Digital transformation in education: psychological perspectives on learning, engagement, and outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

The process of digital transformation has developed new educational systems that use technology-based tools, including learning management systems, artificial intelligence, and gamified systems, as well as digital teaching methods. The studies show incomplete evidence about how this phenomenon affects learning engagement, motivation, cognitive processes, self-regulation skills, and institutional performance. This meta-analysis aimed to synthesize global evidence on the psychological perspectives of digital transformation in education, focusing on learning engagement, motivation, cognitive/metacognitive processes, self-regulation, and institutional factors. A systematic meta-analysis was conducted to assess 42 studies that employed a random-effects model with the inverse variance method as their analysis approach. The odds ratios to calculate effect sizes, which included 95% confidence intervals. The subgroup analyses were about five different psychological and institutional domains. The assessment of heterogeneity used I 2 statistics, while the publication bias assessment relied on funnel plots and Egger’s regression test. The results showed that digital transformation produced positive results in all areas which included learning engagement (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.68–1.91), motivation, affective psychology (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.21–2.03), cognitive and metacognitive psychology (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.60–2.02) and self-regulation and learning psychology (OR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.49–1.85) and institutional factors (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.48–1.97). High motivation and self-regulation showed high domain heterogeneity, while the other domains maintained their consistency. The study showed no publication bias except for cognitive and metacognitive studies, which showed asymmetrical findings. Digital transformation in education brings about significant advantages for psychological and institutional results, which include better learning engagement and cognitive growth. The different factors that affect motivation and self-regulation show how contextual and pedagogical elements create an impact.