An Investigation of Cyber Wellness Awareness: Turkey Secondary School Students,Teachers, and Parents

Abstract

Cyber wellness includes the knowledge, skills, and values geared toward the protection of Internet users as well as proper and responsible technology use. Using the survey method, this study investigated the cyber wellness awareness of secondary school students and teachers as well as parents’ perceptions of their children’s cyber wellness. Six thousand eight hundred thirty-nine (6,839) students, 749 teachers, and 4,916 parents participated. Cyber wellness survey forms for students, teachers, and parents were distributed to seven school districts. Results indicated that students had high levels of awareness with regard to Internet addiction, cyberbullying, online privacy, and cybersecurity and medium levels of awareness regarding netiquette, inappropriate online content, and copyright. Additionally, students’ awareness levels differed significantly in terms of gender, class level, Internet use span, and desire for education on safe and responsible Internet use. Teachers had medium levels of awareness with respect to all of the concepts. Furthermore, it was determined that parents considered that their children had medium levels of awareness regarding Internet addiction, netiquette, online privacy, inappropriate online content, copyright, and cybersecurity along with a high level of awareness regarding cyberbullying.     

Cyber Worlds: New Playgrounds for Bullying

The experiences of 247 middle school children around cyberbullying were examined through in-class questionnaires. Their use of different media, their experiences with cyberbullying, and the relationships among school type, gender, and grade level were analyzed. Of the students in this sample 33% of female and 20% of male students reported being a cybervictim or a bully. Social networking sites and cell phones were the media most often used. Interesting results included a nonlinear relationship between Internet use and cyberbullying and the increase in cyberbullying throughout middle school. Also, students perceived that neither teachers nor parents were prepared to assist them with cyberbullying problems.     

Struggling between tradition and modernity: gender and educational choice‐making in contemporary Cyprus

This article investigates the role of gender in educational choice‐making for post secondary school destinations in contemporary Cyprus. More specifically, it examines the cultural and ideological mechanisms that produce gender differentiation in the way educational choices are made by secondary school students and their families. Drawing on evidence from a qualitative investigation of parents of students graduating from secondary schools it supports that the unequal patterns observed can be partly explained by the diverse ways Cypriot parents perceive gender roles which in turn influence their willingness to invest economic and non monetary resources to support their children’s choices.     

Home Environments and Parental Support for Literacy: Children's Perceptions and School Literacy Achievement

This study examined literacy in home environments and how children perceive literate events that occur in their families. Four children were selected from a larger study of 129 children. Two children (one African American and one biracial) were from a low income urban community. The other two were Caucasian and from a small farm community. Ninety-six hours of observations over eight weeks during the summer of the kindergarten school year were conducted. Data collected included field notes, tape recordings, parent questionnaires, awareness interviews and school achievement measures. Domains were identified and analyzed for literacy support in the home, The analysis indicated three major findings: 1) all the parents provided support for literacy but there were differences in the way literacy was constructed, 2) the differences in the children's awareness responses describing how they were learning to read at home reflected their home literacy experiences, 3) the home literacy environments of the four children who were from low income families were conducive to literacy development and school success.     

Will my child ever go to a university? The link between school segregation practices and Norwegian parents’ expectations for their physically disabled child

How parents perceive their children's educational prospects can reveal a great deal about how their children will progress in the educational system. The paper examines the consequences of variations in inclusive education practices by investigating determinants of parents’ educational expectations for their child. All parents included in the study had children with physical disabilities in primary school (mainly cerebral palsy and spina bifida). The empirical material includes results from a survey (Net sample = 491), in combination with information merged from a range of official registers. The results showed that the more the child is segregated from ordinary classroom education, the lower parental expectations are for their children's educational attainments. Other factors also significantly influencing parents’ educational expectations include how parents’ view their child's school performance, as well as various measures of the severity of the child's physical disability. However, these secondary factors could not account for the empirically strong association between segregation practices and parental expectations. Parental expectations were also significantly related to parental income and education. The findings indicate that the expectations of parents with higher income and education are less affected by school segregation practices.     

How Parent Perceptions Relate to Elementary Children’s Portable Technology Use by Gender and Grade Level

This study examined how parents' reports of children’s technology use in the home varies by a child’s gender or grade level. Framed by technology adoption models, this mixed-method study gathered parent reports of their elementary child’s use of portable technology for entertainment and learning in the home, collected from 120 surveys and 13 individual interviews with survey respondents. Results across the four 2×2 ANOVAs yielded three significant main effects: gender and entertainment devices, gender and entertainment apps, grade level and learning apps. No significant effects were found among any of the interaction variables or within the ANOVA summary for learning devices. Interview data revealed girls are interested in reading with Kindle, whereas parents are reluctant to provide boys with portable technology because of their preference to play games. Strategies are provided for teachers, support specialists, and parents to improve how children use technology. Implications for app developers are suggested.     

