Cyberbullying is most prevalent in secondary education, studies such as those of Ortega-Barón, Buelga and Cava (2016) ans Sakellariou, Carroll and Houghton (2012) indicate, encouraging many intervention programs to target this age group. From a review of the validated program used for the prevention and intervention on cyberbullying in primary education, it can be seen that they focus primarily on peer-to-peer bullying, but do not cover Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) related aspects. In response, a new program aimed at preventing cyberbullying has been developed, implanted, and evaluated as part of the primary education (Spanish Royal Decree 126/2014) curriculum. Prior to designing the program, a need analysis involving 55 teachers and 156 parents from five public primary schools of the province of Castellón was carried out to fins out that all parents consider it necessary for schools to offer preventive guidance on ICT risks and about teachers, around 80% have no guidance to follow when it comes to dealing with situations involving cyberbullying and the 57% think that without the help of other professionals they do not feel capable of resolving conflicts derived from the use of ICT.
The objective of their study is to evaluate the program's impact on 159 primary school students (77 in the experimental group and 82 in the control group) and at the same time doing training sessions for teachers and parents.
The design of the program entitled Living in harmony in the real and digital world takes into account both the necessities detected in the prior needs analysis with teachers and parents, and the elements considered essential for the prevention of situations of violence.
The program consists of 60 activities integrated into the curricula of Social Sciences, Natural Science, and Spanish Language and Literature, focusing on personal, social, and technological skills. Each activity takes about 15–20 minute and uses diverse methods like individual work, brainstorming, case studies, and guided discussions. The resources include student activity cards and detailed teacher guidelines on some content, also methodology, and materials. For example, a 6th-year activity on technological skills teaches students to identify cyberbullying risks and create prevention slogans for it.
Therefore, teacher training involves three two-hour sessions covering ICT use, cyberbullying detection, prevention strategies, and response actions. Similarly, family training includes three sessions on ICT risks, prevention tools, and recognizing and addressing cyberbullying involvement. Both courses blend theoretical insights and practical discussions.
The findings reveal significant improvement in the experimental from regarding emotional self awareness and problem-solving abilities, observed before and after the program's implementation. This suggests that the students developed these skills through their participation in the program, a significant achievement considering that cyberbullying is recognized as a social and emotional risk factor linked to psychological issues (Gómez, Romera & Ortega, 2017; Moreno, Estévex, Murgui, & Musitu, 2009). The results indicate that students gained a better understanding of what constitutes proper ICT use, how to apply it, and the potential risks involved. This awareness has encouraged them to reflect on their own ICT habits. These findings align with the work of Rohatgi, Scherer and Hatlevik (2016), who highlights a strong connection between ICT use, self-efficacy, and digital literacy.
Additionally, changes in the dimensions of digital teaching tutoring and family supervision suggest that targeted training for teaching and parents has given positive outcomes. These results support prior research emphasizing the crucial role of families (OfCom, 2016) and schools as protective factors against cyberbullying (Blau & Shamir-Inbal, 2017; Ortega-Barón et al., 2016). The study concludes that the program is effective in enhancing student's personal and technological skills while positively influencing teacher and parent roles in guidance and supervision.
When do you think training programs about ICT use for teachers and parent should start? Before, at the same time, or after their children learn how to use them.
R. F., Miedes, A. C., & Oliver, M. R. (2019). Effect of a cyberbullying prevention program integrated in the primary education curriculum. Revista de Psicodidáctica, 25(1), 23-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psicoe.2019.08.004
This blog really made me reflect on the importance of early education about ICT risks. I agree that both teachers and parents need proper training before children start using technology so they can guide them effectively. The findings of this study are eye-opening, especially the fact that many teachers feel unprepared to handle cyberbullying cases. It shows how crucial it is to integrate digital safety into school curricula. I believe that by educating both students and adults, we can create a safer online environment for everyone.
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