Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
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Click Sma , S ay Sa e: Cybe C ime Awa eness ac oss Gende and Cou se
S eams
Pooja Sh ikan Na agachche1, D . Mohammad Aslam Malik2
Resea ch S uden
Email: poojana [email protected]
Manusc ip ID:
JRD -2025-170933
ISSN: 2230-9578
Volume 17
Issue 9 (V)
Pp. 134-138
Sep . 2025
Submi ed:15 Aug. 2025
Re ised: 25 Aug. 2025
Accep ed: 10 Sep . 2025
Published: 30 Sep . 2025
Abs ac The s udy in es iga es cybe -c ime awa eness among college s uden s by examining di e ences
ac oss gende (male and emale) and cou se s eams ( oca ional and non- oca ional). A c oss-sec ional
quan i a i e esea ch design was used, and da a was collec ed om 120 andomly selec ed s uden s om
Sangli and Kolhapu dis ic s using he Cybe C ime Awa eness Scale (Rajaseka , 2019). Resul s om a
Two-Way ANOVA e ealed ha cou se s eam had a signi ican impac on awa eness le els, wi h
oca ional s uden s demons a ing highe cybe -c ime awa eness han hei non- oca ional coun e pa s.
Howe e , no signi ican di e ence was obse ed be ween male and emale s uden s, no was he e any
signi ican in e ac ion e ec be ween gende and cou se s eam. The indings sugges ha academic
s eam con ibu es subs an ially o cybe sa e y knowledge, emphasizing he need o inco po a e s uc u ed
cybe secu i y educa ion in non- oca ional p og ams o s eng hen s uden s’ p epa edness agains online
h ea s.
Keywo ds: Cybe -c ime awa eness, gende , oca ional s uden s, non- oca ional s uden s.
In oduc ion
In oday’s digi al e a, he in e ne has become an in eg al pa o e e yday li e, shaping he
way indi iduals communica e, lea n, and wo k. While echnology p o ides immense bene i s, i
has also gi en ise o a ious o ms o cybe -c ime such as iden i y he , phishing, online aud,
cybe bullying, hacking, and misuse o pe sonal da a. Wi h he inc easing dependence on digi al
pla o ms, awa eness abou cybe -c ime has become a c ucial skill, especially o s uden s who
a e ac i e use s o echnology o academic, p o essional, and pe sonal pu poses. Cybe -c ime
awa eness e e s o an indi idual’s unde s anding o po en ial online h ea s, p e en i e
measu es, sa e p ac ices, and legal consequences associa ed wi h cybe o enses. The le el o
awa eness o en a ies ac oss demog aphic g oups, including gende , educa ional backg ound,
and he ype o cou ses pu sued. S uden s en olled in oca ional cou ses a e usually o ien ed
owa ds skill-based, echnology-d i en aining, whe eas s uden s om non- oca ional cou ses
o en ocus on heo e ical and academic lea ning. These di e en educa ional con ex s may
in luence hei exposu e o and knowledge o cybe sa e y p ac ices. Gende also plays a
signi ican ole in shaping awa eness and expe iences ela ed o cybe -c ime. S udies sugges
ha emale s uden s a e mo e ulne able o ce ain online h ea s, such as ha assmen o p i acy
iola ions, whe eas male s uden s may encoun e isks like gaming- ela ed aud o hacking
ac i i ies. Thus, analysing gende di e ences in cybe -c ime awa eness can help in designing
a ge ed educa ional in e en ions o p omo e online sa e y. Gi en his backg ound, he p esen
s udy aims o in es iga e he le el o cybe -c ime awa eness among oca ional and non-
oca ional cou se s uden s, wi h a speci ic ocus on gende di e ences. I seeks o explo e
whe he signi ican di e ences exis in he awa eness le els o male and emale s uden s ac oss
hese educa ional s eams. The indings o his esea ch will con ibu e o a be e unde s anding
o s uden s’ p epa edness agains online h ea s and highligh he need o in eg a ing cybe
sa e y educa ion in o bo h oca ional and non- oca ional cu icula.
