Representations of Teachers and Elder Schoolchildren about the Risks of Interacting with the Internet

Abstract

The paper explores the notions of risks on the Internet in teachers and high school students. The study was carried out on a sample of teachers (n = 294) and school students of 9—11 grades (n = 180) using the analysis of social representations (Abric coefficient).The results confirmed that only a small part (5 out of 29) of the teachers’ notions about the riskiness of Internet communication is related to the use of the Internet; mostly they are based on some general ideas concerning risk behaviours in adolescents. At the same time, the teachers were not quite ready to cooperate with their colleagues to help reduce such risks: only 41.5% of the teachers showed readiness, given that they receive appropriate training. The study confirmed that the notions of risks associated with the active use of the Internet differ significantly in teachers and students, which can be explained by at least two reasons. Firstly, by the fact that the active use of the Internet does not affect the subjective well-being of the adolescents. Secondly, by the fact that for high school students, the Internet is a natural tool and a necessary attribute of their daily life, whereas, according to the outcomes of our study, only 20% of the teachers believe that they have the necessary skills to freely use the Internet as a means of their teaching activities. For the rest of the teachers, the Internet is still an object that must be mastered and treated as a source of threats and risks to the psychological development of schoolchildren.