Abstract
Introduction
This study extended previous psychometric evaluations of the Persian version of Cyber Ethics Instrument (PCEI) by determining the factor structure, and internal consistency and providing convergent and discriminant evidence for its validity.
Method
In this descriptive study, we evaluated the psychometrics of the PCEI among virtual students of medical sciences universities in Iran from 2021 to 2023. Participants were 163 undergraduate students from two consecutive semesters in the same academic year. They ranged in age from 17 to 24 (M = 18.7, S.D. = 1.0) and 50.3% were women. The CEI tool which was developed by Winfred Yaokumah was used.
Results
A seven-factor solution emerged (32 items), invariant across gender and semester. These items were combined to create a PCEI with an overall reliability equal to 0.944. Results showed comparative fit index (CFI = .711), normed fit index (NFI = .635), TLI = .681, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA = .118). The 25 items that loaded on the model were Composite Reliability (CR) from 0.7315 to 0.8998 and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) from 0.4375 to 0.7142.
Conclusion
The results established the viability of PCEI for measuring cyber ethics in Iranian students. It deals with ethical issues and considerations concerning technology and online interactions, encompassing a wide range of topics such as Academic Integrity, Netiquette, Cyber Safety, Computer Ethics, Cyber Privacy, Cyber Security, and Cyber Protection to create a safe, inclusive, and ethical online environment.