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Add ess o co espondence:
Pooja Sh ikan Na agachche, Resea ch S uden
How o ci e his a icle:
P. S. Na agachche, M. A. Malik. (2025).Click Sma , S ay Sa e: Cybe C ime Awa eness ac oss
Gende and Cou se S eams. Jou nal o Resea ch & De elopmen , 17(9)134-138
O iginal A icle
Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
ISSN : 2230-9578 | Websi e: h ps://j d b.o g Volume-17, Issue-9(V)| Sep embe 2025
135
Objec i e:
The p esen s udy aimed o examine he le el o cybe -c ime awa eness among college s uden s wi h espec
o gende (male and emale) and cou se s eam ( oca ional and non- oca ional).
Design:
A c oss-sec ional, quan i a i e esea ch design was employed.
Me hods:
A o al o 120 s uden s om Sangli and Kolhapu dis ic s we e selec ed using a simple andom sampling
me hod, ensu ing equal ep esen a ion o gende and cou se s eam. The Cybe C ime Awa eness Scale (Rajaseka ,
2019) was adminis e ed o da a collec ion. A Two-Way ANOVA was applied o analyze he di e ences ac oss g oups.
Resul s: Findings indica ed ha cou se s eam had a signi ican e ec on cybe -c ime awa eness, wi h oca ional
cou se s uden s epo ing highe awa eness le els compa ed o hei non- oca ional coun e pa s. No signi ican
di e ence was ound be ween male and emale s uden s, and he in e ac ion e ec o gende × cou se was also non-
signi ican .
Re iew o Li e a u e
Sha ma and Gup a (2022) conduc ed a s udy on cybe -c ime awa eness among college s uden s in u ban and
u al a eas. The esul s e ealed ha s uden s possessed only mode a e awa eness abou sa e in e ne p ac ices, wi h
male s uden s epo ing highe con idence in handling online h ea s, while emale s uden s exp essed mo e conce ns
abou p i acy and secu i y issues. Pa il (2021) explo ed he di e ences in cybe sa e y awa eness be ween oca ional
and non- oca ional s uden s. Findings indica ed ha oca ional s uden s, being mo e exposed o digi al and echnical
aining, demons a ed compa a i ely be e awa eness o phishing, malwa e, and online aud. In con as , non-
oca ional s uden s showed limi ed knowledge o cybe laws and p e en i e measu es. Kuma and Singh (2020)
examined gende di e ences in cybe -c ime ulne abili y and awa eness. The s udy e ealed ha emale s uden s we e
mo e equen ly ic ims o cybe ha assmen , iden i y he , and p i acy iola ions, whe eas male s uden s epo ed
highe exposu e o gaming aud and hacking- ela ed h ea s. The esea ch concluded ha awa eness p og ams mus be
gende -sensi i e and ailo ed o he di e en isks aced by male and emale s uden s. Rao and Thomas (2019)
in es iga ed cybe -c ime awa eness le els among highe educa ion s uden s ac oss di e en academic s eams. The
esul s sugges ed ha science and echnology s uden s had ela i ely highe awa eness compa ed o s uden s in
humani ies and comme ce s eams. The s udy emphasized he need o in eg a ing cybe sa e y modules in all academic
cou ses o ensu e holis ic awa eness. Mish a (2018) s udied he ole o digi al li e acy in enhancing cybe -c ime
awa eness among adolescen s. I was ound ha s uden s wi h p io exposu e o ICT aining displayed be e
knowledge o passwo d sa e y, da a p o ec ion, and cybe laws. Howe e , lack o s uc u ed awa eness p og ams in
schools and colleges con ibu ed o gaps in s uden s’ p epa edness agains online h ea s.
Aims and signi icance o his s udy
The p esen s udy aims o in es iga e and compa e he le el o cybe -c ime awa eness among college s uden s
wi h espec o gende (male and emale) and cou se s eams ( oca ional and non- oca ional). Speci ically, he s udy
seeks o de e mine whe he di e ences exis be ween hese g oups and o examine he combined e ec o gende and
cou se s eam on cybe -c ime awa eness. In an e a whe e digi al in e ac ions and online pla o ms o m an in eg al pa
o academic and pe sonal li e, awa eness o cybe -c ime has become c ucial o s uden s’ sa e y and well-being. This
s udy is signi ican as i p o ides insigh s in o how educa ional backg ound ( oca ional s. non- oca ional) and gende
may in luence le els o cybe -c ime awa eness. Iden i ying such a ia ions is essen ial o educa o s, counsello s, and
policymake s o design a ge ed awa eness p og ams and in e en ions. The indings will con ibu e o s eng hening
s uden s’ p epa edness agains online h ea s and p omo ing esponsible in e ne p ac ices. Fu he mo e, he esul s may
guide he in eg a ion o s uc u ed cybe sa e y educa ion in o non- oca ional cu icula, he eby b idging he awa eness
gap ac oss academic domains. O e all, he s udy unde sco es he impo ance o equipping all s uden s wi h he
necessa y knowledge and skills o na iga e he digi al en i onmen sa ely.
