Social Studies School Based Assessment

Name: Megan Allan

Candidate Number: 0300330014

School: St. Winifred’s School

School Code: 030033

Teacher: Mrs. C. Forde

Date of Submission: March, 2024

Topic: Social Issues

PAGE

Acknowledgments 1

Statement of Problem 2

Introduction 3

Reason for selecting the area of research 4

Methods of investigation 5

Data-collection instrument 6

Procedures used to collect data 9

Presentation of data 10

Analysis and interpretation of data 13

Statement of findings 15

Recommendations and implementation strategy 17

Bibliography 19
 Acknowledgments

I would like to express my sincerest thanks to my Social Studies teacher, Mrs.

Forde, who was of utmost help and it is thanks to her guidance that this School-Based

Assessment (SBA) is completed. I would also like to thank my parents for their

support. Appreciation must also be given to the students who participated in the

questionnaire.

1
 Statement of Problem:

To what extent do the effects of cyberbullying differ from those of traditional

bullying?

Research Questions

1. Does cyberbullying or traditional bullying occur more frequently?

2. How much does traditional bullying and cyberbullying impact mental health?

3. How can victims and their family/or and schools deal with cyberbullying?

2
 Introduction

Bullying has always been a problem in society, particularly in schools, where

the gathering of so many young people is bound to produce some issues. When you

think of bullying, you usually think of children shoving each other against lockers,

demanding lunch money, or harassing students in class while others snicker. What

you do not usually think of is children terrorizing each other online through texting or

social media.

According to ChatGPT, Cyberbullying is using digital technology to harass

and intimidate another person. This can be sending cruel messages to someone,

spreading lies about a peer, and circulating harmful photos of another person, just to

name a few ways. This type of bullying has arisen with the digital age and no one is

excluded from its possible implications.

This research paper will go into detail on the impact of cyberbullying in

comparison to traditional bullying; on victims, on bystanders, on offenders, and on

society. It will seek to identify what it is exactly that makes cyberbullying particularly

damaging and how to combat this increasing social problem.

3
 Reason for Selecting Area of Research

I selected my topic because I have had experience with cyberbullying before

and I have witnessed how people can do it so easily and just get away with it. I am

curious to know how the minds of the offenders worked, and how cyberbullying could

possibly be worse than traditional bullying as it can affect people on a wider scale and

in complete secrecy and anonymity.

This topic is also very relevant to this day and age as cyberbullying is only a

recent development, not even dating back 50 years. We are still trying to understand

and control it, and therefore, I hope that this research paper will be useful in assisting

victims and school officials in being better equipped to deal with this growing

concern.

4
 Method of Investigation

This research paper will be done using an anonymous questionnaire. It

consists of fourteen questions, including four (4) open-ended questions and ten (10)

closed, multiple-choice questions. This questionnaire will be distributed to thirty (30)

senior students of St. Winifred’s School to complete (4th and 5th formers). The

questionnaire was chosen because:

1. It is anonymous. People will be more open with their answers when they know

it cannot be traced back to them.

2. It is standardized. All participants receive the same set of questions in a

questionnaire which regulates the process and provides more objective data.

3. It is efficient. Questionnaires can be administered quickly and usually do not

take more than 20 minutes to complete. This saves time and resources.

5
 Data-Collecting Instrument

Please tick the box you feel is the correct answer. Answer the open-ended

questions to the best of your ability.

Sex: Male Female

Age: 11-12 13-14 15-16

1. What are the similarities between cyberbullying and traditional bullying?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Have you ever been the victim of cyberbullying (receiving hurtful messages, etc.)

or traditional bullying (physical aggression, etc.)?

I have been cyberbullied I have been traditionally bullied

I have not been bullied

3. In your opinion, what are the differences between traditional bullying and

cyberbullying?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

4. Have you ever witnessed someone being cyberbullied or traditionally bullied?

I have witnessed someone being cyberbullied

6
 I have witnessed someone being traditionally bullied

I have never witnessed anyone being bullied

5. How likely are you to report cyberbullying/traditional bullying to an adult?

Very likely Maybe Not likely

6. Which do you perceive as worse; traditional bullying or cyberbullying?

Traditional bullying is worse Cyberbullying is worse

Unsure

7. Explain why you think either cyberbullying or traditional bullying is worse.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

8. How often do you think traditional bullying occurs compared to cyberbullying?

Traditional bullying occurs more often

Cyberbullying occurs more often

Both occur at the same frequency

9. How much do you think traditional bullying and cyberbullying impact mental

health?

