Programming Self-Efficacy and Cybersecurity Competency Among Information Technology Students of Trinidad Municipal College: A Correlational Study

This research examined the programming self-efficacy and cybersecurity competency among Information Technology (IT) students at Trinidad Municipal College, Bohol, Philippines. The study aimed to assess students' levels of programming self-efficacy and cybersecurity competency, describe their baseline security practices and study habits, and determine the relationship between programming self-efficacy and cybersecurity competency. A descriptive-correlational quantitative research design was employed. Data were collected from 730 officially enrolled IT students using a structured, researcher-administered questionnaire.
The findings revealed that the respondents generally demonstrated competent levels of both programming self-efficacy and cybersecurity competency. Among the programming self-efficacy dimensions, Persistence obtained the highest mean score (3.88), followed by Confidence in Programming (3.43), while Problem-Solving and Debugging received the lowest mean score (3.22). In terms of cybersecurity competency, Network Security obtained the highest mean score (3.57), whereas Secure Programming recorded the lowest (3.29). The results further showed that the majority of respondents spent only 1–3 hours per week practicing programming (69.73%), 84.25% had not attended any cybersecurity seminar or workshop, 63.42% reported using two-factor or multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA), and 40.82% admitted that they sometimes reused passwords across multiple accounts.
Pearson's product-moment correlation analysis revealed a statistically significant strong positive relationship between programming self-efficacy and cybersecurity competency (r = 0.6139, p = 0.001, 95% CI [0.565, 0.658]). The coefficient of determination (r² = 0.3769) indicated that approximately 37.69% of the variance in cybersecurity competency was associated with programming self-efficacy. These findings suggest that students with greater confidence in their programming abilities are more likely to demonstrate higher levels of cybersecurity competency. The study underscores the importance of strengthening programming self-efficacy through practical programming experiences, secure coding activities, and cybersecurity-focused learning opportunities to enhance students' technical competence and preparedness for the evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Programming Self-Efficacy, Cybersecurity Competency, Information Technology Students

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