THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF GRADE 11 HUMMS AND

STEM STUDENTS ON CYBERBULLYING

IN FACEBOOK

A Research Project

Presented to
the Faculty of Senior High School Department
of St. Paul’s Institute of Technology of Iligan City, Inc.

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) Strand

ARA ABELLA
JUSTINE BAYHON
NICOLE MAROHOM
NASRODIN DIMAPORO

MARCH 2023
 CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Digital technologies these days play a huge role in all areas of human life. A person

learns to use computers and smartphones in early childhood, and adolescents, due to

modern mobile devices, almost “live on the Internet” (Sobkin, et al 2019).

The Internet and social media have provided many benefits to adolescents such as speed

of communication, enhanced entertainment value, and information at one's fingertips.

However, it has also some undesirable effects - of emerging, global significance is the

phenomenon of cyberbullying, considered as a serious form of misbehavior.

Cyberbullying is usually termed as aggression that is deliberately and repeatedly carried

out in electronic contexts (e.g., in Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, blogs)

against persons who cannot easily defend themselves (Hinduja, et al 2017).

Many children on the receiving end of a barrage of nasty messages suffer drops in school

grades, low self-esteem, changes in interests, and depression But, cyberbullying can also

have more serious effects on a child’s wellbeing. Because of how and where it occurs –

on the internet – children are always subjected to cyberbullying when they are online,

including in their home. Other than making it difficult to combat as a school, this means

that bullies can reach others in the one place they expect to be safe and can also lead a

victim to feel that bullying is inescapable. Cyberbullying tends to be more extreme.

Often, young people will say things online that they wouldn’t say in person. And to make

this worse, cyberbullying also allows the message to be much more far-reaching. In just a
few clicks, an embarrassing photo or nasty post can be shared all over a website for a

whole school to see. In the most extreme of cases, cyberbullying can contribute to

feelings of suicide and self-harm (webwise, 2022).

Not surprisingly, cyberbullying is a significant stressor in a young person's life. In fact,

research shows that 32% of kids who are targets of cyberbullying report experiencing at

least one symptom of stress. That feeling distressed, they also may feel embarrassed,

hurt, and even fear for their safety. They may even blame themselves for the

cyberbullying (Sheri Gordon, 2023)

Cyberbullying doesn’t end when the school bell rings. It can continue at any time,

throughout all hours of the night. It can come in the form of text messages, social media

posts, chatroom messages, images and videos that have been altered, and many other

digital forms (Kaspersky, 2023). It is well established that cyberbullying can result in

negative mental health outcomes. Separate research indicates that higher levels of social

connectedness are associated with better mental health outcomes; however, the

relationship between social connectedness and mental health in the face of cyberbullying

is not fully understood. We conducted an online survey of 229 adolescents (aged 12-17

years) to investigate cyberbullying experiences, levels of social connectedness,

depression, anxiety, and stress. According to structural equation modeling, social

connectedness may act as a buffer against the negative mental health outcomes associated

with cybervictimization. This paper emphasizes the fact that the more socially connected

young people are, the more frequently they are victimized. These findings have far-

reaching implications (Larisa McLoughlin, 2019).

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE DEPENDENT VARIABLE

Lived Experience of Grade

11 STEM & HUMSS
Figure 1: The conceptual framework of the study

In examining the group dynamics of cyberbullying, the study shows the relationships

only between traditional Cyberbullying, and the Lived Experience of Grade 11 STEM &

HUMSS which shows the cyberbullying participant role and individual levels

manifesting through different experiences.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place through digital devices such as mobile phones,

computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur online through SMS, text, apps, or social

media, forums, or games where people can view, participate, or share content.

Cyberbullying includes sending, posting or sharing negative, harmful, false or mean

content about another person. This may involve sharing personal or personal information

about others, which may cause embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying

crosses the line into illegal or criminal activity (StopBullying, 2023). Cyber wellness and

the child abuse and protection helpline launched by the Department of Education to
safeguard Filipino children symbolize the country’s fight against violence and bullying.

(Askonnie, 2023) Cyberbullying has caused significant issues for those involved ranging

from extreme displays of anger to suicide attempts (Chantelle Cummings, 2017).

This study primary aims to understand the lived experience of victims in cyberbullying.

The study will investigate the following questions:

1. What are the lived experiences of Grade 11 STEM & HUMSS in cyberbullying?

2. What is the impact of cyberbullying on Grade 11 STEM & HUMSS?

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Understanding the concept of cyberbullying on a social media platform specifically

Facebook and developing a cyber safety education that provides students with the

knowledge and skills they need to stay safe online. It entails appreciating the advantages

and opportunities provided by the online world while also understanding the risks and

avoiding potential harm.

The following are the objectives of the study:

1) To identify the lived experiences of Grade 11 STEM & HUMSS on

cyberbullying.

2) To Identify the impact of cyberbullying on Grade 11 STEM & HUMSS on their

academic performance.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The result of the study will benefit the following stakeholders:

Students - they will be able to be aware of the negative effects of cyberbullying.

 Teachers - they will be able to teach and guide their students on the usage of

Facebook.

Parents - they will be able to control what their children can see, and thus avoid

negative content on Facebook.

