Enabling Human-Centred Educational Metaverse Adoption Through Perceived Security and Digital Literacy: Evidence from Jordanian Higher Education

This study develops and tests a human-centric cybersecurity framework for educational Metaverse adoption-related intentions in Jordanian universities. It examines the relationships between privacy protection, compliance and governance, cybersecurity education and awareness, perceived security, digital literacy, and adoption-related intentions. Data were collected from 678 university stakeholders and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results show that privacy protection and cybersecurity education and awareness are significantly and positively associated with both perceived security and digital literacy, whereas compliance and governance is not significantly associated with either mechanism. Perceived security and digital literacy both significantly predict educational Metaverse adoption-related intentions, with perceived security emerging as the stronger predictor. Mediation analysis further shows significant indirect associations between privacy protection and cybersecurity education and awareness and adoption-related intentions through both mediators, whereas the indirect relationships involving compliance and governance are nonsignificant. The study contributes by distinguishing institutional cybersecurity practices and explaining how they are associated with adoption-related intentions through psychological assurance and user capability. The findings highlight the importance of visible privacy safeguards, practical cybersecurity education, and accessible governance in supporting secure and responsible immersive learning in higher education.