An analysis of the extent of cyberbullying awareness among the stakeholders in the selected public school in Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract

Lack of technological infrastructure and poor adoption of digital literacy in South African schools have been cited as some of the factors that impede the success of cyberbullying awareness implementation and monitoring initiatives in schools. The purpose of this study was to analyse the extent of cyberbullying awareness among the stakeholders in a selected public school in Gauteng, South Africa. To achieve this, a literature review on the latest international and local debates on cyberbullying and communication campaigns and strategies was undertaken. Self-awareness theory was used as the guiding theory for the study because of its ability to assess a person’s reaction to and behaviour after exposure to information. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a focus group interview with selected stakeholders (learners, teachers and parents). Through the use of discourse analysis to analyse the interviews, this study found that there was no cyberbullying awareness among the stakeholders within the school system. This lack of awareness was exacerbated by the technological knowledge gap, the non-implementation of a cyberbullying policy and the inability of schools to handle cyberbullying cases. It is recommended that the Department of Basic Education should conduct ongoing training sessions on the 2012 School Safety Framework, specifically on cyberbullying, and also infuse it into the performance management of school principals. This study will equip the school system to respond to cyberbullying and engage in proactive measures to prevent it. Academically, this study adds to the ongoing discourse on the scourge of gender-based violence in general and cyberbullying in particular as the school system gradually moves into online platforms