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Professional Readings includes reviews of recent publications and highlights of reports on current issues that affect schools. Your contributions are welcome. Send them to principal@osu.edu. Please indicate if we may use your name in the “contributor” credits.
Books on Cyberbullying
by Kathy Cameron
Shariff, Shaheen. (2008). Cyber-Bullying: Issues and Solutions for the School, the Classroom, and the Home. New York: Routledge.
Shaheen Shariff illuminates shocking details regarding the prevalence and impact of cyberbullying and related issues. Her doctoral dissertation, “A system on trial: Identifying legal standards for educational, ethical and legally defensible approaches to bullying in schools” from Simon Fraser University in Canada, formed a foundation of knowledge for this book. Shariff covers studies, statistics, policies, types of cyberbullying, the biological and social influences that contribute to the development of male and female identities, gender roles in cyberspace, and possible solutions in several countries (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China, Thailand, India, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand). Shariff points out differing perceptions on “controlling” students’ access to cyberspace and on the varying ways adults and youth approach technology. She is careful to explain that bullying has always occurred, but that the medium through which it occurs has changed. She says that “It is those impulses that we need to address so that teens become more thoughtful about their actions” (p. 77).
In addition to cyberbullying, which Shariff says occurs among peers, she also addresses anti-authority cyber expression in her book. Anti-authority cyber expression is similar to cyberbullying in that it occurs in cyberspace and involves remarks that can be hurtful, but remarks are made about someone in authority, such as a teacher or principal, by someone under their authority, such as a student. Students sometimes believe that since they only intended for their peers to read the statements, they should not be held responsible if teachers read the messages (p. 195).
Shariff addresses the perceptions people may have regarding what spaces are public and what are private, which is a major debate relevant to cyberbullying. Students and teachers can continue conversations in cyberspace, affecting the ability to discern the distinction between what is considered to be on campus and what is off campus. She points out the fact that parents may think they are preventing their child from cyberbullying, but that parents may actually lack information and awareness that can help them keep their children safe.
Shariff does not place the blame solely on students for cyberbullying and anti-authority cyber expression, but rather suggests that teachers and administrators must be models of the behavior they expect to see in their students. She believes that teachers’ attitudes and interactions with one another could contribute to the problem (p. 123). She also notes that teachers can be left in the dust as their students become more and more technologically advanced, which can bring feelings of crisis to the teachers who value their status and authority over their students (p. 126).
In addition to addressing the issues of cyberbullying and anti-authority cyber expression, Shariff provides some recommendations of ways schools can address the issues and reduce or eliminate their presence. She makes the harsh point that schools that turn a blind eye to the issues of cyberbullying could in effect be tacitly condoning the practice (p. 207). Shariff’s book is an excellent read for anyone involved in education, including current educators, administrators, and future educators, as well as for parents of teens and preteens.
Kowalski, Robin M, Limber, Susan P., and Agatston, Patricia W. (2008). Cyber Bullying. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
Authors Robin M. Kowalski and Susan P. Limber are psychologists and faculty members at Clemson University and have spent years researching cyberbullying through a variety of methods, including surveys and focus groups. Co-author Patti Agatston is a psychologist and counselor in a large suburban school district in metro Atlanta. Limber and Agatston both work with the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which is referenced several times in this book.
This book was written for several purposes. One purpose was to educate parents, educators, and community organizations about the growing problem of cyberbullying. Another purpose was to empower the adults in the community to prevent this new form of bullying from becoming a regular experience for youth. Cyberbullying is a recent, fast-growing phenomenon in which students are harassed through a technological means, such as a cell phone, instant messaging program, or social networking site, by someone they may or may not know. Among the studies highlighted in the book, is one by the authors, focused on middle school children, which revealed that 12% of the students surveyed had been cyberbullied by one of their siblings (p. 75). Roles of individuals involved, from the child who bullies to the one being bullied, as well as roles of various supporters, followers, onlookers, and defenders are described by the authors (pp. 32-33).
The authors include an overview of children’s experiences with traditional bullying; a definition of cyberbullying, including the methods by which people cyberbully others and who may be perpetrators and victims, extant research on the topic of cyberbullying, what parents can do to deal with cyberbullying, what teachers and others who work with youth can do to deal with cyberbullying, legal and public policy related to cyberbullying, and suggestions for future research and policy decisions. The authors include suggestions and recommendations based on their research for how to deal with cyberbullying.
In Chapter 7: Laws and Policies, the authors answer questions about when school personnel may be held liable (under federal or state laws) for failing to address cyberbullying, the circumstances under which school personnel can address cyberbullying without fear of violating students’ First Amendment rights, and the circumstances under which school personnel can monitor or search student Internet records without violating students’ Fourth Amendment protections against illegal searches and seizures. Examples of several legal actions and their outcomes are included. The state laws listed in the book were current as of February 6, 2007, so they must be confirmed before being relied upon.
Cyberbullying, whether it occurs at school or outside of school hours, has a definite impact on the school environment. One student cited by the authors said that “the cyberbullying affected their friends’ social relationships and that they felt distrustful and fearful of others in their social circle (especially if the cyberbullying was anonymous)” (pp. 93-94). This resource is a good amalgamation of information for educators, future educators, administrators, and parents that includes data from research as well as personal comments from students. The authors are clear to point out that cyberbullying is still a new phenomenon, but they have also provided a starting point regarding what parents and educators can do to reduce or eliminate the occurrence and effects of cyberbullying so students can attend school without the harmful effects of cyberbullying.
Kathy Cameron, former graduate assistant for The Ohio State University P-12 Project, is a candidate for the DMA in flute performance from Ohio State. She is currently on the music faculty at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
