DIGITAL COMPETENCE AND CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF MUSLIM FEMALE SECONDARY STUDENTS IN JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

In recent years, digital technologies have experienced a paradigm shift in secondary schools, changing the way students learn and are being taught.  This review article delves into 210 Muslim female secondary students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and examines how digital literacy and classroom engagement relate to academic performance. Using a quantitative correlational design, the research found that most students displayed moderate levels of digital literacy (58.1%), classroom engagement (56.2%), and academic performance (59.0%). Significant positive correlations emerged between digital literacy and academic performance (r=0.338), classroom engagement and academic performance (r=0.287), and between digital literacy and engagement (r=0.836). Regression analysis revealed that both variables jointly explained 15.6% of variance in academic performance (R²=0.156), with digital literacy (β=0.256) being a slightly stronger predictor than classroom engagement (β=0.198). The review article indicates that digital literacy and classroom participation are related predictors of success in school. The recommendations related to practice are that digital literacy should be more fully incorporated into the curriculum, teacher training should include more specific instruction to engage students with technology, more specific monitoring of at-risk learners, and pedagogies should focus on engaging students. Future direction suggests experiments to assess causal relationships between digital literacy and digital engagement.