Digital Citizenship Skills and Sustainable Civic Behavior Among Social Studies Students in Ethiopia

This study investigated the relationship between digital citizenship skills and sustainable civic behaviour among Social Studies students in Ethiopia. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between digital communication skills, digital etiquette, digital security awareness, and sustainable civic behaviour among Social Studies students. The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a descriptive correlational survey research design. The study was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A sample of 400 Social Studies students was selected using a multistage sampling procedure involving purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Digital Citizenship Skills and Sustainable Civic Behaviour Questionnaire (DCSSCBQ). The instrument was validated by experts in Educational Technology, Social Studies Education, and Measurement and Evaluation, while its reliability was established using Cronbach Alpha statistics. Data collected were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) to answer the research questions and test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that digital communication skills had a significant positive relationship with sustainable civic behaviour (r = 0.682, p < 0.05). The study also found a significant positive relationship between digital etiquette and sustainable civic behaviour (r = 0.731, p < 0.05). Furthermore, digital security awareness showed a significant positive relationship with sustainable civic behaviour (r = 0.645, p < 0.05). The study concluded that digital citizenship skills significantly contribute to sustainable civic behaviour among Social Studies students in Ethiopia. It was recommended that educational institutions integrate digital citizenship education into Social Studies programmes to promote responsible digital participation and sustainable civic engagement among students.

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