KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, PERCEPTION AND CYBER-ACTIVITY OF STUDENTS ON CYBER VICTIMIZATION IN BABCOCK UNIVERSITY, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

Cyber victimization refers to the use of electronic media with the intent of causing harm, humiliation, suffering, fear and despair for the individual who is the target of aggression and this has now grown to be a source of concern to parents, researchers, and teachers. This paper sought to measure the level of knowledge, the attitudinal disposition, perception and cyber-activity of undergraduates in a selected private institution. It also sought to check for associations between these afore listed independent variables and cyber victimization.

The study adopted the cross-sectional survey design. The Multistage sampling technique was used to select 426 undergraduates of Babcock University. A validated instrument for data collection was developed based on constructs in the Health Belief Model and administered. The instrument measured knowledge on a 9-point rating scale, attitudinal disposition on a 12-point rating scale, perception on a 33-point rating scale and Cyber victimization on an 8-point rating scale. Nine research questions were answered and six hypotheses were tested at 0.05level of significance. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Linear Regression alongside ANOVA.

The mean age of respondents was 19.50±3.14 (44.8%). The study produced a level of knowledge to be at 66.3%, attitudinal disposition (44.7%), Perception (56.18%), Cyber-activity (56.18%) and Cyber victimization (15.37%). The study revealed that knowledge had a significant but negative linear relationship with cyber victimization (R²=0.036, R= -1.90, P˂0.05). Attitudinal disposition also had a significant but negative linear relationship with cyber victimization (R²=0.011, R= -0.10, P˂0.05). There was no significant relationship between perception and cyber victimization (R²= 0.0003, R= -0.019, P˃0.05). Cyber-activity had a significant relationship with cyber victimization (R²= 0.037, R= 0.191, P˂0.05).

The study therefore concluded that cyber-activity had the highest influence in exposing the students to cyber victimization. Therefore, Students should be sensitized on the use and importance of data limiters as a way of monitoring their cyber- activities. Sensitization programs should be carried out for an increased awareness on the menace of cyber victimization as this will provide a broader spectrum of how the issue of cyber victimization is perceived as well as how susceptible they might be without them even being aware of it.

Keywords: Cyber victimization, Cyber-activity, Knowledge on cyber victimization, Attitudinal disposition towards cyber victimization, Perception on cyber victimization.