Me hods
Measu es
The Cybe C ime Awa eness Scale, de eloped and s anda dized by D . S. Rajaseka (2019), was employed o
assess s uden s’ awa eness o cybe -c ime. The scale measu es he ex en o knowledge, unde s anding, and ale ness
ega ding online h ea s such as hacking, phishing, iden i y he , cybe bullying, and online aud, along wi h awa eness
o p e en i e measu es o sa e in e ne p ac ices. In addi ion, a b ie demog aphic o m was adminis e ed o collec
backg ound in o ma ion including age, gende , a ea o esidence (u ban/ u al), and academic de ails.
Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
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Sample The s udy was conduc ed among college s uden s om Sangli and Kolhapu dis ic s. A o al o 120 s uden s
pa icipa ed in he esea ch, comp ising 60 s uden s om oca ional cou ses and 60 s uden s om non- oca ional
cou ses. Equal ep esen a ion o male and emale s uden s was ensu ed ac oss bo h cou se s eams. Pa icipan s we e
selec ed h ough a simple andom sampling echnique o minimize selec ion bias.
P ocedu e
The esea ch adop ed a mixed-me hod design, wi h p ima y emphasis on quan i a i e analysis o examine
g oup di e ences in cybe -c ime awa eness. A e ob aining in o med consen , he ques ionnai e packe s we e
dis ibu ed and comple ed in o line mode. Each pa icipan illed in he demog aphic shee ollowed by he awa eness
scale in a single si ing unde he supe ision o he esea che . Anonymi y and con iden iali y o esponses we e
assu ed, and s uden s we e ins uc ed o p o ide hones and independen answe s wi hou ex e nal assis ance.
Ope a ional De ini ions
1. Cybe -c ime Awa eness – Re e s o he le el o knowledge, unde s anding, and awa eness o s uden s ega ding
cybe h ea s (hacking, phishing, iden i y he , cybe bullying, and online aud) and s a egies o sa e in e ne use.
2. Voca ional Cou se S uden s – S uden s pu suing skill-based o p o essional p og ams such as enginee ing, IT,
elec onics, medical sciences, ashion design, o managemen , wi h emphasis on p ac ical applica ions and
employabili y.
3. Non-Voca ional Cou se S uden s – S uden s pu suing gene al academic disciplines such as a s, comme ce,
humani ies, o pu e sciences, whe e heo e ical lea ning p edomina es o e skill-based aining.
4. Gende – De ined in his s udy as he sel - epo ed ca ego y o pa icipan s, ei he male o emale.
Va iables
Independen Va iables
Gende (Male and Female)
Cou se S eam (Voca ional and Non-Voca ional)
Dependen Va iable
Cybe -c ime Awa eness, as measu ed by he Cybe C ime Awa eness Scale (Rajaseka , 2019).
Resul s and Discussion
A Two-Way ANOVA was conduc ed o examine he e ec s o gende (male, emale) and cou se s eam
( oca ional, non- oca ional) on s uden s’ cybe -c ime awa eness sco es. The esul s a e p esen ed in Table 1 and
g aphical p esen a ion in Figu e1.
Table 1. Two-Way ANOVA Resul s o Cybe -C ime Awa eness
Sou ce o
Va ia ion
Sum o Squa es
(SS)
d
Mean Squa e
(MS)
F-
alue
p-
alue
Gende
66.01
1
66.01
0.27
0.604
Cou se S eam
1184.41
1
1184.41
4.86
0.029
Gende ×
Cou se
35.21
1
35.21
0.14
0.705
Residual
(E o )
28275.37
116
243.75
-
-
To al
29560.99
119
-
-
-
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Figu e 1. G aph compa ing cybe -c ime awa eness ac oss gende and cou se s eams.
