Abstract
This study conceptualized digital competence in line with self-determined theory (SDT) and investigated how it alongside help-seeking and learning agency collectively preserved university students’ psychological well-being by assisting them to manage cognitive load and academic burnout, as well as increasing their engagement in online learning during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Moreover, students’ socioeconomic status and demographic variables were examined. Partial least square modeling and cluster analysis were performed on the survey data collected from 695 students. The findings show that mental load and mental effort were positively related to academic burnout, which was significantly negatively associated with student engagement in online learning. Digital competence did not directly affect academic burnout, but indirectly via its counteracting effect on cognitive load. However, help-seeking and agency were not found to be significantly negatively related to cognitive load. Among the three SDT constructs, digital competence demonstrated the greatest positive influence on student engagement. In addition, female students from humanities and social sciences disciplines and lower-income families seemed to demonstrate the weakest digital competence, lowest learning agency, and least help-seeking behaviors. Consequently, they were more vulnerable to high cognitive load and academic burnout, leading to the lowest learning engagement. This study contributes to the ongoing arguments related to the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and informs the development of efficient interventions that preserve university students’ psychological well-being in online learning.
Highlights
Digital competence is related to the knowledge, capacities, and attitudes of using digital technologies to consume, evaluate, and create learning information and to collaborate and communicate with others for learning purposes (Janssen et al, 2013; European Commission, 2019; He and Li, 2019)
How Does Digital Competence Preserve success in higher education (López-Meneses et al, 2020). Those with high digital competence can interpret and understand online learning materials and perform well in online learning (López-Meneses et al, 2020), whereas those suffering from digital deficiencies may find themselves struggling in or averse to online learning and experiencing high cognitive load and academic burnout, which could eventually lead to the intention of quitting online learning (Bergdahl et al, 2020; Silamut and Petsangsri, 2020)
A series of issues arose in online learning during this pandemic, among which are high cognitive load, academic burnout, and disengagement that have been raised frequently and can impair students’ capability to learn and wreak havoc on their psychological well-being (Cao et al, 2020; Islam et al, 2020; Pohan, 2020)
Summary
Digital competence is related to the knowledge, capacities, and attitudes of using digital technologies to consume, evaluate, and create learning information and to collaborate and communicate with others for learning purposes (Janssen et al, 2013; European Commission, 2019; He and Li, 2019). A series of issues arose in online learning during this pandemic, among which are high cognitive load, academic burnout, and disengagement that have been raised frequently and can impair students’ capability to learn and wreak havoc on their psychological well-being (Cao et al, 2020; Islam et al, 2020; Pohan, 2020). Under this circumstance, it calls for more digital competence on the part of students than ever to adjust to and cope with the uncertainties
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