Análisis de Clase Funcional por Puntuación

The first theme focused on the participants’ use of technology and online experiences, including self-expression, social connection, social difficulty, and online safety. All of the seven participants reported having access to a computer, whether it was located in their home, at a friend’s house, at school, or at a public library. Common computer activities included using the Internet to access online gaming websites, access social media websites, watch videos on YouTube, and browse the Internet, and all of the participants used a computer for typing homework assignments. All of the male participants, except one, used a computer to access online gaming websites. All of the seven participants reported having had access to a cellphone, and four out of the seven participants had access to a tablet at one point. Common cellphone activities included: watching YouTube videos, listening to music, and accessing social media. The seven participants had integrated the use of technology into their daily lives, with many of the participants using technology such as computers, cellphones, and tablets on a daily basis.

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Three of the male participants, Lucas, Chase, and Jake, reported having their own YouTube channels and created videos to upload to YouTube. Emma and Jake both reported posting pictures to their social media accounts such as Facebook or Instagram. For some of the participants, the use of technology had allowed for the opportunity to express their uniqueness and share their creations with others. All of the participants had social media accounts, including Google+, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, with the exception of Greg, who did not have any social media accounts. Many of the participants used their cellphones to make plans and

communicate with their peers. However, for some of the participants, the use of technology such as cellphones or social media, did not allow for social connection with others. Further, the use of technology created a lack of connection and communication, and at times, frustration with the lack of social connection. It was evident that the use of technology was an important aspect in the lives of the participants, but not all participants were aware of online safety and security. Some of the participants limited what was shared on social media and limited who they were Facebook friends with, but most of the participants were unable to identify strategies to protect themselves online beyond using the blocking function.

The second theme focused on the participants’ involvement with bullying, including victims, bystanders, peer aggression, and strategies to deal with bullying. Five out of the seven participants were victims of relentless and ongoing bullying. The participants experienced multiple forms of bullying, including verbal, relational, and physical bullying. The participants who were victimized disclosed a mix of emotions including anger, hurt, confusion, and

frustration because of their involvement with bullying. Ethan and Nick were not victims of bullying, but had observed physical altercations at school and both had sisters who were victims of relentless bullying. Three of the male participants, Ethan, Nick, and Chase, were witness to physical altercations at school. Four of the male participants, Lucas, Chase, Nick, and Ethan were involved in incidents of physical aggression and intimidation with their peers, and each participant attempted to justify their aggressive behaviours. Some of the participants identified strategies to address bullying, while others were unable to identify strategies to protect

themselves from bullies. Instead, some participants did not employ any strategies to manage the bullying. Further, only one participant involved an adult as a strategy to help manage the

bullying, but the adults were unsuccessful at preventing the bullying from reoccurring. The remaining participants did not confide in an adult about their experiences with bullying, and

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feared the repercussion of involving an authority figure. The participants expressed their thoughts and feelings towards bullying, and further, identified what may lead an individual to bully others. The participants felt that bullying others was wrong and further, two participants, Chase and Nick, felt bullying could be prevented with an increase in adult supervision.

The third theme involved the participants’ experiences with cyberbullying as victims and observers, and strategies that were used to address cyberbullying. Five out of the seven

participants were victims of cyberbullying, and some participants shared multiple experiences involving cyberbullying. Chase, Emma, Ethan, and Nick were all victims of cyberbullying through Facebook, and each of the participants knew the identity of the perpetrators.

Additionally, Emma shared an experience about cyberbullying that involved males asking her to send inappropriate pictures of herself through Facebook. It was evident that many of the

participants experienced cyberbullying through Facebook. Chase shared a cyberbullying experience that involved someone he knew using his personal information to access

inappropriate websites. Jake was cyberbullied by individuals who made inappropriate comments on his YouTube videos, but was not aware of who the perpetrators were. All of the male

participants shared experiences with witnessing cyberbullying. Three out of the six male

participants expressed a desire to prevent the cyberbullying from occurring and provided support to the victims. Emma, Jake, and Ethan were victims of relentless cyberbullying, but indicated that they did not confide in an adult about their experiences with cyberbullying, and felt that an adult would not make a difference. Although Lucas was not a victim of cyberbullying, he also would not confide in an adult if he were being cyberbullied. Two participants, Chase and Nick, who were both victims of cyberbullying, had involvement from their parents and the police to prevent the cyberbullying from reoccurring. It was evident that the participants shared mixed feelings regarding the involvement of adults in preventing cyberbullying.

Some of participants expressed their thoughts and feelings towards cyberbullying and further, three participants shared unique perspectives for preventing cyberbullying. Lucas shared that for some people, cyberbullying was a daily occurrence and that sometimes the best strategy was to block the cyberbully. Jake reasoned that some people cyberbullied others because they did not feel good about themselves and in turn wanted to hurt others. Nick demonstrated an awareness of the anonymity the Internet allows for. Chase, Greg, and Nick all expressed unique, but unrealistic perspectives for preventing cyberbullying from occurring. Chase said that if it

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were possible he would convert negative comments online into positive comments as a method of preventing cyberbullying. Greg felt that banning cyberbullies from using the Internet would help prevent cyberbullying from occurring. Nick felt that additional security is required on the Internet, and on social media websites such as Facebook or Instagram, and that whoever invented the Internet needed to make it more secure.