UCLA

In this action research study, I, along with a student intervention committee of 14 members, developed a cyberbullying intervention for a large urban high school on the west coast. This high school contained a predominantly African American student population. I aimed to discover culturally relevant cyberbullying prevention strategies for African American students. The intervention committee selected video safety messages featuring African American actors as the most culturally relevant cyberbullying prevention strategy for African American students. However, videos were not actually employed due to time constraints. Instead, a paper and pencil treatment was employed. The student body read a cyber-safety brochure, rated their bullying behavior online on a scale ranging from cyberbully to cyber-saint, and reflected in a short paragraph upon whether they would change their online behavior. Of the 522 responders, 244 students promised to change their online behavior towards more safe behaviors. It appears that the simple act of reflection serves as a catalyst for changing behavior. This action research study may be duplicated at other sites, and it is recommended that public safety messages via video be incorporated into future interventions, using student actors who represent the ethnic make-up of the intended site.