title: Enhancing Primary School Children's Knowledge of Online Safety and Risks with the CATZ Cooperative Cross-Age Teaching Intervention: Results from a Pilot Study.
abstract: Children are heavy users of the Internet and prior studies have shown that many of them lack a good understanding of the risks of doing so and how to avoid them. This study examined if the cross-age teaching zone (CATZ) intervention could help children acquire important knowledge of online risks and safety. It allowed older students to act as CATZ tutors to design and deliver a lesson to younger schoolmates (tutees), using content material about online risks and safety provided by adults. Students in Year 6 (mean age = 11.5 years) were randomly assigned to act as either CATZ tutors (n = 100) or age-matched controls (n = 46) and students in Year 4 (mean age = 9.5 years) acted as either CATZ tutees (n = 117) or age-matched controls (n = 28) (total N = 291). CATZ tutors, but not matched controls scored significantly higher on objective measures of knowledge of both online risks and safety, and CATZ tutees, but not matched controls did so for online safety. Effect sizes were moderate or large. CATZ was highly acceptable to participants. The results suggest that CATZ is a viable way to help school students learn about online dangers and how to avoid them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Boulton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boulton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Camerone
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Down
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: Chloe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kirkbride
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kirkham
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Macaulay
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Chester , Chester, England.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanders
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012306:Risk; D012449:Safety; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students; D013663:Teaching
keywords: intervention; online risks; online safety