtained, the majority of the sample (38%) were cyber bullied because of their

appearance which something common among young people to judge based on physical

appearance especially on sites where pictures are shared (Instagram, Facebook, etc.)

Figure 7 seeks to develop the question, “If you were being cyber bullied and you could not get it

to stop by yourself would you tell your parents?” From the data it is clear that three percent (3%)

of the sample would be very unlikely to tell their parents that they are being cyber bullied,

eighteen percent (18%) of the sample would be somewhat likely to tell their parents that they are

being cyber bullied, forty eight percent (48%) of the sample would be somewhat unlikely to tell

their parents they are being cyber bullied and thirty one percent (31%) of the sample would be

very unlikely to tell their parents they are being cyber bullied. The minority of the sample

responded that they would be very likely to tell their parents that they are being cyber bullied.

This is very import to note since parents would not know what their children are going through

and they would not be able to provide the needed help for their children. The children try to

solve things for themselves and try to handle it alone, much to their detriment.

Figure 8 strives to answer the question, “If you saw or knew another student was being cyber

bullied, would you tell your parents or staff member?” It is evident that fifty nine percent (59%)

of the sample would be very unlikely to tell their parents or a staff member, twenty four percent

(24%) of the sample would be somewhat likely to tell their parents or a staff member, nine

percent (9%) of the sample would be somewhat likely to tell their parents or a staff member

while eight percent (8%) of the sample would be very likely to tell their parents or a staff

member. A staggering eight percent (8%) of the sample answered that they would be very likely

to inform a responsible adult. The rest of the sample however constitutes the bystanders who
allow the cyber bullying to continue since no one would speak up in behave of those who need

help.

The findings from the research suggest that cyber bullying is a serious issue that affects students

in many different ways. It therefore means that measures to reduce this should be a priority.

Among the initiatives seen in Table 2 to be taken sixty four percent (64%) of the sample

suggested that they would not respond to cyber bullying, ten percent (10%) suggested that they

would talk to your parents and teachers about the issue, twenty two percent (22%) suggested that

they would educate themselves on cyber bullying while four percent (4%) suggested that they

would take matters into their own hands and retaliate

 Discussion of findings

Several key points were revealed by the research conducted at Cowen Hamilton Secondary

School, most of which coincides with previous researchers. The main purpose of this assessment

was to explain what is cyber bulling, outline the effects of cyber bullying on students of Cowen

Hamilton Secondary, evaluate the motives behind cyber bullying and to formulate solutions that

can be implemented to rectify the ever growing issue of cyber bullying within the Cowen

Hamilton Secondary School population. Information established for the objectives stated above

were obtained from a questionnaire and a large body of research.

(Willard, 2006) in the Literature Review stated that there are numerous ways in which cyber

bullies reach their victims. These ways included sending cruel, vicious text messages, emails,

using websites and pictures and videos. This somewhat corresponded to what was found in the

study carried out since the majority of the sample was bullied through either websites and

pictures and videos while texts and emails had a smaller amount of the sample being bullied in

these ways. This would be to these ways being forums for private information going into the

public eye.

In the Literature Review Beale and Hall (2007) stated that the six main ways cyber bullying may

occur are: email, instant messaging, chat rooms, text messages, websites and voting booths. All

of these ways corresponded to the findings in the study conducted. These were the ways in which

most of the sample in this study that was conducted.

According to the Trinidad Guardian (2015) as stated in the Literature Review that an individual

who has been cyber bullied may experience depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, decreased
academic performance and suicidal thoughts. All of which corresponded to the results obtained

in the study conducted. The majority of the sample was adversely affected with low self-esteem

and depression and anxiety. Meanwhile, decreased academic performance and suicidal thoughts

weren’t as common as the others. Cyber bullying is a very serious issue and can severely affect

individuals emotionally and psychologically.

