The Impact of a Counseling Program on Developing Awareness of Cyber Extortion among Female Middle School Students

Abstract

Objectives: This research aims to identify the impact of a guidance program on raising awareness of Cyber Extortion among Female middle school students.

Methodology: The researcher adopted an experimental approach using a pre-test/post-test design with experimental and control groups. The research sample consisted of (20) second-year middle school students at Amina Bint Wahb Middle School for Girls in Basra Governorate. They were randomly assigned to two groups of (10) students each. The researcher developed a cyber Extortion awareness scale consisting of (18) items distributed across three dimensions. She also developed a guidance program comprising eight sessions. Appropriate statistical methods were used, including Pearson's correlation coefficient, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results: The results showed statistically significant differences between the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group, favoring the post-test. No significant differences were found in the control group. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups in the post-test, again favoring the experimental group.

Conclusions: Based on the research findings, the researcher concluded that the guidance program was effective in raising awareness of Cyber Extortion among Female middle school students. The researcher also emphasized the importance of preventative guidance programs in promoting digital literacy and psychological and social security among female students.