School Counselors' Experiences and Growth in Responding to Cyberbullying among Middle School Students

The purpose of this study is to deeply explore the coping experiences of school counselors regarding cyberbullying among middle school students and their subsequent growth. To achieve this research objective, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 school counselors who have experience in dealing with cyberbullying. The raw data was conceptualized and categorized using a continuous comparison method. In this study, data were analyzed using the method of grounded theory. As a result of open coding, 79 concepts, 21 subcategories, and 9 categories were derived and arranged in a paradigm model. The central phenomenon experienced by school counselors regarding cyberbullying among middle school students is ‘facing crisis situations,’ which includes ‘recognizing the limitations of the school counselor's role and the unfamiliarity of cyberspace.’ The analysis went through four stages, and the relationships between the categories were confirmed to classify participants into ‘complete rebirth growth type,’ ‘experiential growth type,’ ‘infrastructure-building rebirth type,’ and ‘incomplete rebirth growth type.’ This study is significant in that it provides educational and counseling implications for coping with cyberbullying by deeply exploring and concretizing the practical characteristics and actual appearances of school counselors' coping experiences with cyberbullying among middle school students.