THE CHARACTERISTICS AND DEGREE OF TRADITIONAL BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING IN THE SCHOOLS by

to the increase in the use of technological devices, bullying has changed to include a newer form called cyberbullying. Although a number of studies have examined the characteristics of children involved in cyberbullying, the results are unclear. The present study investigated the relationship between traditional and cyberbullying, as well as the relationship between demographic variables such as gender and ethnicity and cyberbullying. A total of 169 middle school students from Central California completed a questionnaire regarding their experiences in bullying. The results indicated that students involved in traditional bullying were also likely to be involved in cyberbullying. Ethnicity was significantly related to cyber victimization, with students identified as “other” more likely to be victimized. Gender was significantly related to traditional victimization, with females significantly more likely to be a victim of traditional bullying. Text-message and picture-phone bullying were more common than internet bullying, and students with greater access to electronic devices were more likely to be victims of cyberbullying. The results are discussed in terms of their possible impact on school policy