| Yhteenveto: | The development of technology, methods of communication and the
entertainment industry has contributed to an increased amount of time students are spending online. This has also been followed by the emergence of
cyberbullying, which has entered schools and has become a serious issue that
challenges students, parents and educators alike. Nowadays, schools have to
incorporate anti-cyberbullying strategies to ensure a safe learning environment.
This study examined the implementation of anti-cyberbullying programs
in Finnish lower secondary schools and their potential improvements through
the perspectives of educators. Two research questions were in the focus of this
study: “How do educators assess the implementation of the current anti-cyberbullying program in their schools” and “How would educators improve
the efficiency of the anti-cyberbullying program in their schools?”.
The views of the educators were studied through a qualitative approach
by using semi-structured interviews. Seven educators from seven different
Finnish lower secondary schools shared their experiences with the
cyberbullying cases they had encountered.
The findings indicated there are several areas within the programs that
still have room for improvement, mostly in the area of educating the indirect
participants of cyberbullying, i.e., the teachers and parents. Furthermore, the
results showed that more attention should be paid to bystanders of bullying.
It can be concluded that certain changes need to be made to more
efficiently prevent cyberbullying. The facilitation of proper education for
teachers, clear school policies about anti-bullying measures and better support
for educators to create safer school environments are the first steps to be taken
to more efficiently oppose cyberbullying.
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