A comparison of game-based and traditional instruction on cybersecurity awareness, achievement and retention of secondary school students

Date

2025-7-07

Author

Aslan, Orhan

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The aim of this research was to compare game-based and traditional instruction in teaching cybersecurity to sixth-grade students, focusing on its effects on awareness, achievement, and retention. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. The experimental group received game-based instruction through CyberTR, a mobile game specifically developed for sixth-grade students, while the control group received traditional instruction. Quantitative data were collected using a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test control group design with two instruments: the Cybersecurity Awareness Scale (CSAS) and the Cybersecurity Achievement Test (CSAT). Mixed-design ANOVA results revealed a significant Time × Group interaction in overall awareness scores, favoring the experimental group. Subscale analysis showed significant differences in the “Identify” and “Detect” domains of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF). However, ANCOVA results indicated no statistically significant difference between groups in cybersecurity achievement. In contrast, retention scores measured four weeks after the post-test showed a significant difference favoring the experimental group. Qualitative data from open-ended questions were analyzed to explore student perceptions. Participants reported enhanced understanding, increased awareness of online risks, and high engagement with the narrative-driven, role-based game environment. Overall, the findings suggest that CyberTR is an effective and engaging tool for developing cybersecurity competencies in secondary education. The study emphasizes the potential of serious games to complement formal curricula and offers implications for instructional design, digital safety policy, and future research in cybersecurity education.

Subject Keywords

Cybersecurity education, Mobile learning, Serious games, Digital safety, Game-based learning

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115465

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis