The threat in Online Education: Cyber Bullying
With the COVID-19 epidemic, education moved to the virtual environment in Turkey, as in many parts of the world. Between March and June 2020, teaching continued online. There was a lot of discussion about the content, broadcast, tablet teaching. The summer months passed with uncertainty and the debate flared up with the decision that schools will re-open (face to face) to kindergarten and grade one students on September 21 and Ministry of Education stated that this year the education will continue both online and face to face[1]. Cyberbullying is one of the issues that should not come into line in discussions. Do schools administrators, teachers, parents, and most importantly, students know enough about cyberbullying?
What is bullying?
In the General Turkish Dictionary of the Turkish Language Association, the bully (zorba) is described as “a despot, dictator (anyone) who does not give freedom of speech and behavior to those who are under his rule by trusting his power”. The origin of the word comes from Persian, zurbaz. Zurbaz means “wrestler who shows power”. In the psychology literature, bullying is defined as “the repetitive physical, verbal, psychological attacks or threats of a person or a group on the victim, who thinks they are too weak and weak to defend themselves, or as psychologically vulnerable”[2].
What about Cyberbullying?
As the number of researches conducted in the field of psychology and education increased, it was seen that there are many “wrestlers” in schools and workplaces, and adequate measures are not taken against bullying[3] in the education system and in the business world. It is known that students who are exposed to bullying at school deal with problems such as withdrawal from school and social environment, and decrease in academic success.
While the world met with the internet, smart phones and social media in the 2000s, “wrestlers who shows power” also took their place on the stage and cyberbullying was added to the bullying research. Bullying was brought into the cyber world through deliberate and regular messages, videos, and pictures aimed at hostility, intimidation and intimidation[4]. Cyberbullying works the same as traditional bullying. The bully identifies his/her victim and attacks him/her and presents the bullying he exhibits to his audience. If he/she wishes (mostly), he/she can do the bullying by hiding his name, photo, even with “fake” accounts and “troll” support. People in the role of “spectators” who ensure the continuity of the bullying either remain silent in the face of these attacks or help spread the violence by sharing the content.
Keep an eye on cyberbullying
With the pandemic period, education and business world has moved to the virtual environment. Numerous applications have entered our lives and we even had to make family meetings on Facetime, Whatsapp and Skype. In this period, when the use of social media is increasing, of course, cyberbullying was also discussed. In a study completed in August, researchers stated that as of March 2020, more tweets about “cyberbullying” have been tweeted, and that the concept of “cyber bullying” is more on the agenda compared to the pre-pandemic period[5].
Studies conducted until before the epidemic related to cyberbullying showed that the attack against the targeted victim in the physical environment (school, work, service, etc.) was mostly transferred to the virtual environment. For example, in various cases, a bullying case experienced within the school did not stay within the school boundaries, but the harassment continued through social media. Studies indicate that other scenarios may come to the fore in addition to this situation during virtual education[6]. Although the bully’s stay away from the victim has its positive aspects, it should not be forgotten that during the remote learning, new bullies may emerge who will hide behind their identities in social media applications.
What to do?
In the new academic year, online applications will play critical roles in students’ academic life. There are various measures that school administrators, teachers and parents can take to prevent bullying in the platforms and applications to be used:
· Zero Tolerance Policy
As in the traditional bullying approach, the school’s “zero tolerance” approach in cyberbullying will help prevent bullying from starting. Preparing lessons / materials / visuals that inform students about cyberbullying and reminding school rules will help determine the framework.
