Abstract

Intro: Cyberbullying and other problems related to social media are growing concerns across the world with increased access to technology at home and in schools. Several studies have suggested that although instances of cyberbullying have increased in schools, teachers and other school staff members lack awareness of and training in identifying and preventing instances of it from occurring. The current study investigates school staff member awareness and perceptions of social media use and cyberbullying across two districts in Belize. Methods: A written 47-question survey regarding social media use and awareness and perceptions of cyberbullying was given to voluntary participants across primary and secondary schools in Belize. Results: A total of 39 participants responded with 15 males and 24 female respondents. Results indicated that teachers were “neutral” to whether cyberbullying was a problem in their school and majority of participants indicated they had never encountered an instance of cyberbullying. Almost all participants had never received training regarding handing cyberbullying, but many participants indicated they thought school districts should train staff in recognizing and treating instances of cyberbullying. Discussion: The results of the current study provide preliminary information regarding social media use and cyberbullying instances in Belizean schools. Teachers are lacking understanding, recognizing, and preventing cyberbullying instances in their schools and this should be addressed further in future research.

Advisor

Daniel Houlihan

Committee Member

Jeffrey Buchanan

Committee Member

Carlos Panahon

Date of Degree

2019

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Download

Share

COinS
 

Rights Statement

In Copyright