A connectivist learning activity for 8th grade students on peer bullying

Year 2024, Volume: 1 Issue: 1, 1 - 17, 30.12.2024

Elif Ezgi Karaca , Bünyamin Özen , Çiğdem Suzan Çardak , Elif Çimşir

Abstract

This study was conducted in a holistic single case design to examine the peer bullying activity based on the connectivist learning approach for 8th grade middle school students. Thirteen eighth grade students attending a private educational institution that supports school programs in Bursa in the 2022-2023 academic year voluntarily participated in the study. In this study, in which the first 4 sessions of the 5-session Peer Bullying Awareness Program published by the Ministry of Education were implemented through blended learning, data were collected through focus group interviews, reflective diaries and Blogger environment records. The findings obtained from the research show that the students showed an average participation in the activities on Blogger, and the participation in the last activities decreased due to the short time left for high school entrance exam, that different network connections were not used sufficiently in the process, that although various difficulties were encountered, opinions were mostly positive about the activity, that a mobile application was preferred to the Blogger. As a result, most of the students gained awareness about peer bullying. Studies on a similar subject can be carried out at a different level than middle school and in a different social media environment than Blogger.

Keywords

Peer Bullying, Middle School, Connectivist Learning, Blogger, Blended Learning

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