With reference to the Literature Review, cyber bullying is more likely than other forms of

bullying to go unreported to parents and administrators. This too reflected what was found in the

study conducted since only seventy nine percent 79% (very likely and somewhat likely) of the

sample) would tell their parents if they are being cyber bullied. Also when asked if they would

tell their parents or a teacher only 17% (very likely and somewhat likely) or the sample would

tell their parents that someone else is being cyber bullied. This stems from the fear that their

parents would overreact and revoke their internet privileges or even reduce the internet usage,

this motivates individuals to try to cope on their own without seeking any assistance.

As seen in the Literature Review 90% of respondents in the Juvonen and Gross study (2008)

reported not telling adults about cyber bullying incidents which coincided with findings in the

study conducted as on average 94% (not likely and somewhat likely to tell parents or staff

member about they or someone else being cyber bullied) would not tell and adult of cyber

bullying incidents.

In this study, further ways to combat cyber bullying were obtained as suggestions from

respondents along with in-depth research. Respondents suggested ways such as educating

themselves, not responding or even telling their parents. From research carried out as well ways
such as new policies and even monitoring by parents were some ways this problem can be

resolved.

By and large, the findings in this research have shed light on the extent to which the issue of

cyber bullying impacts on students. The findings will prompt students, parents and even the

government to try to alleviate this problem by taking the measures necessary to end cyber

bullying.
Conclusion
Upon the completion of this Internal Assessment it is clearly seen that there are numerous factors

which cause individuals to cyber bully others and the victims can be adversely affected in many

ways. It was also shown that there are many ways in which cyber bullying can occur and for a

variety of reasons.

The double-edged nature of modern technology, continuously balancing between risks and

opportunities, manifests itself clearly in an emerging societal problem. Cyber bullying is

becoming ever more prevalent as modern technology becomes ever widespread in today’s tech

savvy era. From this study cyber bullying can be manifested through many forms and can affect

individuals by developing low self-esteem, developing depression and anxiety, a decreased in

academic performance and having suicidal thoughts.

Limitations

While conducting the research on the effects of cyber bullying on students of Cowen Hamilton

Secondary School, the researcher experienced a number of complications that were almost

unavoidable. Among these were:

 Some persons were reluctant to take part in the study, by refusing to answer the

questionnaire.

 Not all questionnaires were completed and returned.

 Most of the individuals who took part in the research are unable to properly comprehend

some of the questions asked on the questionnaire.

 Cyber bullying being a relatively new type of bullying limits the amount of research that

has been conducted and therefore the amount of literature available for this review.

 As cyber bullying is relatively new this also limits the extensive research pertaining to the

effectiveness of the proposed prevention and intervention techniques and programs

Recommendations

Cyber bullying is on the rise with the advance and availability of technology at our fingertips.

Hence in order to alleviate this problem the researcher has the following recommendations to

make:

 Develop clear rules and policies to prohibit the use of school technologies to bully others.

 Educate students and staff members about what types of behavior constitute cyber

bullying and how the school district's policies apply to them.

 Provide adequate supervision and monitoring of student use of technology.

 Establish systems for reporting cyber bullying or misuse of technology.

 Establish effective responses to reports of cyber bullying.

References
1. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StudentCyberbullyingSurvey

2. http://www.cyberbullyhotline.com/10-01-12-edtech-digest.html

3. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20150802/cyberbullies-strike-schools

4. http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2011/06/27/cyber-bullying-rise-nation-s-schools

5. https://nobullying.com/the-effects-of-cyber-bullying/

6. https://www.verywell.com/facts-about-cyberbullying-for-educators-460708

7. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074756320900185X

8. http://rzukausk.home.mruni.eu/wp-content/uploads/Cyberbullying-assessment-

instruments-A-systematic-review.pdf

9. https://vsedgwick.edublogs.org/2011/02/25/cyberbullying-yes-or-no/

10. http://www.ijceronline.com/papers/vol1_issue1/D011023030.pdf

11. http://www.endcyberbullying.org/frequently-asked-questions-on-cyber-bullying/

12. http://community-matters.org/programs-and-services/cyberbullying-solutions

13. http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Lots-of-cases-of-cyber-bullying-204784491.html

14. Mohammed, Jennifer. Caribbean Studies for CAPE Examinations: An Interdisciplinary

Approach. (2007) Macmillan Publishers Limited.

