Evaluation of A Contextual Cybersecurity Awareness for Polytechnic Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Cyber-security threats increasingly affect students who depend on mobile devices, social media, messaging platforms, and online services for academic and personal activities. This study appraised students' perceptions and intended behavior on cyber-security awareness and proposed module for polytechnic students in a Nigerian educational setting. A design-based research-informed approach combined with a descriptive survey evaluation was adopted. Data were collected from 500 students selected through stratified random sampling across five departments at Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The study assessed students’ self-reported cyber-security awareness, cyber-security experiences and practices, perceptions of the contextual learning module, and intended cyber-security behavior. Findings indicated relatively strong awareness of password security and risks associated with unknown files, but comparatively lower awareness of phishing, social engineering, and suspicious-link identification. Students also reported frequent exposure to fake offers, suspicious WhatsApp messages, malicious links, fraudulent OTP/PIN requests, and impersonation. A design-based research-informed approach combined with a descriptive survey design was adopted. The study population comprised 913 students drawn from five selected departments, namely Computer Science (150), Science Laboratory Technology (189), Accounting (216), Library and Information Science (243), and Computer Engineering (115). A sample of 500 students (54.76% of the study population) was selected using stratified random sampling with equal allocation of 100 students from each department. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale and analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation.