Original Research

Perceptions and experiences of cyberbullying amongst university students in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa

Liezel Cilliers
The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa | Vol 17, No 1 | a776 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v17i1.776 | © 2021 Liezel Cilliers | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 28 October 2019 | Published: 20 July 2021

About the author(s)

Liezel Cilliers, Department Information Systems, Faculty of Management and Commerce, University of Fort Hare, East London, South Africa

Abstract

Cyberbullying in South Africa has become a problem in the recent past. However, there is a lack of research focusing on cyberbullying at the university level. This study investigates the perceptions and experiences of cyberbullying amongst tertiary students in the Eastern Cape province. The study used a quantitative survey approach to collect data from 150 students at a university in the Eastern Cape. The results indicated that one-third of the students had been victims of cyberbullying. Overall, students considered cyberbullying as a serious issue, but less than one-third of the students could identify the indirect methods of cyberbullying. The topic has not been incorporated into policy or the university curriculum in South Africa. This study recommends that the Department of Higher Education must provide a standardised policy and curriculum on cyberbullying that universities can use to implement and enforce cyber safety behaviour at the university.

Keywords

curriculum; cyberbullying; Eastern Cape higher education; policy; students.

Metrics

Total abstract views: 2775
Total article views: 6961


Crossref Citations

No related citations found.