Traditional bullying has a greater impact

Cyberbullying has a greater impact

Both have an equal impact on mental health

7
10. Which form of bullying do you think is more likely to cause victims to miss

school?

Traditional bullying Cyberbullying Unsure

11. Which form of bullying is more likely to allow the victim times of escape or rest

from the situation?

Traditional bullying Cyberbullying Unsure

12. Which form of bullying is more likely to lead to a higher risk of substance abuse

and other self-destructive behaviours?

Traditional bullying Cyberbullying Unsure

13. How can victims and their family and/or schools deal with cyberbullying?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

8
 Procedure for collecting data

To test the knowledge of St. Winifred’s students on cyberbullying and regular

bullying, questionnaires were made and distributed to 30 students. Class lists for

forms 2 to 5 were provided by the teacher, Mrs. Forde. Each child’s name in a form

was assigned a number; 1 through 40 (more or less depending on which form). An

online random number generator was used to randomly select 6 second formers, 7

third formers, 8 fourth formers, and 9 fifth formers; 30 students in total by telling it to

choose a number 1 through 40 until there was enough people for each form. The

number of students per form increases with age because older students are more likely

to be mature about the topic and therefore are more inclined to complete the

questionnaire. The questionnaires were made on Google Forms and distributed

through Gmail on the 10th of November and were also handed back using Gmail by

the 25th. All answers were anonymous.

9
 Presentation of Data

A total of 30 questionnaires were sent out, and 29 people responded. Of these, 57.1%

were female, 28.6% were male, and 14.3% preferred not to say. 46.4% of respondents

were between 15-16 years old, 35.7% were 13-14, and 17.9% were 11-12.

Figure 1.

In Fig. 1. above it can be observed that 3.4% of people have been cyberbullied, 34.5%

have been bullied, 34.5% of people have not been bullied, and 27.6% have been

bullied both ways.

10
 Student response

Figure 2.

In Fig. 2. above it can be seen that 24.1% of students think that traditional bullying

has a greater impact on mental health, 24.1% think cyberbullying has a greater impact,

and 57.1% think both have an equal impact on mental health.

11
 How can victims and their family and/or schools deal with

cyberbullying?

Response Amount of students Tally

Unsure 4 (13.8%) ||||

Educate students and |||| ||

In Fig 3. above it can be observed that 13.8% of students are unsure about how to deal

with cyberbullying, 24.1% think students and parents should be educated, 24.1%

think social media access should be limited, 27.6% think the bully should be blocked

and reported to online authorities, and 3% think there is no way to deal with

cyberbullying.

12
Figure 4.

In Fig 4. above it can be seen that 41.4% of students think bullying is more likely to

lead to self-destructive behaviours like substance abuse, 27.6% think cyberbullying is

more likely, and 31% are unsure.

13
 Interpretation and analysis of data

The pie chart in Figure 1. shows that majority of students have only been

bullied (34.5%, N = 10) and a minority of students have only been cyberbullied

(3.4% N = 1). Additionally, quite a few mentioned they have been bullied both ways

(27.6%, N = 8). This shows that while bullying is still a more prevalent issue at the

moment, cyberbullying is becoming more common and accompanying traditional

bullying, letting the torment continue at home through the victim’s electronics. To

combat this, victims should be more heavily encouraged to step up in order to find a

solution.

Interestingly, this result is very similar to a study carried out (Boston, 2008)

among 22 schools which found that few of the students (15.8%) reported

cyberbullying, and others (25.9%) reported school bullying in the past 12 months. The

result clearly confirms that more than half (59.7%) of the respondents who were

bullied at school were also cyberbullied, and less than half (36.3%) of respondents

who were cyberbullied were also bullied at school.

The bar graph in Figure 2. shows that majority of students think both

cyberbullying and bullying have an equal impact on mental health (51.7%, N = 15).

The rest of the students’ opinions are split evenly, with 24.1% (N = 7) thinking

cyberbullying has a greater impact, and 24.1% thinking bullying has a greater impact.

