Digital Self-efficacy Research Articles

Student Anxiety, Preparation, and Learning Framework for Responding to External Crises: The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy as a Coping Mechanism

In response to the Journal of Marketing Education special issue on teaching turmoil and triumphs in times of crisis, we develop and test a student anxiety, preparation and learning framework for responding to external crises. We use structural equation modeling to assess how COVID-19 anxiety impacts classrelated anxiety, class preparation, and class learning, and how these then affect class satisfaction and intent to pursue a sales career. Using three sequential virtual sales competitions, we test our model in the immediate aftermath of the transition from live in-class learning to virtual learning brought on by COVID-19, offering an ideal setting for investigating marketing education in a time of crisis. The findings are unique, and show that how crises are managed impacts the deleterious effects of anxiety on education and learning. While anxiety had the greatest influence on class preparation, class preparation in turn was not related to class learning, class satisfaction, nor intent to pursue a sales career. However, when digital self-efficacy was considered as a moderator, the expected effects of class preparation emerged. Our findings contribute to multiple theoretical contexts, including anxiety, crisis management, self-efficacy, marketing education, and virtual sales role-plays.

Multivariate analysis of teachers’ digital information skills - The importance of available resources

Digital information skills are prerequisites for success in the information society. Previous research on 21st century skills has shown that digital skills evolve sequentially, building on digital information skills, making them the key to future skills that teachers should acquire and be able to pass on to future generations. In the research on digital skills, shortcomings of bivariate approaches have been widely identified and interest has largely shifted to multivariate methods. However, the development of effective targeted interventions still requires a deeper understanding of the social resources of individuals and the interdependencies of predictors. This study examined the extent to which sociodemographic factors and available resources predict digital information skills and which subgroups emerge as potential targets for interventions, by analysing the interdependence of the predictor variables. The empirical data used in the study consisted of 4988 Finnish teachers' questionnaire responses and performance test results. Utilising the multiple regression analysis, the study found that digital activity and age explain most of the variation in teachers' digital information skills. Their effect was found to be the inverse of each other, with abundant digital activity increasing and age reducing teachers’ mastery of these skills. Digital self-efficacy and in-service training also emerged as promising predictors, highlighting that teachers' information skills are explained more strongly by the available resources than by sociodemographic factors. At the end, the practical significance and recommendations for more targeted interventions as well as for further research are considered on the basis of the results obtained.

Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions of the Introduction of ICT: The Relationship between Motivation and Use in the Teaching Function

Digital self-efficacy and the amount of perceived support from the school can improve teachers’ motivation to increase the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom. Likewise, attitude, perception, gender, and experience of mathematics teachers are factors that influence their use of ICT. This study aimed to analyze the profiles of mathematics teachers, determine the existence of differences between them, and identify the sample size necessary to detect significant differences. A total of 73 high school teachers were included in this cross-sectional study. Teaching practice, ICT resources, ICT in the classroom, skills, and uses of ICT were assessed through a validated 19-item questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed that the required sample to detect significant differences was 53 subjects. Further, 67.21% of the mathematics teachers surveyed in Melilla were younger than 40 years of age, and 62.30% had less than 6 years of teaching experience. In addition, 81.97 and 47.54% of mathematics teachers stated that they consider themselves to have sufficient ICT resources at home for their work and in the classroom, respectively. Through different clusters, mathematics teachers can be identified and classified according to their motivational and competence profiles in pedagogical and digital areas. In addition, young teachers with some teaching experience had positive perceptions of technology, as reflected by high scores in the motivation indicator for ICT.

Digital innovation evaluation: user perceptions of innovation readiness, digital confidence, innovation adoption, user experience and behaviour change

BackgroundInnovation spread is a key policy objective for health systems world-wide, but adoption success varies enormously. We have developed a set of short generic user-reported measures to help understand how...

