Date of Conferral
8-18-2025
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Carol Watson
Abstract
The problem addressed in this study was that although there are computer science standards requiring teachers to integrate digital citizenship skills to practice safe and ethical behaviors, local U.S. public middle school teachers were struggling to develop students’ digital citizenship skills. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore local rural public middle school teachers’ perceptions of building students’ digital citizenship skills, and to identify the training and supports teachers need to improve performance in this area. Ribble’s theory of digital citizenship was used for the conceptual framework. For this basic qualitative design, semistructured interviews were conducted with nine U.S. middle school teachers. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in experiences and instructional approaches. Findings indicated that teachers perceived digital citizenship instruction as inconsistent, narrowly focused on plagiarism, and lacking coverage of communication skills. These results confirm that digital citizenship instruction is not consistent and that teachers addressed the lack of formal training through informal peer collaboration and personal experience. The study may contribute to positive social change by highlighting the need for system-wide professional development, better integration into educator preparation programs, and active support from school leaders and stakeholders to ensure students receive comprehensive digital citizenship education. Implementing digital citizenship skills at the middle school level, may improve students’ basic skills to be productive digital citizens in high school and beyond.
Recommended Citation
Watson, Rebekah A., "Teachers’ Perceptions of Digital Citizenship in a Local U.S. Public Middle School" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 18290.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/18290
