Influence of technical, cognitive and socio-emotional factors on digital literacy in nursing students assessed using structural equation modeling


ERDAT Y., SEZER CEREN R. E., ÖZDEMİR L., USLU ŞAHAN F., Bilgin A.

Nurse Education Today, cilt.130, 2023 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 130
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105937
  • Dergi Adı: Nurse Education Today
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, ASSIA, CINAHL, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), DIALNET
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Digital literacy, Internet self-efficacy, Mediating effect, Nursing students, Online information search, Privacy concern, Social media use
  • Hacettepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background: Digital literacy is one of the 21st-century skills that nursing students should develop and acquire. Several factors influencing digital literacy have been identified, but the predictive role of technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional factors in digital literacy remains unexplored in nursing students. Objective: This study aimed to explore the digital literacy level and determine the predictive role of technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional factors in digital literacy among nursing students in Turkey using a structural equation modeling (SEM)–based approach. Design: A web-based, predictive, cross-sectional study. Settings: This study was conducted among first-, second-, third- and fourth-year students in a nursing faculty located in the capital of Turkey in the academic year 2021–2022. Participants: Overall, 210 nursing students were recruited for this study. Methods: The use of a digital literacy model guided data collection. Data were collected between 8 and 28 June 2022 using online Google Forms. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SEM. Results: Nursing students' digital literacy mean score was 67.29 (13.60). Internet self-efficacy (β = 0.31, p < 0.001), online information search strategies (β = 0.20, p = 0.003), and online privacy concerns (β = 0.14, p = 0.024) were positive predictors, whereas social media use (β = −0.13, p = 0.032) was a negative predictor of digital literacy. Among these variables, Internet self-efficacy had the most significant influence on the digital literacy level. The four variables contributed to 22 % of variance in the digital literacy level. Conclusions: This study shows nursing students' digital literacy level is above average. Our findings suggest that technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional factors influence digital literacy.