Cyber Bullying Survey

The Internet has created a whole new world of social communications, particularly for young people whose use of e-mail, websites, instant messaging, web cams, chat rooms and text messaging is exploding worldwide. While these new tools of electronic communication are widely used for positive purposes, they can also be a means through which children and adolescents bully and are bullied by their peers. There is little existing research on cyber bullying. In response to this knowledge gap, we conducted a study on cyber bullying in order to gain an understanding of the nature and impact of online bullying. This research was generously funded by Bell. In order to systematically examine the phenomenon of cyber bullying we administered a survey on cyber bullying of children and adolescents. Student participants in the study were drawn from schools within two school boards within the Greater Toronto Area; the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and UJA Board of Jewish Education (BJE). Twenty-eight schools (18 secondary and 10 elementary/middle) in the Toronto District School Board participated and five schools (2 secondary and 3 elementary/middle) in the UJA Board of Jewish Education participated. A representative sample of children and adolescents in grades 6, 7, 10 and 11 was surveyed once we received parental consent and student assent. The survey questionnaire was developed with the help of an advisory group, including personnel from both participating school boards and a number of other organizations. Two age-appropriate survey instruments (one for grades 6 & 7 and one for grades 10 & 11) were used to collect information on students’ experiences with cyber bullying. The survey used a random, multistage, stratified, and cluster sampling design in order to ensure heterogeneity of the sample, and to provide a more complete representation of the range of experiences related to cyber bullying. Within this design, all the classrooms within the grade range of the selected schools were chosen to complete the survey instrument. In addition, a convenience sample of parents, teachers, educational assistants and school administrators was surveyed regarding their knowledge of and experience with cyber bullying of students. Surveys for parents were translated into the appropriate language.This work was funded by Bell