The cyberbullying of schoolteachers by pupils: The perceptions of university students of education at a Brazilian

Objectives This study aimed to explore the views of university students of education at a university in Brazil regarding the cyberbullying of schoolteachers by their pupils . Design A 30-item questionnaire was developed with a five-point response scale labelled from strongly disagree to strongly agree . Methodology The questionnaire was completed by 168 university students. Before completing the questionnaire, the university students watched an audio-visual recording in which a schoolteacher snatched a mobile phone from a pupil, who was using the mobile phone to have a conversation during a lesson, and then threw the mobile phone to the ground with such force that it smashed. This recording was a genuine piece of cyberbullying of a teacher by pupils that was widely shared on social media . Results The results indicated that the vast majority of the university students felt that the cyberbullying of schoolteachers by pupils is a big problem that needs to be addressed by schools. The university students felt that schools can reduce such behaviour by having a clear procedure on how to deal with cases against teachers; encouraging discussion of cyberbullying; highlighting its effects on teachers; and encouraging bystander pupils to denounce such behaviour . Conclusions These university students think that the cyberbullying of schoolteachers by pupils is a big problem and that schools need to do more to address this problem .