THE DEGREE OF CYBERBULLYING ACCORDING TO GENDER AND SOCIAL ECOLOGY IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Abstract

This study aims to identify the degree of cyberbullying in a sample of ninth and tenth grade students in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE) in terms of gender and social ecology variables. The method used was a descriptive analytical approach. The study used the data elicitation tool that includes eight items developed by Buffy and Dianne (2006) to measure the degree of cyberbullying. The researchers added eight additional items based on the students’ comprehension level. The results showed that there is a low-impact level of cyberbullying on the tested students in Al Ain/UAE. The results also revealed that there are statistically significant differences at (α≤0.05) between the participants who are bullied in terms of gender and social ecology in favor of the students whose parents are of a low educational level and whose mothers are employed. Based on the results, the study concludes with recommendations related to the importance of following social, educational and technical policies to reduce the negative effects of this phenomenon.