Social Psychology of Education

, Volume 17, Issue 3, pp 383–400 | Cite as

Teacher, parent and student perceptions of the motives of cyberbullies

  • Louise Compton
  • Marilyn A. Campbell
  • Amanda Mergler
Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Understanding the motivation of students who cyberbully is important for both prevention and intervention efforts for this insidious form of bullying. This qualitative exploratory study used focus groups to examine the views of teachers, parents and students as to the motivation of students who cyberbully and who bully in other traditional forms. In addition, these groups were asked to explain their understanding of what defines bullying and cyberbullying. The results suggested that not only were there differences in definitions of cyberbullying and bullying between the three groups, but also that there were differences in perceptions of what motivates some youth to cyberbully. The implications of these results are discussed for both prevention and intervention strategies.

Keywords

Cyberbullying Bullying Motivation Teachers  Parents  Young people Focus groups 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Louise Compton
    • 1
  • Marilyn A. Campbell
    • 1
  • Amanda Mergler
    • 1
  1. 1.School of Cultural and Professional LearningQueensland University of TechnologyKelvin GroveAustralia

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