An Investigation into Digital Literacy and Autonomous Learning of High School Students

Abstract

The rapid development of digital technologies and the internet has redefined access to language resources and approaches to language learning. High school students are experiencing more digitalized learning activities, which influences their independent learning mode. In Autonomous Learning and Digital Literacy, rare research has been done to examine the relationship between the two. Drawn from responses of 224 high school students to the questionnaires, this study investigated their digital literacy level from five dimensions, such as knowledge acquisition, and their autonomous learning situation from two perspectives. The results showed that the participants have a certain degree of digital literacy, have a high desire to learn, and their self-management capacity is at a medium level. Yet there is no correlation between students’ levels of digital literacy and their levels of autonomy as learners. The findings may prompt educators to prioritize encouraging digital literacy and student agency in the classroom.