A Study of Educators Experience in Managing Cyberbullying

Cyber bullying; the act of hurting someone with the use of advanced technology, has become a significant problem in educational institutions around the world. While schools have policies in place related to on-site bullying, they have yet to develop policies related to cyber bullying. Administrators found assessing educator responses to student concerns difficult. However, the proposed hermeneutic phenomenological study is to discover how educators in the secondary school experience managing cyber bullying. Specifically, the purpose is to explore the perceptions of secondary educators’ experience from the direct experiences related to them by their students. The goal of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to explore the phenomenon of cyber bullying and its perceived management by educators who have dealt with students’ ages 12–17 years old. The overarching research question that this qualitative study will evaluate is: how do educators experience managing cyber bullying? The use of Vygotsky’s (1986) sociocultural learning theory along with Maslow’s (1943) hierarchy of needs may give a focused perspective at the problem and possible solutions. Securing a safe environment for students assists parents of school-aged children who have been cyberbullied. With the impact of social networking, the home has become a high priority where safety is now threatened. The findings of this study may initiate a closing of gap to understand how policies may assist in cyberbullying issues