THE EXPANDED DIGITAL MEDIA EMPOWERMENT ON SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL SETTING

Abstract

Background: Digital media empowerment by ensuring equitable access to digital technologies and safeguarding against digital divide issues. Legal measures also ensure that digital platforms are not misused for spreading misinformation or engaging in unlawful activities. This study expanded the digital media empowerment construct for Jakarta's senior high school students to eight dimensions, blending awareness, motivation, technical access, empowerment, and gratification dimension with three dimensions of social contract utilitarianism, egalitarianism, and real equality of opportunity.
 
 Method: This study applied an explanatory quantitative approach and conducted a survey. Six hundred respondents were online surveyed and analyzed to confirm the integration of eight dimensions of digital media empowerment. Eight dimensions were validated by Person’s correlation of validity and assessed by Cronbach’s Alpha of reliability. The integrated dimension was tested as a hypothesis by Confirmatory Factor Analysis by showing the value of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling and Barlett’s Test of Sphericity.
 
 Results: The result of validity, reliability, and confirmatory factor analysis proved the integration of eight dimensions of digital media empowerment. The results highlighted a significant correlation among all eight dimensions with the digital media empowerment construct. The gratifications dimension is the most dominant dimension of digital media empowerment from students’ perspectives on digital technology usage.
 
 Conclusion: The integration offers a more holistic understanding of justice distribution in the secondary educational setting. It underscores the importance of considering both technological and ethical-social factors in shaping students' digital experiences and competencies, paving the way for more targeted and sustainable educational development in the digital era.