ERIC Number: ED641245
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 123
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3811-8771-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Lived Experience of Middle School Counselors with Cyberbullying in the Virtual Learning Environment
Manal Hazime
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Walden University
School counselors are challenged to identify, address, and eliminate unwanted behaviors to ensure a safe environment for students to learn and grow. Cyberbullying is an unwanted behavior that is considered a growing phenomenon among middle school students causing negative outcomes on youths' mental health, academic performance, and social-emotional development. Due to COVID-19, school counselors were forced to use virtual learning platforms to deliver responsive services, which created challenges and affected their ability to respond to cyberbullying. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of middle school counselors who provide counseling services to students in a virtual learning environment. Data were collected from eight participants using a semistructured interview. Using thematic analysis, data revealed that school counselors are antibullying specialists who provide a safe environment to students. They feel responsible to eliminate problematic behaviors like cyberbullying. They help students to build positive behaviors and skills, and they also collaborate with family members to promote positive change as agents of social change. However, school counselors' experience with learning management systems was challenging and ineffective due to lack of support and technical issues. These findings indicate the need for more training and support so they can practice their duties. Positive social change can result from improvements that allow counselors to better do their jobs as the study results the importance of providing a safe environment to students free from harassment to learn and grow emotionally, socially, and academically. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Middle Schools, School Counselors, School Counseling, Bullying, Computer Mediated Communication, Electronic Learning, COVID-19, Pandemics, Phenomenology, Counseling Services, Learning Management Systems, Counselor Training, Safety
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A