English abstract
The current study aimed to m e the relations between information and communication Technologies (ICT) ethics celated cognitio, ICT-ethics-related behavioral intentions and ICT-thisrelated behavior among undergraduates in the State of Oman A i lly, the study sa to scrutinize the impact of demographic factors, including gender and academic mujor, socio psychological socio-cultural, and contextual factors on the ICT-ethics related cognition, intention, and behavior among undergraduates in the Sultanate of Oman. In addition, the study endeavored to crplore the role of faculty and information systems centers in higher education institutices in stilling proper ICT ethicaelated cognition and interionsa undergraduates as well as in promoting proper ICT-chic-related behavior among undergraduates in the Sultanate of Oman.
An explanatory sequential mixed methods research format as employed, with quantitative dintas the primary dataset, and galitative data as the secondary dataset. Therefore, cross-sectional ICT-ethics-related self-report survey scales were administered simultaneously to a random cluster sample of (N-3.566) undergraduates, who were drawn from six untversities in the Sultanate: Sultan Qaboos University (SOU), Nizwa University, Solar University, Dhofar University, AL-Sharaya University and AL-Buriami University College. Consequently, a convenient sample of ( 26) undergraduates from SQU participated in to focus group discussion sessions, while (17) faculty from different colleges at SQU and (12) Information systems professionals at SQU participated in the semi-structured interviews during the qualitative phase of the study. The results of the pilot study showed that the quantitative surveys under study possessed satisfactory degrees of construct validity. internal consistency reliability, and stability reliability.
The quantitative data were analyzed wing structural equation modelline (SEM), the conflatory factor analysis (CFA) approach, ne-way multivariate analysis of variance, two-way multivarinis analysis of variance (MANOVA), and the multiple group analysis using the SEM technique. On the other hand, the study adopted the grounded theory approach to conduct the constant comparative thematic analysis for the purposes of the qualitative data analysis. The results of the descriptive analysis revealed moderate levels of ICT-ethics-related cognition and behavior among the participating undergraduates. However, the results of the SEM lent support to the base hypothesis of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Therefore, the intention was the most significant, strongest, and most immediate predictor of ICT ethics-related behavior. In the meantime, the ICT ethics-related intention mediated the effect of the ICT-cthics-related cognition on the ICT-this-related behavior, to the extent that the indirect effect of the ICT-thic-related cognition on the ICT-shics-related behavior through the effect of the ICT-thies related intention as a mediator was stronger than the direct effect of the ICT-ethics cated bebivier. Moreover, the one way MANOVA demonstrated that female undergraduates exhibited significantly hister ICT-thics related comition and be then did this male counterparts. Subsequently, the results of qualitative data analysis showed the prevalent patterns of ICT-a sted device og undergraduates Perth, the qualitative data analysis demostrated that undergraduates accentuated applied professical ethics approach towards realizing Farid's chical actions of the macro chical once theory. Additionally, the participants in the qualitative phase discerned the different types of mothes anderlying thical decisioaking and diagnosed the etiology of ICT aid devia aviarnog dogdutos Accordingly, several recomandations for practice and research were proposed to enhance ICT-thics reland coprition and behavior man undergraduates
