Factors Affecting the Effectiveness of Ethical Hacking Education among MIT Students

Abstract

This study examined the factors affecting the effectiveness of ethical hacking education among Master in Information Technology (MIT) graduate students at a state university in the Philippines. Using a quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from 20 respondents — the researcher's own MIT classmates — who had taken or were currently taking a formal ethical hacking or cybersecurity course. A researcher-made, 35-item structured questionnaire measured six constructs: curriculum design and content, instructor competence, laboratory and technological support, hands-on/practical learning opportunities, student motivation and engagement, and institutional support, alongside respondents' perceived effectiveness of ethical hacking education. All constructs were rated high to very high, with instructor competence (M = 4.53) and curriculum design (M = 4.48) receiving the strongest agreement and laboratory/technological support (M = 3.99) the weakest. Perceived effectiveness of ethical hacking education was rated very high overall (M = 4.27). Pearson correlation analysis showed that all six factors were significantly and positively related to perceived effectiveness (r = .58 to .83, p < .05), with institutional support and student motivation showing the strongest associations. Multiple regression confirmed that the six factors jointly explained 81.6% of the variance in perceived effectiveness (R\u00b2 = .816, F(6,13) = 9.61, p < .001), with institutional support emerging as the only statistically significant unique predictor (\u03b2 = .471, p = .011). These findings suggest that while curriculum quality and instructional delivery shape student perceptions, sustained institutional support is the most direct lever for improving ethical hacking education outcomes. Recommendations for curriculum developers and institutional policy are discussed.