· Designing the environment for virtual learning in a way that does not allow bullying
Mockery and humiliation can act as sparks for bullying to begin. In an online class with cameras on, students’ privacy may not be protected during the class. A student who attends the lesson in a different environment than his / her classmates can be ridiculed due to reasons such as financial difficulties, technical inadequacies, and crowded household population. For this reason, teachers should not insist that students turn on their cameras unless it is absolutely necessary. In cases where the cameras are to be opened, a common rule can be determined (such as blurring the background, finding and loading a common background), and everyone can participate in the class in an equal environment. (Social injustice is also hitting us with the epidemic. There are not enough measures to inspect the virtual education service for those who do not have financial power and increase the quality. Let this be the subject of another article)
· Setting the framework by the teacher in online classes
Pre-determining rules such as when to turn on microphones, when to use the speaking section, and how to ask questions can increase the participation of students who have difficulties in online classes. Muting the microphones and providing online lesson attendance by the teacher will also help ensure online safety and privacy.
· Announcing how students will reach their teachers
Unlike face-to-face education, students who have lost contact with their teachers outside of class hours (break, club hours, etc.) may have difficulty in conveying their questions or situations that prevent them from participating in the lesson to their teachers. Knowing how to reach their teachers in such situations will make it easier for them to convey a potential bullying situation to their teachers.
· Continuing contact of students with the guidance service
Counseling service specialists, who have a very important role in schools to solve and prevent bullying, should not be cut off during the virtual education period with students. Knowing that students who are exposed to cyberbullying can get support from the guidance service will relieve the students in solving the problem.
· Updating of schools’ cyberbullying policies.
Schools that have received international accreditation and have applied to receive international accreditation prepare their school policies on issues such as general operation, emergency, bullying, and share them with their parents. As of March 2020, schools must prepare their policies, determine the rules, announce and implement the determined policies regarding the virtual education that schools have transferred. Determining the policies of the schools for the new academic year about virtual education, which the education system is caught unprepared for, will accelerate the adaptation of teachers, parents and students to the new system.
· Talk with your child
You can ask about his/her virtual education experience and whether there are any difficulties. You can talk about what he/she can do in a possible bullying case, what paths he/she can take, and say that you are always ready to listen.
What if?
What should you do if your child is being bullied, is on the bullying side, or thinks that a friend has been bullied? The answer is simple: Speak. So with whom?
· With your child:
If your child has shared with you that he/she has been deliberately and regularly threatened and taunted, talk to your child first without judging him/her. Ask him/her to tell you the details and stay calm. Remind how effective the “NO” answer is in case of bullying. Tell them that they can share their bullying with their teachers, the counseling service and the deputy principal (if any). Make him/her feel that you will always support him/her.
If you think your child is behaving like a bully (for example, if you constantly hear rude talking to a friend, teasing, seeing an image he/she shares with a friend during online classes), talk about the consequences of bullying without judging him/her. Remind them that it is almost impossible to completely delete the image or text they share from the internet, and read the school policies together, considering your child’s age.
If your child tells you that a friend has been cyberbullied, be sure to listen. Talk about your child’s feelings without judging the victim and the bully. Remind him/her to share this situation he/she witnessed with his teacher / school administrator / guidance service.
· With the school:
Inform your child, especially before contacting your adolescent’s teacher / school administrator / guidance service. Share what your child has conveyed to you with the school and if you have any screenshot, audio recording or video. Ask if you have a role in school policies.
[1] Parents with a valid excuse do not have to send their children to school and their children can choose online education option.
[2] Olweus, D. (1992) : Bullying among school –children : Intervention and preven- tion in R.Peters ,R. Mc Mahon, ve V.Quinsey (Eds) Aggression and Violence Throughout the Life Span Newburry Park ,CA ;Sage
[3] For business world “mobbing” is preferred instead of “bullying”
[4] Aksaray, Semra (2011). Siber Zorbalık. Ç.Ü. Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, Cilt 20, Sayı 2, Sayfa 405–432 407.
[5] Karmakar,S. & Das S. (2020) Evaluating the Impact of COVID-19 on Cyberbullying through Bayesian Trend Analysis. EICC ’20, November 18–19, Rennes, France
[6] Brittany Wong, 18 Eylül 2020 Is Bullying Less Or More Of A Problem With Remote Learning? https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bullying-problem-remote-learning_l_5f61214fc5b68d1b09c8dc16
