ESTONIAN STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION AND DEFINITION OF CYBERBULLYING
ESTONIAN STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION AND DEFINITION OF CYBERBULLYING

Summary/Abstract: Rapid development of information and communication technologies is having a direct impact on the lives of adolescents, and a new form of bullying has emerged. This study aims to examine how Estonian students perceive and define cyberbullying based on five cyberbullying criteria (imbalance of power, intention, repetition, anonymity, and publicity/privacy) and four types of cyberbullying behaviour (written-verbal, visual, exclusion, and impersonation). A quali-quanti approach was used consisting of focus groups and a questionnaire. Two mixed-gender focus groups of 12- and 15-year-old students were interviewed to deepen their perception in relation to cyberbullying criteria and behaviours. Results were used for the quantitative study. The questionnaire was conducted with 336 adolescents from twelve Estonian schools, aged from 11 to 17 years. Results by MDS revealed a two-dimensional model characterized by imbalance of power and anonymity. This study can help to improve understanding of the phenomenon with respect to student perceptions.

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