Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T03:13:40.231Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Qualitative Exploration of Cyber-Bystanders and Moral Engagement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2013

Deborah Price*
Affiliation:
University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Deborah Green
Affiliation:
University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Barbara Spears
Affiliation:
University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Margaret Scrimgeour
Affiliation:
University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Alan Barnes
Affiliation:
University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Ruth Geer
Affiliation:
University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Bruce Johnson
Affiliation:
University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Dr Deborah Price, School of Education, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, Mawson Lakes Boulevard, Mawson Lakes SA 5095, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Studies have found that moral disengagement plays a significant role in the continuation of bullying situations (Bonanno, 2005); however, the moral stance of cyber-bystanders — those who witness online bullying — is not yet clear. While research into traditional face-to-face bullying reported that peers would probably or certainly intervene to support victims in 43% of cases (Rigby & Johnson, 2006) actual intervention is reportedly much less (Atlas & Pepler, 1998; Craig & Pepler, 1997). Little is known, however, about the attitudes and behaviours of bystanders or witnesses when online, or their probable intentions to intervene. This study employed three digital animations of typical cyberbullying scenarios to explore young people's views of cyber-bystanders. Youth from Years 8–12 (mean age 15.06, N = 961) from one metropolitan secondary school in Adelaide, South Australia, completed an online survey after watching vignettes. To shed light on the rationale and thinking behind their understanding of bystanders and moral dis/engagement when online, this article reports on the qualitative responses from young people in relation to one of these animations/vignettes. The findings suggest that young people perceive cyber-bystanders to have the capacity to morally engage in cyberbullying incidents; however, there are various barriers to their active positive engagement. The implications can inform educators and school counsellors about possible ways to support students to intervene when they witness cyberbullying.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179211. doi:org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-TGoogle Scholar
Almeida, A., Correia, I., & Marinho, S. (2010). Moral disengagement, normative beliefs of peer group, and attitudes regarding roles in bullying. Journal of School Violence, 9, 2336. doi:10.1080/15388220903185639Google Scholar
Almeida, A., Correia, I., Marinho, S., & Garcia, D. (2012). Virtual but not less real. In Li, Q., Cross, D., & Smith, P.K. (Eds.), Cyberbullying in the global playground: Research from international perspectives (pp. 223244). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. doi:10.1002/9781119954484.Google Scholar
Armario, C. (2007, January 18). Police say videotaped beating of N. Babylon teen by 3 other teenage girls was about a boy that victim and one of her attackers had dated. Newsday. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://jea.sagepub.com/content/30/6/803.abstractGoogle Scholar
Atlas, R.S., & Pepler, D.J. (1998). Observations of bullying in the classroom. Journal of Educational Research, 92, 86100.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (2002). Selective moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency. Journal of Moral Education, 31, 101119. doi:10.1080/0305724022014322Google Scholar
Banks, M. (2007). Using visual data in qualitative research. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Bauman, S. (2010). Cyberbullying in a rural intermediate school: An exploratory study. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 30, 803833. doi:10.1177/0272431609350927Google Scholar
Berg, B. (2007). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (6th ed.), Boston: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
Bonanno, K. (2005, April). Online learning: the good, the bad and the ugly. Paper presented at the ASLA XIX Biennial conference, Meeting the Challenge, Canberra, Australia. Retrieved May 13, 2013, from http://www.kb.com.au/downloads/online-learning.pdfGoogle Scholar
Campbell, M., Spears, B., Slee, P., Butler, D., & Kift, S. (2012). Victims’ perceptions of traditional and cyberbullying, and the psychosocial correlates of their victimisation. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 17, 389401. doi:10.1080/13632752.2012.704316Google Scholar
