Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PARTICIPATE (Parents and Technology in Cyberbullying: Intervention and Prevention for Future Experts.)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-08-31
Cyberbullying is a significant social, health and behavioural concern throughout the EU and worldwide. Despite this, a crucial area in its prevention and intervention has been overlooked, namely the key role of parents. Also frequently underestimated in cyberbullying research is the significance of race, class, gender and sexuality.
The PARTICIPATE Doctoral Network project (https://msca-participate.eu/(opens in new window)) addresses these research and action gaps by delivering a world-class multi-sectoral, multidisciplinary doctoral training program. By focusing on parents, the project will empower both parents and young people, creating a safer space online for youth in Europe.
This Doctoral Network brings together leading international researchers in cyberbullying prevention, comprising 6 academic partners and 8 non-academic partners from NGOs, youth foundations and internet safety organisations.
The project’s intersectoral and interdisciplinary approach is supported by four academic work packages, network-wide training, and academic and non-academic secondments. Its research will fill gaps in cyberbullying scholarship and produce practical toolkits, guidelines, and recommendations for parents, teachers, and government..
The key objectives of this project are:
(1) To include parents in online bullying research
Parents play a crucial role in the emotional and practical impact of online bullying, yet are often excluded from prevention efforts. This project aims to create an interdisciplinary network of researchers and practitioners to address the under-researched intersection of parents, online bullying, and technology.
(2) To break through disciplinary orthodoxies and advance new methods
Bullying and cyberbullying research is often limited by reliance on specific disciplinary methodologies. This consortium includes academic partners from Education, Sociology, Psychology, Gender Studies, and Internet Studies. The interdisciplinary collaboration allows Doctoral Candidates to develop cutting-edge, innovative, multi-method research, advancing online bullying studies.
(3) To advance intersectoral capacity
Non-academic experts, Dell Technologies and the International Parents Association, Foróige, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Youthworks, Webwise) collaborate in training and mentoring Doctoral Candidates, ensuring research is practical and problem-focused. Conversely, Doctoral candidates provide expertise to non-academic stakeholders, enhancing innovation and job opportunities through knowledge exchange.
4) To produce tangible outputs
This project will produce 10 PhDs, 7-12 academic publications per work package, and several practical resources, including:
a policy advocacy toolkit on cyberbullying,
a parent toolkit for teachers, and
government recommendations on parent-teacher cooperation and the need for digital media literacy to support young people in cyberbullying prevention.
These resources will draw on the findings of all 10 PhDs, as well as on the Doctoral candidates’ experiences of working ‘in the field’ with anti-bullying organisations, and will involve the input of all academic and non-academic stakeholders.
(5) To shape policy and foster cross-national cooperation
PARTICIPATE is a unique action that involves 6 academic and 8 non-academic partners from across Europe, bringing together wide ranging experience and expertise essential for the training of a new generation of innovative researchers. The network is a vital hub through which the researchers compare international policies, encouraging sharing of datasets, nationally published guidelines around bullying, and best practice in different countries, with the aim of moving towards common guidelines for the European Community.
The PARTICIPATE Doctoral Network project (https://msca-participate.eu/(opens in new window)) addresses these research and action gaps by delivering a world-class multi-sectoral, multidisciplinary doctoral training program. By focusing on parents, the project will empower both parents and young people, creating a safer space online for youth in Europe.
This Doctoral Network brings together leading international researchers in cyberbullying prevention, comprising 6 academic partners and 8 non-academic partners from NGOs, youth foundations and internet safety organisations.
The project’s intersectoral and interdisciplinary approach is supported by four academic work packages, network-wide training, and academic and non-academic secondments. Its research will fill gaps in cyberbullying scholarship and produce practical toolkits, guidelines, and recommendations for parents, teachers, and government..
The key objectives of this project are:
(1) To include parents in online bullying research
Parents play a crucial role in the emotional and practical impact of online bullying, yet are often excluded from prevention efforts. This project aims to create an interdisciplinary network of researchers and practitioners to address the under-researched intersection of parents, online bullying, and technology.
(2) To break through disciplinary orthodoxies and advance new methods
Bullying and cyberbullying research is often limited by reliance on specific disciplinary methodologies. This consortium includes academic partners from Education, Sociology, Psychology, Gender Studies, and Internet Studies. The interdisciplinary collaboration allows Doctoral Candidates to develop cutting-edge, innovative, multi-method research, advancing online bullying studies.
(3) To advance intersectoral capacity
Non-academic experts, Dell Technologies and the International Parents Association, Foróige, Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Youthworks, Webwise) collaborate in training and mentoring Doctoral Candidates, ensuring research is practical and problem-focused. Conversely, Doctoral candidates provide expertise to non-academic stakeholders, enhancing innovation and job opportunities through knowledge exchange.
4) To produce tangible outputs
This project will produce 10 PhDs, 7-12 academic publications per work package, and several practical resources, including:
a policy advocacy toolkit on cyberbullying,
a parent toolkit for teachers, and
government recommendations on parent-teacher cooperation and the need for digital media literacy to support young people in cyberbullying prevention.
These resources will draw on the findings of all 10 PhDs, as well as on the Doctoral candidates’ experiences of working ‘in the field’ with anti-bullying organisations, and will involve the input of all academic and non-academic stakeholders.
