Research Article

Online attacks on teachers versus strategies to address cyberbullying and cyberaggression in the school ecosystem

Łukasz Tomczyk 1 *
More Detail
1 Jagiellonian University, Cracow, POLAND* Corresponding Author
Contemporary Educational Technology, 17(1), January 2025, ep546, https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/15663
Published Online: 28 November 2024, Published: 01 January 2025
OPEN ACCESS   435 Views   184 Downloads
Download Full Text (PDF)

ABSTRACT

The aim of the article is to present ways of resolving the situations related to cyberbullying and cyberaggression that occur in Polish schools. The research fills a gap (taboo subject) in the means of solving crisis situations related to attacks on teachers that occur online. The qualitative research (online interviews) conducted in Poland at the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 involved teachers who had been attacked by students and/or parents because of their profession. On the basis of the analysis and categorization (in the grounded theory stream), nine strategies were identified: educational and preventive actions targeted at students; working with the student’s family; removal of harmful content from the Internet; independent action by teachers; notifying the police; involvement of judicial authorities; individual consequences for the student; a combination of these different forms; and no response to the cyber-attack. The research was carried out as part of the digitally safer teacher project and is characterized by a praxeological dimension related to the special attention paid to the protection of teachers in cyberspace.

CITATION (APA)

Tomczyk, Ł. (2025). Online attacks on teachers versus strategies to address cyberbullying and cyberaggression in the school ecosystem. Contemporary Educational Technology, 17(1), ep546. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/15663

