Poster #72 - The stability and change of school connectedness pre and during COVID-19 pandemic: The moderator role of cyberbullying

• In Event: Poster Session 11

Abstract

This study investigates how the changing education system due to the Covid-19 pandemic is related to school connectedness among children and adolescents. A total of 118 (Mage= 11.82 , sd = .96, range = 10 - 14) middle school students in Turkey participated in the study. Time 1 data of the study was collected through school visits across 19 different cities, a month before the first Covid-19 case was identified in Turkey. While Time 2 assessments were collected through online platforms eight months after the first case was identified. Participants filled out school connectedness (Hill, 2005) and cyberbullying (Topçu & Erdur-Baker, 2018) questionnaires at both time points. School connectedness scores were correlated across time points (r = .43). For 35 (29.7%) students, school attachment increased at T2, for 42 students (35.6%), school attachment remained the same, and for 39 (33.1%) students school attachment decreased at T2. Considering the stability and change in children’s school connectedness, we investigated possible moderator roles of cyberbullying and cyber victimization experiences of children on the link between T1 and T2 school connectedness. Results of moderation analyses showed that cyber victimization did not moderate the link between T1 and T2 school connectedness (B = -.03, SE= .03, p =.20 95% CI [-.08, .02]). Yet, cyberbullying was a significant moderator of the link between T1 and T2 school connectedness. Higher cyberbullying scores were related to a weaker association of school connectedness scores across times; while lower levels of cyberbullying scores were related to a stronger association of school connectedness scores across times (B = -.06, SE = .02, p =.01 95% CI [-.10, -.02]). According to the Johnson-Neyman approach’s results, for cyberbullying lower than the 3.32 value, the association of school connectedness scores was positively significant. Results interpreted as high levels of cyberbullying behaviors were a risk factor for school connectedness during the pandemic. Thus, results can help the determination of risk groups for school connectedness and can shed light on future program designs.
Keywords: cyberbullying, cyber victimization, school connectedness, Covid-19, middle school

Authors

• Ayse Busra İplikci, Akdeniz University
  Presenting Author

• Yagmur Ilgun, Middle East Technical University

• EZGİ AYDOĞDU, Middle East Technical University)

• Elif Anaçali, Middle East Technical University

• Basak Sahin-Acar, Middle East Technical University

• Aysun Dogan, Ege University

• Deniz Tahiroglu, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi (BOUN)

• Sibel KazakBerument, Middle East Technical University