•  
  •  
 

Short Title

Principals’ Decision-Making and Cyberbullying: A Systematic Review

Keywords

Principals, ethical decision-making, cyberbullying, educational leadership

Abstract

Principals’ ethical decision-making in response to cyberbullying presents some of the most complex challenges in K–12 leadership, as issues extend beyond the classroom into digital spaces. National data from 2019–20 indicate that bullying and cyberbullying remain among the most prevalent discipline problems in U.S. public schools, underscoring the urgency of effective leadership in this area. This systematic review examined how principals address and manage cyberbullying by analyzing peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 2012 and 2025 on decision-making and leadership. Three themes emerged: technology-related challenges, policy implementation, and stakeholder education. Findings highlight principals’ pivotal role in prevention and intervention, emphasizing the need for targeted leadership preparation in technology, legal frameworks, digital citizenship, the psychological impacts of bullying, and ethical decision-making. This review advances the field of educational leadership by clarifying how principal practices shape school responses to cyberbullying and by offering directions for future research and leadership development.

Download

Share

COinS

Tell us how this article helped you.

 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.