VIRTUAL ANTI-BULLYING VILLAGE PROJECT FOR COPING WITH BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING WITHIN A 3D VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: EVALUATION RESEARCH

Abstract

The current study aims to evaluate the implementation of a unique educational project- The Virtual Anti-Bullying Village for Kids and Teens (ABV4KIDS) that was designed and operated by the European Commission. A 3D virtual environment as an innovative, international project for adolescents, focused on knowledge acquisition and new ways of coping with bullying and cyberbullying. Sixty seventh graders-Israeli adolescents-completed five questionnaires before and after the project to assess its impacts regarding cyberbullying and socio-emotional variables. They evaluated the project as important, enjoyable, and increasing their knowledge about cyberbullying, but expressed a need for more practical tools for coping. At the end of the project, the control group reported more cyberbullying experiences, as well as a decrease in social support, whereas the research group reported no changes in cyberbullying experiences and in socio-emotional aspects. To cite this document: Dorit Olenik Shemesh, Tali Heiman, and Eyal Rabin, "Virtual anti-bullying village project for coping with bullying and cyberbullying within a 3D virtual learning environment: Evaluation research", International Journal of Cyber Society and Education, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 97-124, 2014. Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.7903/ijcse.1147