School administrator - they can promote awareness for their students on the

effects of cyberbullying in Facebook.

Researchers - they can use this study to further formulate concepts, and data

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This study will focus only on the lived experience of Grade 11 STEM and HUMSS

students on cyberbullying S.Y 2022 – 2023. Grade 11 HUMSS and STEM will be the

subject of the study.

 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Live experiential research is conducted by people who have experienced mental

health issues, so it is better suited than traditional research to shed light on participants’

experiences. Insights focused on identifying recovery enablers from a real-life

perspective may support people’s recovery processes. However, this empirical research is

often difficult to find, access and interpret. (Anne Honey, et al 2020) Understanding the

living world of an individual based on their unique viewpoint provides a better

perspective of human realities (Alda, 2022).

The Covid-19 pandemic brought a lot of problems that affect the lives of the Senior

High School learners enrolled at Goshen School of Technology and Humanities. The

Senior High School learners experienced issues on their learning modality, financial,
technological, mental Health, and Lifestyle Issues that affected them in various and

critical ways. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic affects the personal, social, mental,

and academic performances of Senior High School Learners as they pursue their

academic journey in times of disruptions. (Taunan, et al 2021)

Nev Jones, et al (2021) argued that to play a more meaningful role in research and, in

turn, realize the potential for deeper and more transformative change, individuals with

lived experience of the conditions, systems, and services. Nev Jones, et al (2021) stated

that the study must be central in research decision making. Consultation—understood as

predominantly unidirectional activities designed to gather stakeholder input or feedback

—is not a substitute for direct involvement and leadership of persons with lived

experience in project decision making.

The main aims of the present study were: 1) to study the relationship between school

bullying and cyberbullying victimization, analyzing the direct link of these variables with

suicide ideation; 2) to analyze the indirect relationships between cybervictimization and

suicide ideation through perceived stress, loneliness, depressive symptomatology, and

psychological distress (Iranzo, et al,. 2019).

The current study demonstrates that cyberbullying roles other than the bullying triad

can be identified based on answer patterns. Surprisingly, three of the classes are passive

bystanders, meaning they are not directly involved in cyberbullying. Two of these classes

demonstrated helpful behavior (albeit in different ways) and accounted for nearly two-

thirds of the sample. The post-hoc regression analyses revealed that students in the

classes differed significantly in terms of the types and levels of aggression and social
competencies. There were some age and gender differences discovered, though not for

every cyberbullying role (Krumbholz, et al. 2018).

Cyberbullying has been shown to take place in multiple electronic mediums, including

email, instant messaging, chat rooms, text messages, and social networking sites.

Students who experience cyberbullying have also been shown to experience academic

problems, interpersonal problems, family problems, depression, substance abuse, suicidal

thoughts, and self-esteem problems. Students have a clear preference for Internet media

and frequently use it in their daily lives. Knowing that many aspects of student life now

take place online and that excessive use can lead to consequences, it is important to look

more closely at the phenomenon of cyberbullying (Heliyon. 2019).

 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter investigates the various research methodologies and suitable

methods that are utilized by the researchers to collect data for this research, and make the

process transparent and reproducible, thereby increasing the credibility of research.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Amongst the qualitative research studies, this study will use non-experimental

research design. Two sections are used in the senior high school, sections of HUMSS and

STEM 11 students will be exposed to survey research to determine the lived experiences

of Senior High School students in cyberbullying.

The population will be exposed to purposive sampling as a form of non-probability

sampling to form the selection of participants in each section. The responses of the

sample to the open-ended questions after implementation of the topic chosen by the

researcher will then be collected as data to identify the lived experiences of Grade 11

STEM & HUMSS.

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURE

Prior to the conduct of the study, the researchers will ask permission before

conducting the research. A request to conduct a survey will be issued to the principal of

St. Paul’s Institute of Technology, and the survey will be administered after the principal

has signed the permit. The author will consult with the advisor of Grade 11 STEM &

HUMSS Students on the subject that is covered in the study and begin the survey. They

are subject to purposive sampling, a form of non-probability sampling. The researchers

will then conduct a pre-survey to identify the respondents who experienced

cyberbullying. A survey will be then conducted after the pre-survey to identify the lived

experience of the respondents in cyberbullying on Facebook.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS

Questionnaires are an effective data collecting tool. They can be aimed towards specific

groups and dealt with in a variety of ways. It gives a means for gathering massive

amounts of data on any topic. These may be used in a variety of ways, including client

feedback. Questionnaires are efficient, cost-effective, and easy to administer, there is no

danger in using questionnaires, as they cover the major concern and feedback of others.

To gather the appropriate data needed, the researchers will have a pre-survey

questionnaire and a survey with 2 parts each.

Part 1 of the pre-survey will consist of a series of questions that will create the profile of

identification of the respondents. Part 2 will be an open-ended question. The tool used in

creating the question was made by the researchers. The open-ended question in part 2

will identify if the respondent has experienced cyberbullying on Facebook.

Part 1 of the survey will consist of a series of questions that will create the profile of the

respondent. The tool for creating the profile was made by the researcher. Part 2 is the

open-ended questions which will consist of cyberbullying related questions that will

demonstrate their understanding and identify their lived experiences in cyberbullying on

Facebook.

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