This presentation summarizes a study on students' attitudes towards social media and their intention to engage in cyberbullying. It discusses the research questions, methodology, results, and conclusions. The study used surveys and focus groups with 407 polytechnic students in Singapore. Results found that students overwhelmingly do not intend to cyberbully and are careful about what they post online to avoid hurting others or embarrassment. However, some strategies like using codes or reverse anonymity are used to discuss others while maintaining anonymity. The presentation concludes that while social media is important for students, they must balance connecting with friends against potential harm.

1. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 1
Rasch Analysis of Students' Attitude Towards Social Media and
Their Intention to Engage in Cyberbullying Behaviours
ICEM 2013

2. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 2
Agenda
 Self-Introduction
 Introduction to Presentation
 Social Media and Cyberbullying
 Research Questions
 Research Methodology
 Results and Discussion
 Conclusion

3. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 3
Self-Introduction
 Established in 1992
 7 Schools
 15,000 students
 PhD student in NIE since 2010
 Supervisor:
A/P Jonathan Goh WP
Associate Dean
Research Support
OER/PLS

4. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 4
Social Media
 “A group of Internet-based applications that build on the
ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0
and that allow the creation and exchange of User
Generated Content”
- Kaplan and Haenlein (2010)

5. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 5
Anti-Social Behaviours
 Cyberbullying
 Risky Internet Behaviours

6. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 6
Singapore Cases
Year Incident Year Incident
2003 Student’s ticking-off goes from RJC to net
2011
PAP youth member quits over ‘racist’ online posting
2005
Schools act against students for flaming' teachers on blogs Ex-boyfriend called her a 'loose woman'
2 charged with making racist remarks on Net
2012
She pleads for help, they mock her writing
2006
Revenge of the online bullies Two teens arrested over racist posts
Poly student in homemade sex video gets counselling NUS scholar punished for Net posting
2007 Pay us or we'll post video Poly student’s offensive post sparks online furor
2008
Caught in Web of menace Police officer under probe for alleged racist remarks
Blogger arrested for racist post
Video of SIM undergrad telling racist jokes at NUS
creates uproar online
2010
JC students branded ‘dogs’ on Wikipedia 2013 Student suspended from clinic postings
JC students in trouble over toilet-sex video
Facebook user made police report
Undergrad flamed on Net for arts-degree ‘joke’
School tracks down student’s vulgar tweet, tells her to remove it
ISD calls up pastor for insensitive comments

7. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 7
Why?
Dimensions Cyberbullying
Anonymity
 Nobody knows their real identity they can do what
they want
No Regulation
 No one regulates the Internet
 Adults know nothing about it
 They won’t do anything to solve cyberbullying
problems anyway
Lack of Physical Cues
 They can’t see the suffering of others
 It’s just for fun or entertainment
Effect of Audience  Can reach a wide audience quickly
Freedom of
Expression
 They have the freedom of expression in
cyberspace

8. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 8
Research Questions
1. Do students have the intention to engage in
cyberbullying?
2. Is there a significant relationship between students’
attitude towards Social Media and their intention to
engage in cyberbullying?
3. Which aspect of Social Media is most significantly
related to their intention to engage in cyberbullying?
4. How do students behave on Social Media platforms?

9. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 9
Methodology
 Survey design
o Likert-type rating scale
o 12 items for each dimension
o 5 response categories
 Administered to 407 polytechnic students
 Rasch Analysis applied to
o Clean up raw scores
o Put all respondents on a common scale of measure

10. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 10
Methodology
 Focus Group Discussions
o 5 sessions
o 34 students
 Facebook Wall Content Analysis
o 420 students

11. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 11
Results – Global Run (Attitude)
Items
Infit
Z-std
Outfid
Z-std
Items
Remaining
Persons
Infit
Z-std
Outfid
Z-std
Persons
Remaining
- - - 60
S136 8.25 8.08
402
S263 8.17 8.55
S273 7.79 7.90
S322 9.90 9.90
S343 9.50 9.43
Standard Error Separation Reliability
Person
Real RMSE 2.50 .86
Model RMSE 2.83 .89
S.E. of Person Mean .02
Item
Real RMSE 11.92 .99
Model RMSE 12.39 .99
S.E. of Item Mean .10

12. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 12
Results – Global Run (Intention to Cyberbully)
Items
Infit
Z-std
Outfid
Z-std
Items
Remaining
Persons
Infit
Z-std
Outfid
Z-std
Persons
Remaining
Q89 9.90 9.90 14 - - - 402
Standard Error Separation Reliability
Person
Real RMSE 2.25 .83
Model RMSE 2.59 .87
S.E. of Person Mean .06
Item
Real RMSE 7.35 .98
Model RMSE 7.68 .98
S.E. of Item Mean .15

13. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 13
Intention to Engage in Cyberbullying
 Students overwhelmingly do not
have the intention to engage in
cyberbullying
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“We don’t want to embarrass him…”
“I don’t want to get Stomped.”

14. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 14
Correlational Results
Anonymity
No
Regulation
Lack of
Physical
Cues
Effect of
Audience
Freedom of
Expression
Intention to
Engage in
Cyberbullying
Attitude Pearson Correlation .288** .796** .746** .596** .848** .653**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 .000
N 402 402 402 402 402 402
Anonymity Pearson Correlation 1 .029 -.048 .035 .018 -.018
Sig. (2-tailed) .562 .336 .478 .717 .719
N 402 402 402 402 402 402
No
Regulation
Pearson Correlation 1 .587** .330** .685** .516**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 402 402 402 402 402
Lack of Physical
Cues
Pearson Correlation 1 .291** .659** .631**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000
N 402 402 402 402
Effect of Audience Pearson Correlation 1 .416** .419**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000
N 402 402 402
Freedom of
Expression
Pearson Correlation 1 .597**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 402 402

15. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 15
So how do students behave on Social Media platforms?
小心翼翼，步步为营
Careful about what they post,
watching their backs
Not all students are like that

16. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 16
Managing the tension
Connecting with friends Not hurting others
Not getting attacked

17. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 17
Strategies 1: Codes
 Only understood by their close friends (boyd &
Marwick, 2011)
“Yah, it’s in your group of friends, and you all have
been talking about it recently. Then when she
posts that kind of things, you already know who
she’s talking about…of course many of us will
comment (on that post) to show that we know who
she is talking about.”
“Then someone will come to your mind…”

18. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 18
Strategies 2: Reverse Anonymity
 Comment/complain directed at no one in
particular
“There's always this kind of person… asking irritating,
weird questions in class… you know this - when
the whole class sigh whenever he raises his
hand... lolx…”
 Additional benefit – others will be curious and ask
about it

19. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 19
Strategies 3: Appeal to the ‘Busybody’
 Posting something to induce curiosity in others
“Nothing seems to be going right these few days.”
“I just feel like crying :'( can't hold back much
longer...”

20. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 20
But sometimes, they let their guard down
“Its [sic] the last day of school and this thing happen [sic] in class!
Hahaha epic!”
“Inarticulate chief examiners, you never fail to brighten up my day. ♥
'Please do not bring any electronic devices that is capable of storing
and DISPRAYING information blablabla.... if you're caught, its [sic]
considered as an DISHONER act”
“I guess, I gonnaa skip cep lecture again. MY DEAR CLASS REP ♥ I
LOVE YOU. sign for me pls. :D”

21. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 21
Conclusion
 Students generally do not have the intention to engage
in cyberbullying
 Most concerned about
o Not hurting others
o Not embarrassing people
o Not being attacked
 But Social Media is a place where they must have a
presence, therefore…
 Constantly remind others that they are ‘alive and well’

22. ICEM2013 | Nanyang Polytechnic | Quek Chin Joo | Slide No. 22
Thank You
quek_chin_joo@nyp.gov.sg