Multimedia-based cybersecurity and privacy professional development on educational technology for K-12 personnel
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21618023 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Florence Martins (0000-0002-6055-5636, North Carolina State University), Min Zhuang (0000-0002-7747-2562, North Carolina State University, corresponding author), Erik Jon Byker (0000-0002-2475-4195, University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Weichao Wang (0000-0002-4597-3338, University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Julie Bacak (0000-0001-5436-4393, Temple University), Lynn Ahlgrim‐Delzell (0000-0001-7881-650X, University of North Carolina at Charlotte) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 74 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 849-873 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Technology Research and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1042-1629 • E-ISSN: 1556-6501 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11423-025-10575-x |
| OpenAlex | W4417201053 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 19 |
To address the rising cybersecurity threats associated with educational technology in K-12 schools and the gap in cybersecurity education, we designed and implemented a multimedia-based Educational Technology (Edtech) Cybersecurity and Privacy Awareness-Ask-Action (AAA) professional development (PD) for school administrators, technology support staff, and teachers. This study sought to identify the PD’s effectiveness, specifically focusing on the participants’ knowledge increments and the perceptions of their experience. Fifty K-12 school personnel with diverse demographic, technology and contextual backgrounds (district types and school levels) participated. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests indicated a significant increase in participants’ knowledge between pre- and post-test. Inductive coding identified emerging themes from post PD survey and follow-up interviews, highlighting participants’ perceived benefits, challenges encountered and future needs. Participants expressed an overall positive attitude, appreciating the increased cybersecurity awareness and enhanced ability to recognize and act against potential cyber threats to protect students and schools. However, challenges such as technical complexity and resource constraints were noted. Participants suggested future cybersecurity professional development could include more contextual guidance, AI-related cybersecurity topics, and provide up-to-date resources
Educational technology · Information privacy · Information technology · Perception · Professional development · Technology development · Technology integration · Child Development and Digital Technology · Cybersecurity and Cyber Warfare Studies · Information and Cyber Security
| Highly cited | No |
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