Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical education
Rehman S. Addas A. Rehman E. Khan M.N. Shahiman M.A. Rahman M.A. Wang M.
November 2024Elsevier B.V.
Acta Psychologica
2024#251
Background: Digital literacy influences academic behaviors, especially in medical education, where students encounter considerable academic challenges. However, the effects of this phenomenon on academic self-efficacy and cognitive load remain inadequately understood. Objectives: This research explores the relationships between digital literacy and academic self-efficacy, emphasizing the mediating role of cognitive load and its various dimensions among medical students in Islamabad, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from seven medical colleges in Islamabad, Pakistan, from October to December 2023. The research employed meticulously validated measurement tools encompassing a digital literacy scale, academic self-efficacy scale, and cognitive load scale and collected data on 633 medical students. Descriptive statistics and inferential testing (mediation analysis) were performed to investigate the direct and indirect relationships of the study variables. Results: The empirical results revealed that digital literacy significantly enhances academic self-efficacy both directly and indirectly. First, the total cognitive load score showed partial mediation (β = 0.165, p < 0.001). Then, individual subscale analysis revealed that intrinsic cognitive load (β = 0.147, p < 0.001) and extraneous cognitive load (β = 0.144, p < 0.001) were significant mediators. However, the mediation effect through self-perceived learning (β = 0.105, p = 0.361) was not supported, suggesting variability in how students perceive their learning gains or other influencing factors influencing this relationship, which warrants further investigation. Conclusion: The research finding underscores the crucial integration of digital literacy instruction into medical curriculums to bolster students academic self-efficacy by adeptly managing cognitive load. While digital literacy notably reduces intrinsic and extraneous cognitive loads, its impact on perceived learning appears context-dependent and requires further exploration. Additional studies are needed to understand these relationships across educational settings and identify other potential influencing factors.
Academic self-efficacy , Cognitive load , Digital literacy , Medical students
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Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan, Changsha, 410011, China
Mental Health Institute of Central South University, China National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, Hunan Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hunan Medical Center for Mental Health, Hunan, Changsha, 410011, China
Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia
Landscape Architecture Department, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80210, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia
Department of Mathematics, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan
Electrical Engineering Department, Government College University Lahore, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Department of Accounting, Data Analytics, Economics and Finance, Melbourne, La Trobe University, Australia
Department of Mental Health Center, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan, Changsha, 410008, China
National Clinical Research Center of Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
Department of Psychiatry
Mental Health Institute of Central South University
Department of Civil Engineering
Landscape Architecture Department
Department of Mathematics
Electrical Engineering Department
Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation
Department of Accounting
Department of Mental Health Center
National Clinical Research Center of Geriatric Disorders
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