The Relationship Between Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking Among Junior High School Students: The Mediating Role of Learning Motivation

Authors

• Deitawati Dalughu, Universitas Pendidikan IndonesiaFollow
• Disman Disman, Faculty of Economic and Business Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung City, 40154, Indonesia,Follow
• Susanti Kurniawati, Universitas Pendidikan IndonesiaFollow
• Leni Permana, Universitas Pendidikan IndonesiaFollow

Abstract

Background: Computational thinking (CT) is increasingly regarded as a general problem-solving competence, and earlier studies have linked it to digital literacy (DL). However, less is known about why the two are related, particularly among junior high school students.

Objectives: Drawing on constructivism and self-determination theory, this study examined whether learning motivation (LM) mediates the association between DL and self-reported CT.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional explanatory survey design. Participants were 125 students in grades VII–IX from two public junior high schools in Bitung City, Indonesia, selected through proportional quota sampling per school. Data were collected through an online questionnaire administered via Google Forms, using a four-point Likert scale to measure DL, LM, and CT. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in WarpPLS 8.0.

Results: DL was positively associated with LM (β = 0.65, p < 0.001) and CT     (β = 0.44, p < 0.001), and LM was positively associated with CT (β = 0.32, p < 0.001). The indirect association of DL with CT through LM was significant (β = 0.21, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.09, 0.33]) and accounted for about one third of the total association, indicating partial mediation. The model explained 42% of the variance in LM and 53% of the variance in CT.

Conclusions: The DL–CT link operates partly through a motivational pathway, a mechanism not previously tested in this age group. Because the DL and CT measures overlapped strongly (HTMT = 0.92) and the data were cross-sectional and self-reported, the findings describe associations rather than causal effects.

First Page

220

Last Page

235

Recommended Citation

Dalughu, D., Disman, D., Kurniawati, S., & Permana, L. (2026). The Relationship Between Digital Literacy and Computational Thinking Among Junior High School Students: The Mediating Role of Learning Motivation. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Pembelajaran, 33(2), 220-235.
DOI: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.17977/2580-2313.1186
Available at: https://citeus.um.ac.id/jpp/vol33/iss2/5