Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Jennifer Putnam

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-methods investigation was to determine how teachers and parents understood and educated themselves on cyber safety. This research explored how teachers and parents found and used resources available to stay informed of the constant threats and changes for students while online.

The amount of time young people spend with media has grown to where it’s even more than a full-time work week . . . When children are spending this much time doing anything, we need to understand how it’s affecting them for good and bad. (Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, 2010, p. 2).

It is now more important than ever for researchers, policymakers, teachers, and parents to stay on top of the impact technology has on students’/children’s lives.

Using an online mixed-methods survey and interviews, the researcher sought to determine, compare, and examine the levels of understanding and perspectives of teachers and parents on cyber safety issues and training. This study was used to determine if there was a need for more readily available training on the issues concerning cyber safety for teachers/parents to ensure the safety of students/children in K-12 schools and communities.

This research found that many teachers and parents are working to learn about cyber safety and monitor students/children but feel frustrated that technology changes so fast that their efforts sometimes feel inadequate. Adding to the knowledge base of free resources for teachers and parents might help in this endeavor. News channels and some principals are already making efforts to educate their communities about technology changes where possible to keep teachers and parents informed and to help the community make better decisions for students and children.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS