Date

12-19-2024

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Maryna Svirska-Otero

Keywords

cybersecurity judgment, intuitive judgment, rational judgment, cybersecurity risks, risk factor, protective factor, middle school, high school

Disciplines

Education | Educational Methods

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational study was to determine if cybersecurity judgment (intuitive and rational) could be predicted from a linear combination of years of CyberPatriot participation, internet experience, gender, and grade level among middle and high school students. The importance of this study lies in its potential to address a critical gap in understanding factors influencing cybersecurity judgment decisions among middle and high school students. From a suburban high school in the western part of the United States, 123 middle and high school students who participated in the CyberPatriot after-school program volunteered as samples in this study. The self-reported Cybersecurity Judgment Questionnaire assessed middle and high school students’ ability to make cybersecurity decisions given real-life scenarios in intuitive and rational judgments. Students’ responses were collected on Google Form online. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify a predictive correlational relationship between predictive variables (CyberPatriot participation, internet experience, gender, and grade level) and the criterion variable (cybersecurity judgment – intuitive and rational). A statistically significant relationship was not found between the combined predictive variables and cybersecurity judgment. Conclusions and future research recommendations on sample size and characteristics, methodology, data collection process, and cybersecurity education methods were reported after the study concluded.

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