A Curriculum Approach to Improving Cyber Safety in South African Schools

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become part of the daily life of school learners. School learners have access to ICT devices and the internet to improve education, to socialise and for entertainment. Using ICT devices connected to the internet has a vast number of advantages to school learners. However, the negative side of using these devices (e.g. cyber risks and threats) can unfortunately have long-lasting emotional and physical effects on growing school learners. Cyber risks and treats include cyber bullying, access to inappropriate material and identity theft. School learners can become cyber victims if they are not educated in the dangers of cyber risks and threats and in the correct way of protecting themselves and their information. Currently, the South African school system provides for limited to no teaching of cyber safety awareness. This research proposes that cyber safety awareness programmes be integrated into the school system through the life orientation education stream. The research created and tested a proposed educator’s guide on cyber safety awareness based on the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) approach to grade 4 and grade 6 learners in South African schools. The research included a pre- and post-test to investigate whether cyber safety awareness increased through the teaching of cyber safety within a classroom setup.