Main E ec o Gende
Table 1 and igu e 1 shows, he e ec o gende on cybe -c ime awa eness was no signi ican (F = 0.27, p = 0.604).
This indica es ha male and emale s uden s do no di e signi ican ly in hei le el o cybe -c ime awa eness. Hence,
he hypo hesis ha “ he e will be a signi ican di e ence in awa eness be ween male and emale s uden s” is ejec ed.
Main E ec o Cou se S eam
The e ec o cou se s eam was ound o be signi ican (F = 4.86, p = 0.029). S uden s om oca ional cou ses showed
highe cybe -c ime awa eness compa ed o hose om non- oca ional cou ses. This suppo s he hypo hesis ha cou se
s eam in luences cybe -c ime awa eness.
In e ac ion E ec (Gende × Cou se)
The in e ac ion be ween gende and cou se s eam was no signi ican (F = 0.14, p = 0.705). This sugges s ha he
in luence o cou se s eam on cybe -c ime awa eness does no depend on gende . Bo h male and emale s uden s wi hin
he same s eam showed compa able le els o awa eness.
Conclusion
The p esen s udy in es iga ed cybe -c ime awa eness among college s uden s wi h espec o gende and
cou se s eam. The indings e ealed ha cou se s eam plays a signi ican ole in de e mining s uden s’ awa eness o
cybe -c ime, wi h oca ional s uden s epo ing highe le els o awa eness compa ed o hei non- oca ional
coun e pa s. In con as , gende was no ound o ha e a signi ican e ec , and he in e ac ion be ween gende and
cou se s eam was also non-signi ican .
These esul s highligh he impo ance o educa ional backg ound in shaping s uden s’ p epa edness agains
online h ea s. While oca ional s uden s appea be e equipped, he ela i ely lowe awa eness among non- oca ional
s uden s emphasizes he u gen need o in eg a e s uc u ed cybe sa e y educa ion in o hei cu icula. Doing so would
help b idge he gap in awa eness and ensu e ha all s uden s, i espec i e o hei academic s eam, a e equipped wi h
he knowledge and skills o sa egua d hemsel es in he digi al en i onmen .
Fu u e esea ch could ex end hese indings by including la ge and mo e di e se samples ac oss di e en
egions and academic disciplines. I would also be aluable o explo e addi ional ac o s such as socioeconomic
backg ound, digi al li e acy le els, and access o echnology ha may in luence cybe -c ime awa eness. Such insigh s
would con ibu e o he de elopmen o a ge ed awa eness p og ams and p e en i e s a egies, ul ima ely p omo ing
sa e and mo e esponsible in e ne p ac ices among he s uden popula ion.
Acknowledgemen s
The esea che since ely hanks all he s uden s who pa icipa ed in his s udy, as well as he acul y membe s who
suppo ed he p ocess o da a collec ion.
Con ibu o ship
The au ho made subs an i e con ibu ions o he concep ualiza ion, design, da a collec ion, s a is ical analysis, and
p epa a ion o he manusc ip . The au ho endo ses he conclusions and app o es he inal e sion o his esea ch
pape .
Decla a ion o Con lic ing In e es s
The au ho decla es no po en ial con lic s o in e es wi h espec o he esea ch, au ho ship, and/o publica ion o his
a icle.
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E hical App o al
E hical app o al o conduc ing his s udy was ob ained om he conce ned ins i u ional au ho i y.
Pa icipa ion was olun a y, and in o med consen was ob ained om all pa icipan s. Anonymi y and con iden iali y o
esponses we e assu ed.
Funding
The au ho did no ecei e any inancial suppo o he esea ch, au ho ship, o publica ion o his a icle.
Conclusion:
The esul s sugges ha educa ional s eam plays a subs an ial ole in shaping cybe -c ime awa eness, whe eas
gende does no con ibu e signi ican ly. These indings highligh he impo ance o inco po a ing s uc u ed cybe
sa e y educa ion in non- oca ional cu icula o b idge he awa eness gap and os e sa e in e ne p ac ices ac oss all
academic domains.
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