Parent and Adolescent Perceptions of Parental Monitoring and Adolescent Risk Involvement

Objective. To compare parent and youth reports of the extent to which parents monitor their adolescents and to determine whether parents' perceptions of parental monitoring are more predictive of adolescent risk behavior. Design. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional sample of 270 parent - adolescent dyads recruited from rural communities in West Virginia. Parents completed a series of written questionnaires, and adolescents (12-16 years) provided information about their involvement in various risk behaviors. Results. Parent perceptions of parental monitoring efforts did not relate to adolescent perceptions of parental monitoring; parents generally perceived themselves to have more information about their adolescents' whereabouts and activities than their adolescents reported. No main effects of age or gender were found in the discrepancies between parent and adolescent monitoring reports. Adolescent reports of monitoring were negatively correlated with adolescent drinking, marijuana use, and sexual activity over the previous 6-month period. Adolescent risk behaviors were predicted by adolescent reports of parental monitoring alone. Conclusions. Parents and adolescents perceive the magnitude of parental monitoring efforts differently even when both parties perceive parents to know much about adolescent activities. Adolescents' perceptions of how much their parents know about their activities are more predictive of their own involvement in risk behaviors than their parents' perceptions about their own monitoring efforts.     

The role of school psychologists in the assessment,prevention, and intervention of cyberbullying

Many school‐aged children have experienced the cruelty of bullying. The impact and effects of bullying have been described extensively in scholarly literature. Unfortunately, the impact of bullying has also made contemporary headlines with the recent rash of school shootings and other forms of school‐based violence. The current body of students brings an additional threat to bullying. Due to their sophisticated use of technology, today's students are using contemporary delivery systems to taunt, tease, and threaten their classmates. Cyberbullying is the newest form of bullying, and it brings additional challenges for school personnel. Because of the unique aspects of cyberbullying, school psychologists need strategies to guide school communities faced with this threatening behavior. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Emotion Talk in Preschool Same-Sex Friendship Groups: Fluidity over Time and Context

Recent research suggests that through the medium of "emotion talk," American, middle-class parents socialize daughters to express emotion more and to focus on sadness and socialize sons to express emotion less and to focus on anger. However, little is known about peer emotion socialization. The present study utilizes a notion of "emotion talk" expanded from previous studies and follows its use among preschool peers using a longitudinal design. Two friendships groups in a mixed-age preschool classroom of 3-and 4-year-old children at a university-based children's center were identified and videotaped in different contexts at different time points in the academic year. The boys' friendship group evolved norms over time against the expression of scaredness simultaneously with norms downgrading girl characteristics. Both the boys' and girls' friendship groups showed contextual fluidity in the expression of emotion and emotion talk that argue against an essentialist model of emotion socialization and development. This study's findings of contextual fluidity in emotion talk suggest policy implications for the promotion of gender equity. Mixed-age classrooms that provide children with a range of opportunities to engage in activities that cross gender boundaries may minimize gender polarization and maximize gender equity.     

The influence of children's gender and age on children's use of digital media at home

This study is the first to systematically investigate the influence of child gender and age, on parents’ perceptions of UK children's digital media use at home. It provides an in‐depth exploration of how children's age and gender influence the balance between children's use of digital and non‐digital media at home. The data draw on 709 parents’ responses to an open‐ended question asked in the context of a national survey investigating the digital reading habits of children, conducted in 2015. Parents’ responses were analysed using content and thematic analysis, which yielded eight main categories, collapsed into three major themes: control, child's healthy development and diversity of experiences. Quantitative analyses evidenced that more parents of boys were concerned about the health implications of their children's digital media use and this was a concern especially for parents of the youngest (0–2‐year‐old) children. More parents of 6–8‐year olds cited the appeal of technology as the main reason for the perceived imbalance in their children's engagement with digital media. The study provides a more secure understanding of the factors that influence parental perceptions of their children's digital media use at home, which has implications for policy‐makers, digital designers and early years professionals.     

