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ERIC Number: ED646520
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 159
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-8375-1921-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Being Cyberbullied within Online Higher Education: My Analytic Autoethnographic Journey
Michael Shawn Ellis
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Saybrook University
Cyberbullying has become one of the most talked-about topics and problems in this highly connected society (Sun & Fan, 2018). Smartphones provide instant access to the internet and social media, making the user susceptible to being cyberbullied at any time (Barlett et al., 2016). Based on many cyberbullying studies, researchers have focused on the age groups of middle school, high school, and early college because these are the years when bullying typically takes place, with the peak of bullying being middle school and high school (Barlett et al., 2016). However, other studies have identified that adults are engaging in cyberbullying with the same frequency as their younger counterparts (Barlett et al., 2017; Charmaraman et al., 2018). Cyberbullying can be considered one of the main existential crises affecting the world today. This existential crisis is due to the rise in narcissism, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, isolation, loneliness, and suicide that has been linked to cyberbullying (Barlett, 2015; Charmaraman et al., 2018). There have been numerous quantitative studies on cyberbullying compared to the number of qualitative studies within the cyberbullying research, especially within online higher education. As the primary researcher, I was subjected to cyberbullying within two of my classes at the doctoral level. The experience generated a desire to investigate the phenomenon. It is the purpose of this analytic autoethnographic study to explore the research question: What is the experience of cyberbullying within online higher education? The data collected to answer the research question in accordance with the adopted methodology were two online discussions from two doctoral classes that I was engaged in, a poem written out of a creative synthesis I experienced with the data, and a personal interview I conducted on myself discussing the cyberbullying experiences. The data analysis yielded 12 themes and four theoretical implications that support the current literature on cyberbullying, while yielding a new theme and new theoretical implication for cyberbullying research. Future research in cyberbullying, especially within online higher education, should consist of more person-centered qualitative studies (i.e., autoethnography and interpretive phenomenological analysis), if a researcher seeks to understand the cyberbullying experience in its entirety. [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://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A