REFERENCES

  1. Arifin, S. (2020). Challenges for teacher profession in contemporary Indonesia: A regulatory analysis. Lentera Hukum, 7(2), 117–136. https://doi.org/10.19184/ejlh.v7i2.17718
  2. Beckstrom, D. C. (2008). State legislation mandating school cyberbullying policies and the potential threat to students’ free speech rights. Vermont Law Review, 33, 283–321.
  3. Berkowitz, R., Bar-on, N., Tzafrir, S., & Enosh, G. (2022). Teachers’ safety and workplace victimization: A socioecological analysis of teachers’ perspective. Journal of School Violence, 21(4), 397–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2022.2105857
  4. Bilbao Aiastui, E., Arruti Gómez, A., & Carballedo Morillo, R. (2021). A systematic literature review about the level of digital competences defined by DigCompEdu in higher education. Aula Abierta, 50(4), 841–850. https://doi.org/10.17811/rifie.50.4.2021.841-850
  5. Bjelajac, Ž., Filipović, A. M., & Stošić, L. V. (2022). Internet addiction disorder (IAD) as a consequence of the expansion of information technologies. International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education, 10(3), 155–165. https://doi.org/10.23947/2334-8496-2022-10-3-155-165
  6. Bo, M., & Onwubuya, G. C. (2022). The role of legislation in K-12 school discipline: The silence of action. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.916925
  7. Bostancı Bozbayındır, G. (2019). Cyberbullying and criminal law. İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası, 77(1), 425–450. https://doi.org/10.26650/mecmua.2019.77.1.0009
  8. Chen, F., & Cui, X. (2022). Teaching controversial issues online: Exploring college professors’ risk appraisals and coping strategies in the US. Teaching and Teacher Education, 115, Article 103728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2022.103728
  9. Chiovitti, R. F., & Piran, N. (2003). Rigour and grounded theory research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 44(4), 427–435. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0309-2402.2003.02822.x
  10. Chou, C., & Peng, H. (2011). Promoting awareness of Internet safety in Taiwan in-service teacher education: A ten-year experience. The Internet and Higher Education, 14(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.03.006
  11. Chou, H. L., & Sun, J. C. Y. (2017). The moderating roles of gender and social norms on the relationship between protection motivation and risky online behavior among in-service teachers. Computers & Education, 112, 83–96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.05.003
  12. Cichosz, W., & Tyburska, A. (2014). Profilaktyka agresji i przemocy w środowisku rodzinnym i szkolnym [Prevention of aggression and violence in the family and school environment]. Studia Gdańskie, (35), 93–110.
  13. Cox, T., Marczak, M., Teoh, K., & Hassard, J. (2017). New directions in intervention: Cyber-bullying, schools and teachers. In T. M. McIntyre, S. E. McIntyre, & D. J. Francis (Eds.), Educator stress: An occupational health perspective (pp. 411–435). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53053-6_17
  14. Espelage, D. L., & Hong, J. S. (2017). Cyberbullying prevention and intervention efforts: Current knowledge and future directions. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(6), 374–380. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743716684793
  15. Fredrick, S. S., Coyle, S., & King, J. (2022). Middle and high school teachers’ perceptions of cyberbullying prevention and digital citizenship. Psychology in the Schools, 60(6), 1958–1978. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22844
  16. Gabarda Méndez, V., García Tort, E., Ferrando Rodríguez, M. de L., & Chiappe Laverde, A. (2021). Pre-school and primary school teachers: Technological training and digital competence. International Journal of Technology and Educational Innovation, 7(2), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.24310/innoeduca.2021.v7i2.12261
  17. Gaś, Z. B. (2006). Profilaktyka w szkole [Prevention at school]. WSiP.
  18. Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: Concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Education Today, 24(2), 105–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001
  19. Greenberg, M. T. (2010). School-based prevention: Current status and future challenges. Effective Education, 2(1), 27–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415531003616862
  20. Gregory, A., Cornell, D., & Fan, X. (2012). Teacher safety and authoritative school climate in high schools. American Journal of Education, 118(4), 401–425. https://doi.org/10.1086/666362
  21. Jaskulska, S., Jankowiak, B., Pérez-Martínez, V., Pyżalski, J., Sanz-Barbero, B., Bowes, N., Claire, K. D., Neves, S., Topa, J., Silva, E., Mocanu, V., Gena Dascalu, C., & Vives-Cases, C. (2022). Bullying and cyberbullying victimization and associated factors among adolescents in six European countries. Sustainability, 14(21), Article 14063. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114063
  22. Johnson, R. B. (1997). Examining the validity structure of qualitative research. Education, 118(2), 282–292.
  23. Karabatak, S., & Karabatak, M. (2018). Teachers’ knowledge levels about virtual information security. In Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Digital Forensic and Security (pp. 1–5). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/isdfs.2018.8355330
  24. Kong, Z., Xue, J., Wang, Y., Huang, L., Niu, Z., & Li, F. (2021). A survey on adversarial attack in the age of artificial intelligence. Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, 2021(1), Article 4907754. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/4907754
  25. Kopecký, K., & Szotkowski, R. (2017). Specifics of cyberbullying of teachers in Czech schools–A national research. Informatics in Education, 16(1), 103–119. https://doi.org/10.15388/infedu.2017.06
  26. López, V., Benbenishty, R., Astor, R. A., Ascorra, P., & González, L. (2020). Teachers victimizing students: Contributions of student-to-teacher victimization, peer victimization, school safety, and school climate in Chile. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 90(4), 432–444. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000445
  27. Macaulay, P. J. R., Betts, L. R., Stiller, J., & Kellezi, B. (2018). Perceptions and responses towards cyberbullying: A systematic review of teachers in the education system. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 43, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2018.08.004
  28. Marczak, M., & Coyne, I. (2010). Cyberbullying at school: Good practice and legal aspects in the United Kingdom. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 20(2), 182–193. https://doi.org/10.1375/ajgc.20.2.182
  29. Marín-López, I., & Zych, I. (2024). Bullying, cyberbullying, and social, emotional, and moral competencies. In A. L. C. Fung (Ed.), Cyber and face-to-face aggression and bullying among children and adolescents: New perspectives, prevention and intervention in schools (pp. 72–87). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003414933-7
  30. Mascia, M. L., Agus, M., Zanetti, M. A., Pedditzi, M. L., Rollo, D., Lasio, M., & Penna, M. P. (2021). Moral disengagement, empathy, and cybervictim’s representation as predictive factors of cyberbullying among Italian adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3), Article 1266. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031266
  31. McMahon, S. D., Bare, K. M., Cafaro, C. L., Zinter, K. E., Garcia-Murillo, Y., Lynch, G., McMahon, K. M., Espelage, D. L., Reddy, L. A., Anderman, E. M., & Subotnik, R. (2023). Understanding parent aggression directed against teachers: A school climate framework. Learning Environments Research, 26(3), 915–931. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-023-09460-2
  32. Mihailidis, P., Shresthova, S., & Fromm, M. (2021). Transformative media pedagogies. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003031246
  33. Miller, T. W., Kraus, R. F., & Veltkamp, L. J. (2005). Character education as a prevention strategy in school-related violence. Journal of Primary Prevention, 26, 455–466. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-005-0004-x
  34. Oksanen, A., Celuch, M., Latikka, R., Oksa, R., & Savela, N. (2021). Hate and harassment in academia: The rising concern of the online environment. Higher Education, 84(3), 541–567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00787-4
  35. Pace, J. L. (2019). Contained risk-taking: Preparing preservice teachers to teach controversial issues in three countries. Theory & Research in Social Education, 47(2), 228–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2019.1595240
  36. Pennell, D., Campbell, M., Tangen, D., & Knott, A. (2021). Should Australia have a law against cyberbullying? Problematising the murky legal environment of cyberbullying from perspectives within schools. The Australian Educational Researcher, 49(4), 827–844. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-021-00452-w
  37. Pfaffinger, K. F., Reif, J. A. M., Spieß, E., & Berger, R. (2020). Anxiety in a digitalised work environment. Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift Für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO), 51(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11612-020-00502-4
  38. Piccoli, V., Carnaghi, A., Grassi, M., Stragà, M., & Bianchi, M. (2020). Cyberbullying through the lens of social influence: Predicting cyberbullying perpetration from perceived peer-norm, cyberspace regulations and ingroup processes. Computers in Human Behavior, 102, 260–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.09.001
  39. Pospiszyl, I. (2008). Patologie społeczne. Resocjalizacja [Social pathologies. Resocialization]. PWN.
  40. Prigol, E. L., & Behrens, M. A. (2019). Grounded theory: Methodology applied in education research. Educação & Realidade, 44(3), Article e84611. https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-623684611
  41. Pyżalski, J., Plichta, P., Szuster, A., & Barlińska, J. (2022). Cyberbullying characteristics and prevention–What can we learn from narratives provided by adolescents and their teachers? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), Article 11589. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811589
  42. Rajbhandari, J., & Rana, K. (2022). Cyberbullying on social media: An analysis of teachers’ unheard voices and coping strategies in Nepal. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 5(2), 95–107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42380-022-00121-1
  43. Romero Rodrigo, M., Gabarda Méndez, C., Cívico Ariza, A., & Cuevas Monzonís, N. (2021). Families at the crossroads of media and information literacy. International Journal of Technology and Educational Innovation, 7(2), 46–58. https://doi.org/10.24310/innoeduca.2021.v7i2.12404
  44. Saladino, V., Eleuteri, S., Verrastro, V., & Petruccelli, F. (2020). Perception of cyberbullying in adolescence: A brief evaluation among Italian students. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.607225
  45. Sanders, C. E. (2022). Cyberbullying: Definition, prevalence, risk factors, consequences, and prevention. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367198459-reprw25-1
  46. Schimmel, D., & Militello, M. (2007). Legal literacy for teachers: A neglected responsibility. Harvard Educational Review, 77(3), 257–284. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.77.3.842n787555138746
  47. Šimandl, V., & Vaníček, J. (2017). Influences on ICT teachers knowledge and routines in a technical e-safety context. Telematics and Informatics, 34(8), 1488–1502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.06.012
  48. Sonck, N., & de Haan, J. (2014). Safety by literacy? Rethinking the role of digital skills in improving online safety. In S. van der Hof, B. van den Berg, & B. Schermer (Eds.), Minding minors wandering the Web: Regulating online child safety (pp. 89–104). TMC Asser Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-005-3_5
  49. Sorrentino, A. & Farrington, D. (2019). Individual, family, peer, and school risk factors for teacher victimization. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 19(4), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2019.4.001
  50. Suharyanta, S. (2020). Implementation of legal protection for teachers to tackling criminal acts of persecution. MAGISTRA Law Review, 1(2), 94–102. https://doi.org/10.35973/malrev.v1i2.1613
  51. Surmiak, A. (2022). Etyka badań jakościowych w praktyce [Ethics of qualitative research in practice]. Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.
  52. Szyszka, M., Tomczyk, Ł., & Kochanowicz, A. M. (2022). Digitalisation of schools from the perspective of teachers’ opinions and experiences: The frequency of ICT use in education, attitudes towards new media, and support from management. Sustainability, 14(14), Article 8339. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148339
  53. Thompson, R. (2021). Teachers and cyberbullying: Interventions, workarounds and frustrations. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 50(2), 187–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866x.2021.1895967
  54. Tomczyk, Ł. (2023). New media pedagogy: Research trends, methodological challenges and successful implementations. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44581-1
  55. Tomczyk, Ł. (2024). Digital competence among pre-service teachers: A global perspective on curriculum change as viewed by experts from 33 countries. Evaluation and Program Planning, 105, Article 102449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2024.102449
  56. Tomczyk, Ł., Fedeli, L. (2022). Digital literacy for teachers. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1738-7
  57. Tomczyk, Ł., Guillén-Gámez, F. D., Llorent, V. (2024a). Teacher digital and media competence in cyber security–A perspective on individual resilience to online attacks. In Ł. Tomczyk (Ed.), New media pedagogy: Research trends, methodological challenges, and successful implementations. NMP 2023. Communications in computer and information science (pp. 1–23). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-63235-8_1
  58. Tomczyk, Ł., Guillén-Gámez, F. D., Mascia, M. L., & Llorent, V. J. (2024b). How are teachers being attacked online? On cyberbullying and cyberaggression that targets school educators from the student’s perspective. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 14(3), Article e202431. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/14602
  59. Torres-Hernández, N., & Gallego-Arrufat, M. J. (2022). Indicators to assess preservice teachers’ digital competence in security: A systematic review. Education and Information Technologies, 27(6), 8583–8602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10978-w
  60. Young, R., & Tully, M. (2019). ‘Nobody wants the parents involved’: Social norms in parent and adolescent responses to cyberbullying. Journal of Youth Studies, 22(6), 856–872. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2018.1546838
  61. Zahuri, D., & Israhadi, E. (2021). Juridic review of legal protection towards teachers as educators. In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Law, Social Science, Economics, and Education. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.6-3-2021.2306193
  62. Zakia, R., & Yana, D. (2023). English teachers’ perception of security in digital literacy competence. Journal on Education, 5(3), 8873–8882. https://doi.org/10.31004/joe.v5i3.1685
  63. Zăvoianu, E.-A., & Sun, K. (2022). Can teachers be victims of cyberbullying? Technium Social Sciences Journal, 33, 92–97. https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v33i1.6843