Analysis of Digital Literacy Competency of University Freshmen

This study sought to find out the differences in digital literacy competency by gender and field of college freshmen and derive educational implications through an analysis of the influence between sub-elements of digital literacy competency. The research results are as follows. First, the average score for each sub-element of digital literacy competency was high for ethics and security, and low for affect and participation. Second, as a result of the gender difference analysis, values, self-regulation, and ethics showed higher average scores for female students and statistically significant results, and only critical reading showed higher average scores for male students. As a result of the series difference analysis, among all sub-elements, only self-regulation showed statistically significant results, and the average score of the social class was the highest. Third, as a result of the correlation analysis, just as ethics and security, values and self-efficacy, and emotions and participation showed a high correlation, the influence factors also showed a high relative influence on each other. Based on the results of this study, the need for parallel research with various variables and longitudinal research on digital literacy capabilities was suggested.