The role of Internet security awareness as a moderating variable on cyber security perception: Learning management system as a case study

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of different dimensions of cyber security perception on university students’ attitudes towards using a learning management system (LMS) and to what extent these relationships can be moderated by Internet security awareness. To accomplish this, an extensive review of technology adoption literature has been conducted, and a theoretical model was presented. The study applied a quantitative-based approach that used a survey questionnaire to collect 261 responses from college-level students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To test the research model, the researcher used SmartPLS version 3 which applies partial least squares-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Analysis showed that perceived privacy, trust in the Internet, trust in the university, and perceived cyber risk are key influencers factors on attitude and that all these correlations are moderated by Internet security awareness except for the association between trust in the university and attitude. The outcome of the study contributes to academia by enriching the existing literature on technology adoption in educational settings. The results also benefit practitioners and policymakers in terms of enhancing the awareness of LMS users which in turn leads to a better attitude towards system use.