Teachers' ICT-related self-efficacy, job resources, and positive emotions: Their structural relations with autonomous motivation and work engagement

Different variables related to information and communication technologies (ICT), such as digital self-efficacy for teaching, perceived institutional support for innovation, ICT positive emotions, and satisfaction with institutional support, are key factors in the teaching-learning process. The main purpose of this study is to analyze the structural relationships of these constructs with teachers' autonomous motivation and work engagement. Data were collected from 350 in-service secondary education teachers through a self-report questionnaire and were analyzed using a two-step Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach. After testing the adequacy of the measurement model, the structural model showed that all ICT-related variables significantly predicted autonomous motivation, with 26% of explained variance. ICT-related variables and autonomous motivation explained 69% of the variance of work engagement. Emotional variables also were predicted by digital self-efficacy and institutional support. Autonomous motivation and emotional variables mediated the effects of digital self-efficacy and support for innovation on work engagement. These results shed light on the critical role of these ICT-related variables for teachers’ work motivation and engagement.

A qualitative study of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patient perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to adopting digital health technology

ObjectiveNon-adherence to self-management plans in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results in poorer outcomes for patients. Digital health technology (DHT) promises to support self-management by enhancing the sense of control patients possess over their disease. COPD digital health studies have yet to show significant evidence of improved outcomes for patients, with many user-adoption issues still present in the literature. To help better address the adoption needs of COPD patients, this paper explores their perceived barriers and facilitators to the adoption of DHT.MethodsA sample of convenience was chosen and patients (n = 30) were recruited from two Dublin university hospitals. Each patient completed a qualitative semi-structured interview. Thematic analysis of the data was performed using NVivo 12 software.ResultsBarrier sub-themes included lack of perceived usefulness, digital literacy, illness perception, and social context; facilitator sub-themes included existing digital self-efficacy, personalised education, and community-based support.ConclusionThe findings represent a set of key considerations for researchers and clinicians to inform the design of patient-centred study protocols that aim to account for the needs and preferences of patients in the development of implementation and adoption strategies for DHT in COPD.

Digital inclusion and online behaviour: five typologies of Australian internet users

ABSTRACT Digital inclusion is no longer limited to issues of access (e.g. infrastructure, speed, and cost); these are simply components in a much broader and more complex conceptualisation of what it means to be included. This shift has seen many researchers turn their attention towards the different ways in which people are using the internet. The aim of the current study was to measure how Australians use the internet by employing a nuanced approach to measuring online behavioural preferences. Telephone interviews were conducted with 1584 respondents to measure online behavioural preferences, internet attitudes, digital self-efficacy, and access. Analyses confirmed five profiles of internet users: labelled ‘Non-Users’, ‘Sporadic Users’, ‘Social Media & Entertainment Users’, ‘Instrumental Users’, and ‘Advanced Users’. Each group differed significantly on key demographic and (more importantly) non-demographic internet characteristics. These findings provide useful learnings for tailoring digital inclusion programmes to the needs of specific user groups.

Older adult Internet super-users: counsel from experience

ABSTRACTThere is evidence that digital technologies including the Internet have the potential to improve older adults’ social participation and inclusion. This in turn is said to improve their quality of life. Older Internet super-users are in a unique position to inform us about what it takes to be a successful “silver surfer”.This article reports on a study exploring the digital experiences of older Australian (65+) retirees, who are Internet “super-users”. Super-users are defined as those who effectively use many Internet applications as part of the normal rhythm of daily life. The data gathering methods of this study were (1) photovoice, (2) a diary of Internet use, and (3) a semi-structured telephone interview.The project identified what makes a good Internet experience for older adults. This was then translated into a set of guidelines to improve Internet use for other older adults, who are yet to fully realize the potential of the Internet to enhance daily life and wellbeing. The results are considered from the perspectives that older adults’ digital participation is best conceptualized by incorporating self-efficacy theory, digital competence and personal learning environments (PLEs) and demonstrates a pathway toward digital participation for older adults through the development of digital self-efficacy.

