ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Learning Innovations
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Transformative Impact of Digital Tools on Quality Education and Sustainable DevelopmentView all 9 articles
Enhancing Digital Competence and Learning Motivation of Master's Students: A New Educational Model for Kazakhstan's Higher Education System
Provisionally accepted
Bakirova Zakira1
Asel Tasova2*
Marfuga Absatova3*Dinara Sadirbekova4Batyrkhan Auezov2Gulmira Meirbekova2- 1Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 2Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Turkistan, Kazakhstan
- 3Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 4Almaty Humanitarian-Economic University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
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This study introduces and empirically validates a comprehensive educational model designed to enhance digital competence and learning motivation among Master's students in Kazakhstan. Using a quasi-experimental design with 236 participants from five pedagogical universities, the research examined how an integrated approach combining technology-enhanced pedagogy, microlearning, gamification, online assessment, and collaborative digital projects influenced students' digital competence, learning motivation, and academic performance. Results demonstrated significant improvements in digital competence across all dimensions (effect size η² = 0.46) for students in the experimental group, with particularly strong development in content creation and problem-solving competencies. The model also had a positive influence on learning motivation, self-efficacy, student engagement, and academic performance. Path analysis confirmed an integrated theoretical framework where technology-enhanced pedagogy influenced digital competence, which subsequently affected motivation, self-efficacy, engagement, and academic achievement. Students with elementary baseline digital skills showed the largest competence gains, indicating the model's potential for addressing digital inequality in Kazakhstan's higher education system. Follow-up assessments revealed durable effects, suggesting sustainable rather than transient changes. The research provides theoretical contributions to understanding the interrelationship between digital competence and motivation while offering practical strategies for modernizing Master's programs in Kazakhstan and similar educational contexts.
Keywords: digital competence, Learning motivation, higher education, technology-enhancedpedagogy, student engagement, Microlearning, Gamification, digital inequality
Received: 29 Jul 2025; Accepted: 20 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Zakira, Tasova, Absatova, Sadirbekova, Auezov and Meirbekova. 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:
Asel Tasova
Marfuga Absatova
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