Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical education
Background: Digital literacy influences academic behaviors, especially in medical education, where students encounter considerable academic challenges. However, the effects of this phenomenon on academic self-efficacy and cognitive load remain inadequately understood. Objectives: This research explo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Acta Psychologica |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824004803 |
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| author | Shazia Rehman Abdullah Addas Erum Rehman Muhammad Nasir Khan Muhammad Ali Shahiman Md Anisur Rahman Mi Wang |
| author_facet | Shazia Rehman Abdullah Addas Erum Rehman Muhammad Nasir Khan Muhammad Ali Shahiman Md Anisur Rahman Mi Wang |
| author_sort | Shazia Rehman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Digital literacy influences academic behaviors, especially in medical education, where students encounter considerable academic challenges. However, the effects of this phenomenon on academic self-efficacy and cognitive load remain inadequately understood. Objectives: This research explores the relationships between digital literacy and academic self-efficacy, emphasizing the mediating role of cognitive load and its various dimensions among medical students in Islamabad, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from seven medical colleges in Islamabad, Pakistan, from October to December 2023. The research employed meticulously validated measurement tools encompassing a digital literacy scale, academic self-efficacy scale, and cognitive load scale and collected data on 633 medical students. Descriptive statistics and inferential testing (mediation analysis) were performed to investigate the direct and indirect relationships of the study variables. Results: The empirical results revealed that digital literacy significantly enhances academic self-efficacy both directly and indirectly. First, the total cognitive load score showed partial mediation (β = 0.165, p < 0.001). Then, individual subscale analysis revealed that intrinsic cognitive load (β = 0.147, p < 0.001) and extraneous cognitive load (β = 0.144, p < 0.001) were significant mediators. However, the mediation effect through self-perceived learning (β = 0.105, p = 0.361) was not supported, suggesting variability in how students perceive their learning gains or other influencing factors influencing this relationship, which warrants further investigation. Conclusion: The research finding underscores the crucial integration of digital literacy instruction into medical curriculums to bolster students' academic self-efficacy by adeptly managing cognitive load. While digital literacy notably reduces intrinsic and extraneous cognitive loads, its impact on perceived learning appears context-dependent and requires further exploration. Additional studies are needed to understand these relationships across educational settings and identify other potential influencing factors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-667b8cb5a23a48f5a2614aefc6784405 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0001-6918 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Psychologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-667b8cb5a23a48f5a2614aefc67844052025-08-20T02:37:43ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182024-11-0125110460210.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104602Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical educationShazia Rehman0Abdullah Addas1Erum Rehman2Muhammad Nasir Khan3Muhammad Ali Shahiman4Md Anisur Rahman5Mi Wang6Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, Hunan, China; Mental Health Institute of Central South University, China National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders, Hunan Technology Institute of Psychiatry, Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Hunan Medical Center for Mental Health, Changsha 410011, Hunan, ChinaDepartment of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 11942, Saudi Arabia; Landscape Architecture Department, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80210, Jeddah 21589, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Mathematics, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, KazakhstanElectrical Engineering Department, Government College University Lahore, Lahore 54000, PakistanDepartment of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Benazir Bhutto Hospital, Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, PakistanDepartment of Accounting, Data Analytics, Economics and Finance, Melbourne, La Trobe University, AustraliaDepartment of Mental Health Center, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China; National Clinical Research Center of Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Mental Health Center, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China.Background: Digital literacy influences academic behaviors, especially in medical education, where students encounter considerable academic challenges. However, the effects of this phenomenon on academic self-efficacy and cognitive load remain inadequately understood. Objectives: This research explores the relationships between digital literacy and academic self-efficacy, emphasizing the mediating role of cognitive load and its various dimensions among medical students in Islamabad, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from seven medical colleges in Islamabad, Pakistan, from October to December 2023. The research employed meticulously validated measurement tools encompassing a digital literacy scale, academic self-efficacy scale, and cognitive load scale and collected data on 633 medical students. Descriptive statistics and inferential testing (mediation analysis) were performed to investigate the direct and indirect relationships of the study variables. Results: The empirical results revealed that digital literacy significantly enhances academic self-efficacy both directly and indirectly. First, the total cognitive load score showed partial mediation (β = 0.165, p < 0.001). Then, individual subscale analysis revealed that intrinsic cognitive load (β = 0.147, p < 0.001) and extraneous cognitive load (β = 0.144, p < 0.001) were significant mediators. However, the mediation effect through self-perceived learning (β = 0.105, p = 0.361) was not supported, suggesting variability in how students perceive their learning gains or other influencing factors influencing this relationship, which warrants further investigation. Conclusion: The research finding underscores the crucial integration of digital literacy instruction into medical curriculums to bolster students' academic self-efficacy by adeptly managing cognitive load. While digital literacy notably reduces intrinsic and extraneous cognitive loads, its impact on perceived learning appears context-dependent and requires further exploration. Additional studies are needed to understand these relationships across educational settings and identify other potential influencing factors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824004803Digital literacyAcademic self-efficacyCognitive loadMedical students |
| spellingShingle | Shazia Rehman Abdullah Addas Erum Rehman Muhammad Nasir Khan Muhammad Ali Shahiman Md Anisur Rahman Mi Wang Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical education Acta Psychologica Digital literacy Academic self-efficacy Cognitive load Medical students |
| title | Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical education |
| title_full | Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical education |
| title_fullStr | Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical education |
| title_short | Leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain: Implications for academic self-efficacy in medical education |
| title_sort | leveraging digital skills to reduce cognitive strain implications for academic self efficacy in medical education |
| topic | Digital literacy Academic self-efficacy Cognitive load Medical students |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824004803 |
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