DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF DIAGNOSTIC INSTRUMENTS FOR ASSESSING CYBERSECURITY LITERACY AMONG VOCATIONAL EDUCATION STUDENTS

Abstract

The contemporary landscape of vocational education and training is characterized by accelerating digitalization, where students entering technical, agricultural, and service-sector professions must navigate increasingly complex cyber-physical environments in which a single uninformed click can compromise organizational data, financial assets, or critical infrastructure. This article addresses the critical absence of psychometrically validated, context-sensitive diagnostic instruments for measuring cybersecurity literacy among vocational education students in Uzbekistan, and proposes a comprehensive multi-component diagnostic framework as a methodological mechanism for evidence-based competency assessment.