Schoolteacher Preference of Cyber-Safety Awareness Delivery Methods: A South African Study

Abstract

School learners, which are mostly young people, enjoy using the Internet - yet they remain naïve about the associated risks of using the Internet. Learners are particularly susceptible to cyber-risks and hazards such as anxiety, cyber-bullying, and human trafficking, to name but a few. Therefore, raising cyber-safety awareness in schools is absolutely essential. Cyber-safety awareness is about the safe and responsible use of information and communication technology (ICT). From the viewpoint of facilitating and enhancing cyber-safety awareness in diverse South African schools, this study ranks various types of delivery methods which are preferred by schoolteachers, in order to make learners more aware of cyber-safety. Based on a survey of 109 schoolteachers across 18 schools in 2 districts, the research reveals that conventional delivery methods (i.e. events and posters) were the most preferred delivery methods for raising cyber-safety awareness in schools. Social media (an online delivery method), and the lecture (an instructor-led delivery method), were also highly preferred by schoolteachers. In general, online delivery methods (i.e. email, mLearning, and the blog) were the least preferred delivery methods for raising cyber-safety awareness. The research duly suggests that a combination of select conventional, online and instructor-led delivery methods (i.e. events, posters, social media and the lecture) should be used for raising cyber-safety awareness in South African schools.