Student Digital Literacy in Secondary Education: Patterns, Differences, and Associated Factors
TL;DR
Digital literacy was more strongly associated with access conditions than with demographic or contextual characteristics, and was more strongly associated with access conditions than with demographic or contextual characteristics.
Abstract
Digital literacy is essential for secondary school students, yet competence may vary across dimensions and access conditions. This study examined multidimensional digital literacy patterns, group differences, and factors associated with digital literacy. A quantitative secondary analysis used a de-identified dataset of 350 secondary school students from four educational contexts in Southeast Asia. Digital literacy was assessed using a 35-item questionnaire covering seven dimensions. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, MANOVA, and hierarchical multiple regression were applied. The mean overall digital literacy score was 116.18 (SD = 13.61). Device and Digital Application Operation showed the highest score (M = 19.37, SD = 2.43), whereas Digital Safety and Ethics showed the lowest (M = 15.19, SD = 2.47). Device access showed a significant difference, F(2, 347) = 3.40, p = .034, η² = .019, while Internet access showed a stronger difference, F(2, 347) = 16.05, p < .001, η² = .085. The final regression model explained 11.4% of the variance, with digital-access variables adding 10.4%. Limited Internet access showed the strongest independent association (β = −.301, p < .001). Digital literacy was more strongly associated with access conditions than with demographic or contextual characteristics.