“The future is ours too”: A training process to enable the learning perception and increase self-efficacy in the use of tablets in the elderly

ABSTRACTThe generational digital divide can be understood as a response to the physical and psychosocial decline of older people. Recently, there has been interest in reducing the generational digital divide because of societal costs, and several studies state that tablets seem to help the elderly due to usability and functions that easily fulfill the elderly’s needs to be connected, independent, and autonomous: It could increase the elderly’s well-being. This article presents a training program that increases self-efficiency and enables the learning perception and use of tablets. A qualitative-dominant co-occurrent mixed-methods design was used to assess the perception that the participants (50 participants over 65 years of age) had of their own learning process and success in the course, as well as their digital self-efficacy. The results appear to partially reflect previous research; moreover, perceived changes in self-efficacy and learning can be tied to three core themes—empowerment, integration, and autonomy.

What are the determinants of rural-urban digital inequality among schoolchildren in Taiwan? Insights from Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition

Since digital inequality among schoolchildren may exacerbate the existing rural-urban disparity, determining how to reduce rural-urban digital inequality among students remains an important policy issue. This study uses a unique and nationally representative dataset of 1953 elementary and junior high school students in Taiwan to examine the extent to which students' characteristics, autonomy of use, family background and resource inputs may be associated with the digital self-efficacy of schoolchildren. The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition method was applied to further investigate the relative contributions the observed characteristics made to the rural-urban digital inequality of schoolchildren. The results show that the observed differences in factors associated with students' digital self-efficacy account for 35% of rural-urban digital inequality. Furthermore, the number of computers in homes and schools, internet connectivity at home, mothers' educational level, and the number of weekly computer classes provided by the school play a significant role with regard to the digital inequality between rural and urban students.

A Narrative Approach to Understanding the Development and Retention of Digital Skills Over Time in Former Middle School Students, a Decade After Having Used One-to-One Laptop Computers

Although there is a common result in recent research and practice that digital skills are important for every educated citizen, little is known of how these skills are evolving over a long period of time. Our study looks into the development and use of digital skills in former middle school students who had an individual access to the laptops a decade ago and are now entering the workforce. Using a qualitative approach, we look at results from an earlier study on one-to-one laptop use in middle school students, as well as results from follow-up interviews with three students from that cohort. More specifically, we present narrative stories offering a rich description of the personal experience of digital skill acquisition through information and communication technology (ICT)-assisted learning and the sustainability of these skills later in adulthood. Our findings indicate three specific types of digital skills, namely, technological resourcefulness, digital self-efficacy or empowerment, and open-mindedness toward technology, that emerge as key elements of the participants' perception of postsecondary academic and eventual further career success. The results of this study can be used to better understand how ICT skills are acquired and how they evolve over time in young people who grew up (or are growing up) in a digital world and how this process can be enhanced by educational institutions and workplaces. (Keywords: digital literacy, ICT, middle school, one-to-one laptop programs)

Digital Self-Efficacy and Language Learning Enhancement in an Online Setting

The importance of personal factors such as personality traits, learning strategies, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in the complicated task of language learning has been established for years. However, the introduction of computers, networks and their wide communication affordances, seem to impact many aspects of learning and teaching and particularly language learning and teaching. The storage place, manner, and magnitude of learning materials for example, have shifted from the human mind to portable digital storage places that consequently require different types of aggregation, retrieval, and usage of information. Noting the rapid communication of today through networking, ICT competency plays important roles with all its related applications and software that turn the talented user into an enhanced player in the wired world. It was the underlying premise of this research study to identify how freshman Iranian language students view their technology competencies and command to impact their socialization and web-assisted language learning process in the connected world of today. It was found that most of the Kazerun Islamic Azad university students of English (34 freshman) show positive attitudes toward the adoption of online learning materials and web-based socialization applications such as Facebook’s group tool and online forums as their preferred tool for discussion and interaction in the language learning course. At the end of semester the higher digital self-efficacy students scored higher in their conversation test compared to the lower digital self-efficacy students. Users with high computer self-efficacy not only benefit from their capability to use computer in their language learning activities, they would also benefit from group self-efficacy in their web-based language learning tasks and interactions.

Digital Self-Efficacy and Language Learning Enhancement in an Online Setting

Digital Self-Efficacy and Language Learning Enhancement in an Online Setting