Perceptions of Cyberbullying: An Assessment of Perceived Severity among College Students

Cyberbullying research has typically been focused on specific areas, such as victimization, offender characteristics and typologies, and psychological effects for victims; however, perceived severity of cyberbullying has been studied less extensively. Using data on college students, the present study expands the current knowledge on perceived severity of cyberbullying by examining the way in which age, gender, race, type of high school attended before college, prior online victimization, and previous cyberbullying engagement influenced college students’ perceived severity of cyberbullying. Overall, the results indicate that college students considered cyberbullying to be a serious societal problem. Older individuals, females, those who attended public schools, and individuals who experienced cyberbullying victimization were found to be more likely to view cyberbullying as a serious problem than their counterparts. In addition, findings from this study revealed that even though college students perceive cyberbullying as a serious problem, the majority of those who have witnessed cyberbullying incidents would not report it to the police. Based on the findings, policy implications and practices to prevent future cyberbullying victimization are discussed.     

Attitudes and Practices that Shape Children's Drawing Behaviour in Mainstream and Performing Arts Schools

Previous research shows that key parties involved in children's drawing perceive the value and benefits of art and drawing very differently. However such research has been restricted to the examination of children attending mainstream schooling across the UK. The present study therefore compared the views and practices of key parties involved in mainstream and performing arts educational contexts. Teachers and children were interviewed and parents completed a postal survey. Some 225 children, 115 of their teachers and 176 of their parents and carers formed the mainstream school group whilst 180 children, 42 of their teachers and 145 of their parents and carers formed the performing arts school group. Main findings indicated that pupils', parents' and teachers' views about the benefits, and how to support drawing behaviour at school and at home, varied across contrasting educational contexts. In particular, pupils attending arts‐based schools and their teachers valued expressivity over technical support, pupils reported enjoying drawing more, had higher self efficacy and foresaw engaging in the activity beyond their school years more than their mainstream counterparts. The results suggest that mainstream educational contexts could foster drawing behaviour and the related emotional benefits to a greater extent.     

Expanding Notions of Digital Access: Parents' Negotiation of School-Based Technology Initiatives in New Immigrant Communities

Initiatives to integrate technology in schools are continuously increasing, with efforts to bridge the “homework gap” and provide technology access in low-income households. However, it is critical to include nondominant parents in technology adoption decisions in order to avoid mirroring past patterns of inequality in home-school relationships. This study examines the digital access, use, and beliefs of Spanish-dominant immigrant parents, whose children attended a school in early stages of 1:1 (one laptop, one child) and BYOD (bring-your-own-device) initiatives. Informed by critical and ecological approaches to family literacy and technology use, the analysis compares the cases of eight parents attending technology workshops facilitated by the researcher and looks at the factors and contexts shaping their digital access and use and their shifts in access over two years. The analysis then narrows down to their beliefs about the use of school-provided devices. Findings illustrate the diversity in device use and customization in families with similar immigration trajectories, showing how economic factors, education, and established livelihoods in the community shaped their decisions to obtain devices and Internet connectivity. Cases also show the crucial role of the school in providing computers and technology training; however, decisions about taking school devices home and supervising children's activity were shaped by parents' beliefs about their roles supporting their children's moral education, and their existing family practices. Implications for family literacy programs and outreach for digital equity in new migration settings are discussed.     

An analysis of the reach and effectiveness of distance learning in India during school closures due to COVID-19

In India, more than 276 million children and youth were out of school for extended periods since March 2020 due to school closures in response to COVID-19. A key challenge has been how to measure the impact of responses to continuity of learning both to ensure more effective responses in the event of further disruptions, but also to help the education community conceptualize more creative and effective approaches to learning, through blended and flexible approaches. This study reflects on the findings from a UNICEF survey targeting parents and adolescents across 6 states in India, and identifies lessons learned for addressing learning inequities during future school closures. We focus on measuring three key variables – access to technology, their utilization, and perceived learning for different profiles of children. As students began learning from home, technology access rates in households were initially used to determine the estimated maximum reach of different distance learning modalities during school closures. Beyond access, we find significant variations in adolescents’ use of technology for learning purposes and their perceptions of learning, linked to the type of remote learning modality, gender, location and type of school. We discuss the implications for government strategies and policies to ensure better utilization of technologies which are available in households and to address equity gaps in learning opportunities.     

Predictors of portable technology adoption intentions to support elementary children reading

Much attention has focused on technology acceptance in the classroom, with little investigation into how parents make decisions about their children’s use of portable technology to support reading development in the home. Applying the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, this study identifies predictors of parents portable technology adoption intentions to support children’s reading development in the home. Participants were parents from two elementary schools within 46 classrooms in the southeastern United States. Phase one of data collection included 120 parents who responded to a validated survey that identified predictors and behavioral intention to adopt technology. The regression model explained 64% of parents have intentions to use portable technology to develop their children’s reading skills, with social influence and attitude as the most important predictors. Surveys indicated 99% of children used portable technology to support reading in the home, therefore phase two included explanatory interviews to examine adoption predictors. Interview data specified social influence ensued from the child’s school and parent community; attitude resulted from children’s affinity to use technology. Though parents’ intentions indicated continued portable technology use, parents preferred their child read print books. Interview data also revealed parents perceived an increase in performance expectancy when their child used portable technology. This study highlights the need for teachers and school administrators to be cognizant of educational requests on home learning, influences of the broader parent community on parent intentions to adopt educational technology, and children’s enjoyment reading with portable technology.     

