Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the U.S. public service employees' experiences with gamified cybersecurity awareness training. The primary research question guiding this inquiry was: How do U.S. public service employees make sense of their lived experiences with gamified cybersecurity awareness training? Two secondary questions examined what aspects of the training employees perceive as meaningful or disengaging, and how they interpret their motivation, engagement, and cybersecurity awareness during training. I chose an interpretive qualitative research design grounded in a constructivist paradigm and purposefully selected 11 U.S. public service employees who had participated in gamified cybersecurity awareness training. I collected data from semi-structured interviews, field notes, and memos, with limited observation of live training. I also reviewed gamified training modules for context. I conducted a thematic analysis using iterative coding and identified 4 major themes: realism and applicability of training, active learning and knowledge construction, engagement and motivation drivers, and limitations and challenges of gamified training. Participants spoke of the training as more meaningful when it reflected realistic work scenarios, supported engagement, and aligned with roles. Disengagement is linked to design flaws and workplace constraints. Findings suggest that gamified cybersecurity training is experienced as a context-dependent learning environment shaped by design features and organizational conditions. Implications for HRD emphasize the importance of designing contextually relevant and learner-centered training. The study also extends self-determination theory in cybersecurity training and highlights directions for future research on contextual and individual influences in gamified workplace learning.

Date of publication

4-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5065

Committee members

Yonjoo Cho, Oliver S. Crocco, Matthew Hurtienne

Degree

Ph.D. in Human Resource Development

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