Academic self-efficacy and digital competence in a sample of university students

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between academic self-efficacy and digital competence in a sample of undergraduate university students in Peru. The design was nonexperimental, cross-sectional, and correlational. The non-probabilistic sample consisted of 98 students from a private university in Peru. Academic self-efficacy single-item scale and digital competence questionnaire were used. Spearman correlation coefficient, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. The statistical program used was SPSS v. 25. The average academic self-efficacy obtained was 3.73 (standard deviation [SD]=0.73). Regarding digital competence, the mean recorded was 72.34 (SD=11.57). Additionally, it was found that there were no significant differences in academic self-efficacy and digital competence according to gender (p>0.05). Similarly, it was found that there is a significant correlation between academic self-efficacy and digital competence in students (rho=0.438; p<0.001). Similarly, it was found that there is a correlation between academic self-efficacy and the five dimensions of digital competence (information, communication, content creation, technological security and problem-solving) in university students (p<0.05). This research could contribute to the development of programs, courses, or psychoeducational strategies for the development of academic self-efficacy and digital competence in university students.