15. The Trinidad Guardian “CYBERBULLYING AND YOUTH”, (2015)

Appendix

Copy of questionnaire

Hello, my name is Nicholas Charles and I am currently attending Cowen Hamilton Secondary

School and pursuing A Level studies. This questionnaire is based on the topic chosen for my

Internal Assessment of the Caribbean Studies course: Cyber bullying. The aim of this study is to

gather data to see how cyber bullying affects students within Cowen Hamilton population. This

questionnaire only takes about 3-5 minutes, you are required to answer all questions truthfully,

and there is no right or wrong answers.

1. Which age group do you belong?

o Under 12 years old

o 13-15 years old

o 16-17 years old

o 18-19 years old

2. What is your gender?

o Male

o Female

3. What ethnic group do you belong too?

o African

o East Indian
 o Mixed

o Other

4. What form level are you in?

o 1

o 2

o 3

o 4

o 5

o 6

5. Which of the following electronic devices do you have access to? (select all that apply)

o Computer with Email

o Ipad or Tablet with internet capability

o Cell Phone with text messaging capability

o Cell phone with picture capability

o Other

6. Approximately how many hours are you online on a typical day?

o Less than an hour

o 1-2 hours

o 2-5 hours

o 5 hours or more
7. What are your favorite online activities? (select all that apply)

o Communicating with friends

o Playing online games

o Social media

o Homework

o Shopping

o Other

8. Cyber bullying is…

o When some student bullies another student on the internet

o When you send mean text messages or pictures to another student

o When you call another student names online

o When you pretend to be another student online

9. Have you ever been cyber bullied in any way (text, pictures or video, emails, websites,

chat rooms, mobile phone calls or other?)

o Yes

o No

10. If you answered yes to previous question, select which ones apply
 o Text

o Pictures or video clips

o Email

o Websites

o Chatrooms

o Mobile phone calls

o Other

11. How regular did the bullying occur?

o Once a week

o Twice a week

o Three times a week

o More than three times per week

12. How long did the bullying last?

o Less than a week

o 1-2 weeks

o 3-4 weeks

o More than a month

13. Did you know the person bullying you?

o Yes
 o No

14. What are some of the feelings you felt when you were cyber bullied? (Select all that

apply)

o Feeling overwhelmed

o Feeling vulnerable and powerless

o Feeling disinterested in school

o Feel suicidal

o Feeling exposed and humiliated

15. If you have been cyber bullied, do you think it has adversely affected you?

o Yes

o No

16. In what way did cyber bullying affect you?

o Low self-esteem

o Depression and anxiety

o Decreased academic performance

o Suicidal thoughts

17. Are there any other forms of cyber bullying, involving the internet, mobile phones or any

other electronic devices, which was not mentioned?

 o Yes

o No

18. If yes, please describe the other forms of cyber bullying not mentioned.

19. In which of the following areas were you targeted?

o For your appearance

o Because of your racial background

o Because of your gender

o For your intelligence

o Your self-worth

o Other

20. Please share any personal experiences or stories you have had with cyber bullying.
21. If you saw someone was being cyberbullied what would you do?

22. If you were being cyberbullied and you could not get it to stop by yourself would you tell

your parents?

o Very likely

o Somewhat likely

o Somewhat unlikely

o Very unlikely

23. If you saw or knew another student was being cyberbullied, would you tell your parents

or a staff member?

o Very likely

o Somewhat likely

o Somewhat unlikely

o Very unlikely
24. To reduce the possibility of you being cyber bullying , you would

o Not respond to the cyber bullying

o Talk to your parents and teachers about the issue

o Educate yourself on cyber bullying

o Take matters into your own hands (retaliate)

Thank you for your kind cooperation