Intercultural Attitudes and Behaviors as Exhibited by Cybersecurity Students

Aparajita Jaiswal; Paul J. Thomas; Owura Kuffuor

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: June 26, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 21
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 14
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--47672
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47672
Download Count: 116

Paper Authors

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Aparajita Jaiswal Purdue University

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Aparajita Jaiswal is an Intercultural Research Specialist with CILMAR, Purdue University. Her research endeavors revolve around exploring strategies for seamlessly integrating intercultural learning into both regular curriculum and study abroad programs. Aparajita actively engages in offering guidance in developing research studies, curriculum enhancements, and assessment methods pertaining to integration and cultivation of intercultural competence. Her expertise extends to facilitating workshops and training sessions, catering to the needs of both staff and students within Purdue University.

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Paul J. Thomas Purdue University orcid.org/0000-0003-3960-4242

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Owura Kuffuor Purdue University

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Owura Kuffuor is a PhD Candidate in the Educational Studies Department, Purdue University. His research focuses on intercultural learning strategies tailor-made for individuals that take into consideration context, and background of the individuals.

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Abstract

Developing an interculturally competent workforce has become a necessity. This is especially true in STEM disciplines, where students often need to work in diverse environments upon graduation. Studies have demonstrated that STEM students find it challenging to work with a diverse population. This is juxtaposed with the reality that over 50% of STEM employers prefer to hire interculturally competent graduates. As such, national agencies and higher education institutions have been urging STEM faculty to integrate intercultural competence into the curriculum. Through this study, we intend to showcase the integration of intercultural competence concepts in a first-year cybersecurity classroom. The pedagogical framework for the course is project-based learning. The Intercultural Knowledge and Competence (IKC) rubrics proposed by The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) were used to integrate the intercultural component into the course. We describe the pedagogical design of the course, training sessions, role of teaching assistants, online modules, and reflection activities that helped students to become cognizant of intercultural competence. The guiding research questions for our study are: i) How do first-year cyber security students self-identify in terms of intercultural competence? ii) What is the nature and strength of the relationships between different dimensions of intercultural competence as measured by the ASKS2 Scale among first-year cybersecurity students? iii) What are the perceptions of students regarding the intercultural concepts that they learned through this course? We used a multi-method research design to answer our research questions. To answer the first research question, we analyzed the quantitative data obtained from the Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge Short Scale (ASKS2) survey. The ASKS2 was used to assess the intercultural competence beliefs of the students. The survey data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the analysis showed that students demonstrated a high degree of openness (mean score above 5). For all other behaviors, namely curiosity, communication, empathy, knowledge of worldview, and cultural self-awareness, the mean scores of the students were between 4 and 5 on a 6-point Likert Scale. To answer our second research question we conducted correlation analysis as we wanted to understand the relationship between the six dimensions of the ASKS2 scale. To answer our third research question, we conducted a thematic analysis and the three broad themes that emerged were: i) learning about other cultures is crucial to bridge communication differences across cultures, ii) learning about other cultures helped to become mindful and care for people who are different from you, iii) learning and reflecting on cultural values and differences has helped me to learn teamwork skills. The results suggest that students recognized the importance and value of intercultural competence in their interaction with others from diverse backgrounds. In summary, integrating intercultural competence in STEM courses can help students develop cultural awareness as well as strategies to navigate the differences effectively.

Citation
Format

Jaiswal, A., & J. Thomas, P., & Kuffuor, O. (2024, June), Intercultural Attitudes and Behaviors as Exhibited by Cybersecurity Students Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--47672

TY - CPAPER
AB - Developing an interculturally competent workforce has become a necessity. This is especially true in STEM disciplines, where students often need to work in diverse environments upon graduation. Studies have demonstrated that STEM students find it challenging to work with a diverse population. This is juxtaposed with the reality that over 50% of STEM employers prefer to hire interculturally competent graduates. As such, national agencies and higher education institutions have been urging STEM faculty to integrate intercultural competence into the curriculum. Through this study, we intend to showcase the integration of intercultural competence concepts in a first-year cybersecurity classroom. The pedagogical framework for the course is project-based learning. The Intercultural Knowledge and Competence (IKC) rubrics proposed by The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&amp;amp;U) were used to integrate the intercultural component into the course. We describe the pedagogical design of the course, training sessions, role of teaching assistants, online modules, and reflection activities that helped students to become cognizant of intercultural competence. The guiding research questions for our study are: i) How do first-year cyber security students self-identify in terms of intercultural competence? ii) What is the nature and strength of the relationships between different dimensions of intercultural competence as measured by the ASKS2 Scale among first-year cybersecurity students? iii) What are the perceptions of students regarding the intercultural concepts that they learned through this course? We used a multi-method research design to answer our research questions. To answer the first research question, we analyzed the quantitative data obtained from the Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge Short Scale (ASKS2) survey. The ASKS2 was used to assess the intercultural competence beliefs of the students. The survey data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the analysis showed that students demonstrated a high degree of openness (mean score above 5). For all other behaviors, namely curiosity, communication, empathy, knowledge of worldview, and cultural self-awareness, the mean scores of the students were between 4 and 5 on a 6-point Likert Scale. To answer our second research question we conducted correlation analysis as we wanted to understand the relationship between the six dimensions of the ASKS2 scale. To answer our third research question, we conducted a thematic analysis and the three broad themes that emerged were: i) learning about other cultures is crucial to bridge communication differences across cultures, ii) learning about other cultures helped to become mindful and care for people who are different from you, iii) learning and reflecting on cultural values and differences has helped me to learn teamwork skills. The results suggest that students recognized the importance and value of intercultural competence in their interaction with others from diverse backgrounds. In summary, integrating intercultural competence in STEM courses can help students develop cultural awareness as well as strategies to navigate the differences effectively.
AU - Aparajita Jaiswal
AU - Paul J. Thomas
AU - Owura Kuffuor
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Intercultural Attitudes and Behaviors as Exhibited by Cybersecurity Students
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47672
DO - 10.18260/1-2--47672
ER -