Abstract

GOVENDER, Catherine  and  YOUNG, Kelly. A comparison of gender, age, grade, and experiences of authoritarian parenting amongst traditional and cyberbullying perpetrators. S. Afr. j. educ. [online]. 2018, vol.38, suppl.1, pp.s1-s11. ISSN 2076-3433.  http://dx.doi.org/10.15700/saje.v38ns1a1519.

In this study, we explore the differences between learners who perpetrate cyberbullying and traditional bullying in Gauteng with regard to their sociodemographic characteristics and the level of self-reported, authoritarian parenting they experienced. This study was conducted on Grade Six and Seven learners from four primary schools in Benoni, Gauteng (N = 279). Pupils completed an adapted version of the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (R-OBVQ) and items from the Parenting Practices Questionnaire (PPQ), which measured the authoritarian parenting style. Results revealed that grade was significantly associated with both traditional and cyberbullying perpetration; Grade Six learners were significantly more likely to have perpetrated traditional bullying behaviours, χ² (3, N = 272) = 9.26, p < .05, and Grade Seven learners were more likely to have perpetrated cyberbullying behaviours, χ2 (1, N = 272) = 5.96, p < .05. Age was significantly associated with cyberbullying perpetration only, with older learners more likely to perpetrate such behaviours, χ² (2, N = 272) = 9.24, p < .05. Both types of bullying were significantly related to self-reported, authoritarian parenting, therein suggesting that this parenting style is more prevalent in the households of bullying perpetrators.

Keywords : authoritarian parenting style; cyberbullying; Parenting Practices Questionnaire; PPQ; Victim Questionnaire (R-OBVQ); traditional bullying.

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