ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1641687
The impact of digital literacy on learning outcomes among college students: The mediating effect of digital atmosphere, self-efficacy for digital technology and digital learning
Provisionally accepted
- 1Chang’an University, Xi'an, China
- 2Chang'an University School of Transportation Engineering, Xi'An, China
- 3School of Electronics and Control Engineering, xi'an, China
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Few studies have explored the specific internal mechanisms and links by which digital literacy impacts learning outcomes. This study investigates the complex relationship between digital literacy and learning outcomes among college students, using social cognitive theory (SCT) and structural equation modeling (SEM) as theoretical frameworks. Data were collected from 589 college students in China's northwest region. The results reveal that digital literacy affected learning outcomes indirectly through the digital atmosphere, self-efficacy for digital technology, and digital learning. Specifically, digital atmosphere and digital learning mediate the relationship between digital literacy and learning outcomes. Self-efficacy for digital technology and digital learning jointly mediate the relationship between digital literacy and learning outcomes. Digital literacy has a positive and significant impact on the digital atmosphere and influences students' self-efficacy for digital technology, thereby motivating them to participate in digital learning and ultimately having a positive impact on learning outcomes. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of developing digital literacy, optimizing digital learning atmospheres, and enhancing self-efficacy to fully leverage undergraduates' learning potential in the digital age.
Keywords: Digital Literacy, learning outcomes, Digital atmosphere, self-efficacy for digital technology, Mediation analysis
Received: 05 Jun 2025; Accepted: 12 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yuan, Yu and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ningbo Yuan, Chang’an University, Xi'an, China
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