These results show that cyberbullying has become such a severe problem that it is as

harmful as traditional bullying, and should be taken as seriously as bullying is.

Similarly, according to a European book (“Cyberbullying: From Theory to

Intervention” p. 65), it was stated that victims who were bullied both online and in

14
person were more likely to suffer from mental health issues than adolescents not

involved, followed by pure cyber victims, and finally pure traditional victims. This

indicates that the bullying and cyberbullying combination is more harmful than either

one on its own.

The tally chart in Figure 3. displays that the majority of students (27.6%, N =

8) think that the best way to deal with cyberbullies is to block them and report them

to online administrators. The minority of students (10.3%, N = 3) think there is no

way to deal with this problem. I think that while most students are aware of how to

deal with cyberbullying , three students having no awareness is still too many.

Schools need to implement cyberbullying into the curriculum so students can be

educated about this rising issue.

In comparison, in a review of parental roles and cyberbullying among youth

written in 2017, says that when youth are involved in creating the rules regarding

cyberbullying on the internet, the rate of cyberbullying decreases. On the other hand,

highly controlling parents that place blanket restrictions on their child(ren)’s internet

usage only lead to minimal reductions in the cyberbullying rate. This would suggest

that youth need to be included in the conversation about cyberbullying prevention

methods.

The pie chart in Figure 4. shows that the majority of students (41.4%, N = 12)

believe that bullying is the most likely to lead to destructive behaviours like substance

abuse, while the minority believe cyberbullying is more likely (27.6%, N = 8). The

remaining students (31%, N = 9) are unsure. I think that it is concerning that so many

15
students think cyberbullying is more destructive considering its relatively new

appearance and its impersonal medium.

Contrastingly, in a study directed by Swansea University across 30 countries,

it was found that victims of cyberbullying under 25 are more than twice as likely to

commit suicide or commit acts of self-harm. This shows that cyberbullying can be as

detrimental as bullying, or even more so.

16
 Statement of Findings

 Cyberbullying can lead to as many destructive behaviours as bullying can.

 The bullying and cyberbullying combination is more harmful than either one on

its own.

 Bullying victims are usually also cyberbullying victims and vice versa.

 Youth should be involved in the conversation of how to deal with cyberbullying.

17
 Recommendations and Implementation Strategy

The recommendations I have to deal with cyberbullying in schools are focused

around prevention and counseling.

Recommendation strategy

To prevent cyberbullying from occurring, I think the staff, students, and

parents should be made more aware and become more educated on this issue. This

would help everyone to gain more knowledge on what it looks like, the various ways

it can manifest itself, etc.

Considering how damaging cyberbullying can be to a child’s mental health,

counseling should be provided within the school for victims. This would help them

manage their emotions and feelings so they do not develop detrimental mindsets or

behaviours.

Implementation strategy

Step 1: To counsel the cyberbullying victims, a trained guidance counselor or

mental health professional should be identified and hired to work at school. This

counselor should work to interact with the students by introducing him/herself to

every class in the school, and letting them know how to get into contact with him/her,

through email for example. The counselor should be warm, accommodating, and

always encouraging people to come forward so they can talk about their issues

without judgment.

Step 2: Once a student gets in contact with the counselor, a therapy session

can be arranged in the counselor’s office, through which the counselor can listen to

18
the student, sympathize with them, give their advice and input, and provide helpful

ways that they can cope with their situation.

Step 3: Follow-up sessions should be taken as well to see if the student’s

situation is improving and/or if further steps need to be taken.

19
20
 Appendix

Trijntje Vollink, Dehue, F., & Conor Mcguckin. (2016). Cyberbullying : from theory to
intervention. Psychology Press. Pg 60

Elsaesser C., Russell B., Ohannessian C. M., Patton D. (2017). Parenting in a digital age: a
review of parents' role in preventing adolescent cyberbullying. Aggress. Violent
Behav. 35, 62–72. doi: 10.1016/[Link].2017.06.004

Schneider, S. K., O’Donnell, L., Stueve, A., & Coulter, R. W. S. (2012). Cyberbullying, school
bullying, and Psychological distress: A regional census of high school students.
American Journal of Public Health, 102(1), 171–177.
[Link]

Swansea University. (2018, April 19). Young victims of cyberbullying twice as likely to
attempt suicide and self-harm, study finds. ScienceDaily.
[Link]

21