Family poly-victimization and cyberbullying among adolescents in a Chinese school sample

The sustained increase in their use of social networking facilitates the development of adolescents but comes with the risk of cyberbullying, which creates new challenges in regard to adolescent protection. Past evidence shows that family victimization may play an essential role in the way adolescents learn cyberbullying behaviors. Yet, research on the co-occurrence of family victimization and cyberbullying is limited. This study aims to investigate the associations between cyberbullying and family victimization among adolescents, and to examine the health correlates of cyberbullying and family poly-victimization. A large sample of 18,341 students, aged 15–17, from six cities in China, collected between 2009 and 2010 is employed in the present study, which investigated the association between various kinds of family victimization and adolescent cyberbullying. Data analysis was conducted in 2017. In-law conflict, intimate partner violence, elder abuse and neglect, and child maltreatment were associated with a higher possibility of children becoming internet victims. Parents’ divorce and separation, low family income, mother’s low level of education, and father’s unemployment were all associated with cyberbullying victimization. Cyber victimization was positively correlated to symptoms of PTSD and depression, self-harm, and other physical and mental health variables. Possible explanations for the relationships found in this study are discussed and implications for future research and services are provided. Proactive screening for family poly-victimization and cyberbullying is suggested. Schools are highly recommended to cooperate with parents to promote cyber safety.     

Young children's perceptions of due process in schools’ disciplinary procedures

This study explored how children of lower primary school grades perceive due process in schools’ disciplinary procedures. While many studies have explored how adolescents perceive school discipline, only a few studies have examined the perceptions of primary school pupils, and no study has investigated lower primary school grades. The qualitative research design was based on semi‐structured interviews and focus groups with 70 children, aged 7 to 10, recruited from 19 public schools in Israel. In addition, we recruited a children's advisory group that participated in the research process. The findings revealed that while many of the study participants had internalised a formalistic approach to due process (i.e. meting out uniform punishments in similar cases, in accordance with a closed system of rules), others objected to this approach, providing various reasons for their concerns. Participants’ criticisms of a formalistic due process policy included lack of compassion and lack of understanding of pupils’ social, academic or other difficulties, disregard of pupils’ voice, the complex task of discerning the truth, apprehension over a uniform punitive system and low efficacy of punishments. We argue that the right to due process in schools lies at the intersection of legal and educational narratives. Even young children are able to recognise the inherent incongruity of these narratives, as they constitute a significant part of their daily routine in school. We also argue that this incongruity engenders a distorted due process, thus imparting faulty lessons about the right to due process and its justifications.     

Keeping Schools Out of Court: Legally Defensible Models of Leadership

This paper draws attention to a knowledge gap in leadership models regarding bullying, particularly cyberbullying, an emergent form of student harassment. Given that parents are suing schools for failing to protect victims of bullying, educators need guidance in addressing harassment and discriminatory discourse in popular youth culture.

The focus is on three important considerations: (1) the need to avoid criminalizing children and adolescents; (2) the need to clarify educators' legal obligations to protect students from psychological harm; and (3) the need to delimit educators' legal obligations to sustain school environments that reduce bullying and create equal opportunities for learning. Improved law-related courses, grounded in compatible theories on leadership, social justice, and ethics of care, are recommended for education students. Educators who take courses in these disciplines show great promise in helping schools navigate the unprecedented dilemmas of technology and pluralism through ethical and legally defensible alternatives.     

Inclusive and exclusive aspects of diagnosed children's self-concepts in special needs institutions

Eight children between 7 and 11 years of age were interviewed about their understanding of their own diagnoses. The diagnoses in question were attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and nonverbal learning disorder. They were from different special schools that are segregated from state schools. In addition to the interviews, a role play setting with dolls representing a school teacher, parents, peers, a school psychologist and a doctor was used as a basis for speaking about the children's understanding of the special school in relation to their diagnoses. The study revealed that the children use a simplified medical model for understanding their diagnoses and behaviour. Furthermore, they partly perceive the special school as a medical institution, as well as an educational institution. Finally, the study showed that the children consider themselves different from normal children and incapable of participating in shared learning communities such as state schools. This is of particular interest in relation to these children's future transition from special schools to public learning institutions, especially with regard to their inclusion in the latter.