Cowie, H., & Jennifer, D. (2008). New perspectives on bullying. Berkshire, England: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Craig, W.M., & Pepler, D.J. (1997). Observations of bullying and victimization in the schoolyard. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 13, 4160. doi:10.1177/082957359801300205Google Scholar
Craig, W.M., Pepler, D., & Atlas, R. (2000). Observations of bullying in the playground. School Psychology International, 21, 2236. doi:10.1177/0143034300211002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Creswell, J.W. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (3rd ed.). New York: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Cross, D., Shaw, T., Hearn, L., Epstein, M., Monks, H., Lester, L., & Thomas, L. (2009). Australian covert bullying prevalence study. Perth, Australia: Child Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University.Google Scholar
Guzell, J.R. (2001, November). Family life education in the digital age: Using digital media to increase participant involvement and understanding. Paper presented at the 63rd Annual Conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Rochester, New York.Google Scholar
Hill, T.E. (2010). Moral responsibilities of bystanders. Journal of Social Philosophy, 41, 2839. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9833.2009.01476.xGoogle Scholar
Hymel, S., Gregory, S., Trach, J., Shumka, E., & Lee, M. (2012, March). Moral disengagement when witnessing bullying. An investigation of morality and bystander behaviour in Canadian Schools. Poster presented at the 14th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Vancouver, Canada.Google Scholar
Hymel, S., Schonert-Reichi, K., Bonanno, R., Vaillancourt, T., & Rocke-Henderson, N. (2010). Bullying and morality: How good kids can behave badly. In Jimerson, S., Swearer, S., Espelage, D., Handbook of bullying in schools: An international perspective (pp. 101118). Routledge: Hoboken.Google Scholar
Jones, S.E., Manstead, A.S.R., & Livingstone, A.G. (2011). Ganging up or sticking together? Group processes and children's responses to text-message bullying. British Journal of Psychology, 102, 7196. doi:10.1348/000712610´502826Google Scholar
Kant, I. (2002). Groundwork for the metaphysics of morals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kohlberg, L. (1969). Stage and sequence: The cognitive developmental approach to socialization. In Goslin, D. (Ed.), Handbook of socialization theory and research (pp. 347480). Chicago, Illinois: Rand McNally.Google Scholar
Krebs, D.L., & Van Hesteren, F. (1994). The development of altruism: Toward an integrative model. Developmental Review, 14, 103158. doi:org/10.1006/drev.1994.1006Google Scholar
Kring, A.M., & Gordon, A.H. (1998). Sex differences in emotion: Expression, experience, and physiology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 686703. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.3.686Google Scholar
Laible, D., Eye, J., & Carlo, G. (2008). Dimensions of conscience in mid-adolescence: Links with social behavior, parenting, and temperament. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 875887. doi:10.1007/s10964-008-9277-8Google Scholar
Law, D.M., Shapka, J.D., Hymel, S., Olson, B.F., & Waterhouse, T. (2012). The changing face of bullying: An empirical comparison between traditional and internet bullying and victimization. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 226232. doi:org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.09.004Google Scholar
Manefield, J., Collins, R., Moore, J., Mahar, S., & Warne, C. (2007). Student voice: A historical perspective and new directions. Melbourne, Australia: Victorian Department of Education.Google Scholar
Menesini, E., Nocentini, A., Palladino, B.E., Frisén, A., Berne, S., Ortega-Ruiz, R., & Smith, P.K. (2012). Cyberbullying definition among adolescents: A comparison across six European countries. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15, 455463. doi:10.1089/cyber.2012.0040CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menesini, E., Sanchez, V., Fonzi, A., Ortega, R., Costabile, A., & Lo Feudo, G. (2003). Moral emotions and bullying: A cross-national comparison of differences between bullies, victims and outsiders. Aggressive Behavior, 29, 515530. doi:10.1002/ab.10060Google Scholar
Miles, M.B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Mishna, F., Khoury-Kassabri, M., Gadalla, T., & Daciuk, J. (2012). Risk factors for involvement in cyber bullying: Victims, bullies and bully-victims. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 6370. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.08.032CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Obermann, M.L. (2011). Moral disengagement in self-reported and peer nominated school bullying. Aggressive Behavior, 37, 133144. doi:10.1002/ab.20378Google Scholar
Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative research & evaluation methods (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Piaget, J. (1965). The moral judgment of the child. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Polanin, J.R., Espelage, D.L., & Pigott, T.D. (2012). A meta-analysis of school-based bullying prevention programs’ effects on bystander intervention behaviour. School Psychology Review, 41, 4765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rigby, K. (2004). Addressing bullying in schools: Theoretical perspectives and their implications. School Psychology International, 25, 287300. doi:10.1177/0143034304046902Google Scholar
Rigby, K., & Johnson, B. (2006). Expressed readiness of Australian schoolchildren to act as bystanders in support of children who are being bullied. Educational Psychology, 26, 425440. doi:10.1080/01443410500342047Google Scholar
Rigby, K., & Smith, P.K. (2011). Is school bullying really on the rise? Social Psychology, 14, 441455. doi:10.1007/s11218-011-9158-yGoogle Scholar
Rivers, I., Poteat, V.P., Noret, N., & Ashurst, N. (2009). Observing bullying at school: The mental health implications of witness status. School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 211223. doi:10.1037/a0018164CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salmivalli, C., Lappalainen, M., & Lagerspetz, M.J. (1998). Stability and change of behavior in connection with bullying in schools: A two year follow-up. Aggressive Behavior, 24, 205218. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(1998)24:3<205::AID-AB5>3.0.CO;2-JGoogle Scholar
Salmivalli, C., Huttunen, A., & Lagherspetz, K.M.J. (1997). Peer networks and bullying in schools. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 38, 305312. doi:10.1111/1467-9450.00040Google Scholar
Salmivalli, C., Lagerspetz, K.M.J., Bjorkqvist, K., Osterman, K., & Kaukiuanen, A. (1996). Bullying as a group process: Participant roles and their relations to social status within the group. Aggressive Behaviour, 22, 115. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(1996)22:1<1::AID-AB1>3.0.CO;2-TGoogle Scholar
Slee, P.T., Campbell, M., & Spears, B. (2012). Child, adolescent and family development (3rd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Slonje, R., & Smith, P.K. (2008). Cyberbullying: Another main type of bullying? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 49, 147154. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9450.2007.00611.xGoogle Scholar
Slonje, R., Smith, P.K., & Frisén, A. (2012). Processes of cyberbullying, and feelings of remorse by bullies: A pilot study. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9, 244259. doi:org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.05.024Google Scholar
Spears, B.A. (2012). A review of initiatives using technology to promote cyber-safety and digital citizenship. In Costabile, A. & Spears, B.A. (Eds.). The impact of technology on relationships in educational settings (pp. 188203). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Spears, B., Barnes, A., Johnson, B., Scrimgeour, M., Price, D., Geer, R., & Green, D. (2013). Cyber-bystanders, social context and moral dis/engagement. Manuscript submitted for publication.Google Scholar
Spears, B. & Kofoed, J. (in press). Transgressing research binaries: Youth as knowledge brokers in cyberbullying research. In Smith, P. & Steffgen, G. (Eds.), Cyberbullying through the new media: Findings from an international network. London: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Spears, B.A., Kofoed, J., Bartolo, M.G., Palermiti, A., & Costabile, A. (2012). Positive uses of social networking sites: Youth voice perspectives. In Costabile, A. & Spears, B. A. (Eds.) The impact of technology on relationships in educational settings (pp. 721). London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Spears, B.A., Slee, P., Owens, L., & Johnson, B. (2009). Behind the scenes and screens: Insights into the human dimension of covert and cyber bullying. Journal of Psychology, 217, 189196. doi:10.1027/0044-3409.217.4.189Google Scholar
Spears, B., Slee, P., Campbell, M., & Cross, D. (2011). Educational change and youth voice: Informing school action on cyberbullying (Seminar Series Paper No. 208). Melbourne, Australia: Centre for Strategic Education.Google Scholar
Thomas, L., Falconer, S., Cross, D., Monks, H., & Brown, D. (2012). Cyberbullying and the bystander (Report prepared for the Australian Human Rights Commission). Perth, Australia: Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University.Google Scholar
Trach, J., Hymel, S., Waterhouse, T., & Neale, K. (2010). Bystander responses to school bullying: A cross sectional investigation of grade and sex differences. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 25, 114130. doi:10.1177/0829573509357553CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wachs, S. (2012). Moral disengagement and emotional and social difficulties in bullying and cyberbullying: Differences by participant role. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 17, 347360. doi:10.1080/13632752.2012.704318Google Scholar
Yin, R.K. (1984). Case study research: Design and methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar