The Influence of Digital Tools and Social Networks on the Digital Competence of University Students during COVID-19 Pandemic

Javier Rodríguez-Moreno, Ana María Ortiz-Colón, Eulogio Cordón-Pozo and Miriam Agreda-Montoro
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Javier Rodríguez-Moreno: Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences, Campus Las Lagunillas, University of Jaen, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Ana María Ortiz-Colón: Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences, Campus Las Lagunillas, University of Jaen, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Eulogio Cordón-Pozo: Department of Business Organization II, Faculty of Economics and Business, Campus La Cartuja, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
Miriam Agreda-Montoro: Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences, Campus Las Lagunillas, University of Jaen, 23071 Jaén, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-18

Abstract: The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has generated a transformation in students’ competences and university education, especially in the use of digital tools. This study aims to analyze the use of digital tools and social networks of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the collection of information, a validated Likert questionnaire (10-point scale) was adopted. The instrument consisted of a total of 66 items comprising a total of seven dimensions. The sample contained 581 students pursuing degrees in Childhood Education and Primary Education. The analysis of the available information was carried out in two different stages. First, we started by performing an exploratory factorial analysis (EFA) to determine the underlying structure of the Digital Competence of Higher Education Students (DCHES) scale factor. In the second phase, we used SEM (structural equation modeling), a statistical approach to test the relationships between observed and latent variables. More specifically, we estimated a multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model. The results showed the importance of two of the considered covariates in explaining the variability of the different dimensions of the scale analyzed (DCHES) considering the use of social networks and digital tools of university students. In this sense, both the degree to which virtual tools are used to develop teamwork and the degree of use of YouTube when communicating most fully explained the level of digital skills among the university students studied.

Keywords: higher education; COVID-19; digital tools; social networks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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