Nurture Adolescents’ Cyberethics by Enhancing Their Self-Knowledge and Self-Awareness Using a Pressure-Free Self-Assessment Strategy [Abstract]

Wing Shui Ng
InSITE 2017  •  2017  •  pp. 021-022
Aim/Purpose: In adolescents’ cyberethics education, case-based discussion, debate and role-playing are commonly used instructional strategies to engage students in critical dialogues in an open setting. However, the open setting is entirely different from the private and individual environment when adolescents go online. Teachers are in a position of higher power and peers’ observation provokes certain level of peer pressure. Students may not truly express their attitudes in the process for self-reflection.

Background: This study elaborated an instructional strategy with a pressure-free self-assessment exercise that aimed to enhance adolescents’ self-knowledge and self-awareness regarding their attitudes on cyberethics.

Methodology: The instructional strategy was divided into two phases. The purpose of the first phase was to enable students to obtain background knowledge on cyberethics. The second phase, with a pressure-free self-assessment element, aimed to enhance students’ self-knowledge and self-awareness on cyberethics. The study was carried out in a subsidized secondary school in Hong Kong. A total of 28 students at secondary three level participated in this study.

Contribution: In theoretical perspective, the researcher suggested an adolescents’ cyberethics framework with dimensions of information security, privacy, intellectual property and netiquette. To nurture adolescents’ cyberethics, this study emphasized the importance of including theories of self-presentation, self-knowledge and self-awareness in the area of social psychology into cyberethics education.

Findings: Students considered that the self-assessment exercise enabled self-reflection and enhanced self-knowledge on their attitudes of cyberethics. They also found it more effective for self-reflection compared with commonly used strategies and they will be more aware of cyberethics in their future online activities.

Recommendations for Practitioners : Education practitioners are recommended to include a pressure-free self-assessment exercise to enhance the teaching effectiveness of cyberethics education.

Recommendation for Researchers: This study opens avenues for further investigations of adolescents’ cyberethics with consideration of adolescents’ cognitive, psychological, social and emotional factors.

Impact on Society : It is expected that the attitudes and behaviors of digital citizens can be improved by using this instructional strategy in cyberethics education.

Future Research: Researcher could explore how different developmental factors affect adolescents’ decision-making on various issues of cyberethics.
cyberethics, adolescent, self-presentation, self-knowledge, self-awareness, self-assessment, pressure-free, information ethics, information security, privacy, intellectual property, netiquette
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