The relationship between demographics and knowledge risk perception of high school teachers : training as a mediator

As a knowledge-based career, teachers can be exposed to knowledge risks. Since risk perception is the product of the experiences, values, memories and ideologies of individuals, the ways of perceiving knowledge risks could be useful for setting up prevention and mitigation strategies for these kinds of risks. The present paper aimed at analyzing the relationship between the demographics and the knowledge risk perception of high school teachers. The role of a teacher's training as a mediator of said relationship was analyzed as well. Using a sample of high school teachers working in Italian schools, a questionnaire was administered to gather data, and structural equation modeling analysis was employed to test the hypotheses. The results showed that demographics had a significant effect on teachers' knowledge risk perception and that training mediated this relationship. The study could be helpful for educational institutions that want to train their teachers to be prepared to face risky events related to knowledge management.