Culturally-sensitive Cybersecurity Awareness Program Design for Iranian High-school Students

Abstract

Many of our daily activities are performed online, which calls for everyone to learn more about cyber security. Designing a culturally-sensitive cyber security awareness course is essential to “speak” to training audiences with different cultural backgrounds and technology. We analyse the current cyber security awareness level of high-school students in Iran, Hormozgan, based on a survey of 616 responses. We develop an awareness program for 16 to 18-year-old students using the culturally-sensitive ADDIE model. We implement the program and evaluate its effectiveness by pre-and post-test methods. We also evaluate whether cultural aspects of Intention, Interaction, and Introspection are practical and sufficient in designing a cultural dimension to a cybersecurity awareness program. The key findings of the analysis show low cyber hygiene knowledge levels, excessive use of VPNs and that lectures are a preferred learning method. Based on practical application, we conclude that the ADDIE model with cultural embrace provides a means of incorporating culture into cyber security education. However, from a practical implementation perspective, the guidance is relatively high-level and would need further tailoring to focus on relevant aspects for cyber security training (e.g., technology use). The pre- and post-test results of a pilot session show increase in overall knowledge on selected cyber security topics.