The master thesis was about cyberbullying among students in elementary school, where I was interested in how the elementary school could change the way it responds or upgrade its system of operation in the mentioned phenomenon. In the theoretical part, I focused on bullying among students, its types and forms, and its prevalence. I described cyberbullying - its definitions, in what forms and in what way it manifests itself, what roles students take on cyberbullying and its prevalence in Slovenia and elsewhere. I presented various guidelines and recommendations related to the prevention of cyberbullying and the models and programs that have already been created to deal with cyberbullying among students. I also described the help points that people who have experienced violence can turn to.
The purpose of the master thesis was to investigate the phenomenon of cyberbullying among students at a selected elementary school through the eyes of the counseling service and students. I did this through the empirical part of the research in the form of qualitative research, where I conducted a semi-structured interview with two school counselors and five students who had already experienced cyberbullying (in the role of perpetrator, victim or observer). The results of the research showed that the interviewed persons are well acquainted with cyberbullying among students and describe it similarly to the authors in the theoretical starting point, perceive its specifics and define it as a phenomenon connected with the use of mobile devices and the internet. They are familiar with preventive activities, and the school counseling service faces various problems when dealing with cyberbullying among students, such as the lack of control over the phenomenon and the lack of authority to take action when it occurs. Some believe that the occurrence of online violence between students is not a concern of the school, since it does not take place on school premises. They gave suggestions on how the school and the school counseling service can react more appropriately and prevent online violence among students. To a large extent, the proposals coincide with the guidelines and recommendations on dealing with online violence among students, which are written in the theoretical starting point. They empasizet the importance of witness of cyberbullying, strengthening of the relationship between the student and the teacher/professional worker, the inclusion of students in the adoption of preventive activities and the importance of educating teachers about cyberbullying and the use of ICT.
|