Examination of Middle School Students’ Cyber Resilience Levels Using Latent Profile Analysis

Date

2025-7-1

Author

SOYLU, Esengül

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The purpose of this study is to identify the different cyber resilience profiles of middle school students, define these profiles in line with the five core functions of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF), and examine demographic variables that could affect profile memberships. A survey study was conducted where data was collected online from 2,483 students enrolled in various public middle schools. Using a person-centered approach, students' cyber resilience profiles were identified through Latent Profile Analysis and conceptualized within the framework of the NIST CSF. The Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars method was subsequently employed to examine the effects and statistical significance of demographic variables, such as age, gender, grade level, daily internet usage, and exposure to cyberattacks, on profile membership. Findings revealed four distinct cyber resilience profiles among students. Moreover, all demographic variables except gender were found to have a statistically significant effect on profile membership. The finding of the study has the potential to contribute to the development of more effective, targeted cybersecurity instruction strategies, that could strengthen students' digital resilience skills and ensure their protection against online threats.

Subject Keywords

Cyber Resilience, Middle School Students, Latent Profile Analysis, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Cybersecurity Framework

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115204

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis