An examination of the relationship between students involved and not involved in cyberbullying incidents and self-esteem and extroversion

Abstract

Youngsters are individuals who follow the developments in information and communication technologies closely and have the skills to use the technological devices on a high level. As a result of the misuse of such technological devices for hurting other youngsters, cases of cyberbullying have started to occur at schools as a different version of bullying. Cyberbullying can be defined as the misuse of information and communication technologies to harm other people intentionally and on purpose. It is aimed in this research to examine the relationship between students who are cyberbullies, cyber victims, cyberbullies/victims, and neutral and self-esteem and extraversion. The study sample is composed of 519 students who study at different high schools in Sakarya in 2014-2015 academic year. 274 (52.8%) of the students are males, 245 (47.2%) of them are females. It was seen that the relationship between cyber victims and self-esteem was on the mid-level; the relationship between cyberbullying and self-esteem on a positively low level; the relationship between cyberbully/victim students and self-esteem on a negatively low level; and the relationship between neutral students and self-esteem on the mid-level. It was also found that the relationship between cyber victims and extraversion was on a negatively mid-level; the relationship between cyberbullying and extraversion on a negatively low level; the relationship between cyberbully/victim students and extraversion on a negatively low level; and the relationship between neutral students and extraversion on a positively mid-level.