(5) To shape policy and foster cross-national cooperation
PARTICIPATE is a unique action that involves 6 academic and 8 non-academic partners from across Europe, bringing together wide ranging experience and expertise essential for the training of a new generation of innovative researchers. The network is a vital hub through which the researchers compare international policies, encouraging sharing of datasets, nationally published guidelines around bullying, and best practice in different countries, with the aim of moving towards common guidelines for the European Community.
o The project Management and Governance boards and committees have been established, as below:
- Project Management Team
- Supervisory Board of the Network
- External Advisory Group
- Ethics Advisory Board
- Training Committee
- Research Management Committee
- Dissemination and Outreach Committee
- Doctoral Candidate Committee
o Recruitment of the 10 Doctoral Candidates
The doctoral candidates were recruited in line with the mandatory requirements as set out in the Grant Agreement. 184 applications were received from countries all over the world. The successful candidates are from Turkey (2), Portugal, India, Pakistan, Russia, China, Italy (2) and the Netherlands.
o Research progress
Each Doctoral Candidates has developed a Career development plan (CDP) and a plan for their individual research project (IRP). All have received ethical approval from their individual host organisations and are progressing with their respective CDP and IRP plans.
o Publications
Each work package has produced at least two publications or in-progress publications, as per scheduled deliverables. Details of publications have been submitted in August 2024 as part of deliverables for Work Packages 2, 3, 4 and 5.
o Dedicated project website
https://msca-participate.eu/(opens in new window)
The PARTICIPATE project website, established in October 2022, is the central repository for project information and news.
o Doctoral candidates' Training programme
The training programme is well under way with 3 network-wide training events already completed.
o Scheduled Deliverables and Milestones progress
The following Deliverables have been submitted:
D1.1 Data Management Plan
D1.2 First Annual meeting minutes
D1.3 Establishment of the Project Supervisory Board
D1.4 Set up of the Project Website
D1.5 Project Handbook
D1.6 2nd Annual Meeting minutes
D1.8 Recruitment of the 10 Doctoral Candidates
D1.9 Project Progress report
D2.3 Scientific Publications
D3.5 Scientific Publications
D4.4 Scientific Publications
D5.3 Scientific Publications
D6.1 Individual Career Development plans for the Doctoral Candidates
D6.3 Scientific Training event 1
D6.4 Scientific Training event 2
D7.1 Dissemination and Exploitation plan
D7.5 Communications and Public Engagement Plan
D7.8 Sustainability Plan
D7.9 Media Engagement Plan
D8.1 Establishment of the Ethics Advisory Board
D8.2 First report of the Ethics Advisory Board
The following Milestones have been achieved:
M.1 Project Kick-off Meeting
M.10 Consortium Agreement completed
M.12 Planned Recruitments completed
M.13 All recruited Fellows enrolled in PhD programme
M.11 Project mid-term check
M.6 Summer School 1 (Winter School)
- Project Management Team
- Supervisory Board of the Network
- External Advisory Group
- Ethics Advisory Board
- Training Committee
- Research Management Committee
- Dissemination and Outreach Committee
- Doctoral Candidate Committee
o Recruitment of the 10 Doctoral Candidates
The doctoral candidates were recruited in line with the mandatory requirements as set out in the Grant Agreement. 184 applications were received from countries all over the world. The successful candidates are from Turkey (2), Portugal, India, Pakistan, Russia, China, Italy (2) and the Netherlands.
o Research progress
Each Doctoral Candidates has developed a Career development plan (CDP) and a plan for their individual research project (IRP). All have received ethical approval from their individual host organisations and are progressing with their respective CDP and IRP plans.
o Publications
Each work package has produced at least two publications or in-progress publications, as per scheduled deliverables. Details of publications have been submitted in August 2024 as part of deliverables for Work Packages 2, 3, 4 and 5.
o Dedicated project website
https://msca-participate.eu/(opens in new window)
The PARTICIPATE project website, established in October 2022, is the central repository for project information and news.
o Doctoral candidates' Training programme
The training programme is well under way with 3 network-wide training events already completed.
o Scheduled Deliverables and Milestones progress
The following Deliverables have been submitted:
D1.1 Data Management Plan
D1.2 First Annual meeting minutes
D1.3 Establishment of the Project Supervisory Board
D1.4 Set up of the Project Website
D1.5 Project Handbook
D1.6 2nd Annual Meeting minutes
D1.8 Recruitment of the 10 Doctoral Candidates
D1.9 Project Progress report
D2.3 Scientific Publications
D3.5 Scientific Publications
D4.4 Scientific Publications
D5.3 Scientific Publications
D6.1 Individual Career Development plans for the Doctoral Candidates
D6.3 Scientific Training event 1
D6.4 Scientific Training event 2
D7.1 Dissemination and Exploitation plan
D7.5 Communications and Public Engagement Plan
D7.8 Sustainability Plan
D7.9 Media Engagement Plan
D8.1 Establishment of the Ethics Advisory Board
D8.2 First report of the Ethics Advisory Board
The following Milestones have been achieved:
M.1 Project Kick-off Meeting
M.10 Consortium Agreement completed
M.12 Planned Recruitments completed
M.13 All recruited Fellows enrolled in PhD programme
M.11 Project mid-term check
M.6 Summer School 1 (Winter School)
As the research programme is in its early stages, policy relevant evidence is not yet available. However, the pathways to policy development are evident in:
- Recommendations for government in form of a report on the status of parent – teacher/school cooperation in cyberbullying prevention and intervention
- Recommendations for government in the form of a report on the current and future state of parents’ needs for digital media literacy to support young people
- Recommendations for government in form of a report on the status of parent – teacher/school cooperation in cyberbullying prevention and intervention
- Recommendations for government in the form of a report on the current and future state of parents’ needs for digital media literacy to support young people