The effect of netiquette education on adherence to healthy online behaviors in primary school students in Iran: Protocol for a pragmatic pilot cluster randomized controlled trial
Mina Hajihashemi, Maryam Amidi Mazaheri, Zahra HeidariBackground
Increasing engagement with digital media among children highlights the need for structured netiquette education to support safe and healthy online behaviors. Primary school is a critical period for establishing these behaviors.
Objective
This protocol describes the development and pilot evaluation of a netiquette education program for primary school students, grounded in the Prototype Willingness Model (PWM).
Methods
The study will employ a two-phase design. In phase 1, a PWM-based questionnaire assessing netiquette-related constructs will be developed and psychometrically evaluated. In phase 2 (a pragmatic pilot cluster RCT), four schools in Khomeini Shahr, Isfahan, Iran, will serve as clusters and will be randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to the intervention or control group. The intervention group will receive a structured netiquette education program delivered in six sessions, while the control group will receive usual school-based education. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at a 2-month follow-up using the newly developed and validated PWM-based Netiquette Questionnaire. Primary outcomes are changes in PWM constructs and adherence to healthy online behaviors. Data will be analyzed using mixed-effects models, which are suitable for cluster structures. As a pilot trial with only four clusters, the study is designed to assess feasibility and to generate preliminary effect and ICC estimates for a future definitive trial; it is not powered to provide confirmatory evidence of effectiveness.
Conclusions
Applying the PWM provides a systematic framework for designing and pilot-testing digital behavior interventions in children. This protocol describes a pilot study assessing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a netiquette education program for promoting healthy online behavior among primary school students that, if supported by a subsequent definitive trial, can be integrated into school-based digital health and netiquette curricula.