Availability and Accessibility of Digital Literacy and Its Influence on Democratic Attitudes among Secondary School Students in Gusau Educational Zone, Zamfara State
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61166/bgn.v4i1.113Keywords:
Accessibility, Availability, Democratic Attitudes, Digital Literacy, Secondary School StudentsAbstract
influence on democratic attitudes among secondary school students in the Gusau Educational Zone, Zamfara State. The rapid growth of digital technologies has made digital literacy an essential skill for accessing information, evaluating online content, and participating responsibly in civic and democratic activities. However, disparities in digital infrastructure and access in many developing regions may limit students’ opportunities to develop these competencies. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 8,753 SS2 students from public secondary schools in Gusau and Tsafe Local Government Areas. A sample of 348 students was selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Availability and Accessibility of Digital Literacy and Democratic Attitudes Questionnaire (AADLDAQ). The instrument was validated by experts and achieved a reliability coefficient of 0.89 using Cronbach’s Alpha. Data were analyzed using one-sample t-test and simple linear regression at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that digital literacy resources are significantly available and accessible to students in the study area. The results also indicated that digital literacy has a positive and significant influence on students’ democratic attitudes and participation. The study concluded that improving digital literacy resources and access in schools can strengthen students’ civic awareness and democratic engagement
Downloads
References
Adeyemi, J., & Adeoye, M. (2025). Influence of digital infrastructure on students’ digital literacy development. Journal of Education and Technology in Africa, 12(1), 34–49.
Akpa, G. O., Ibrahim, A. A., & Suleiman, M. B. (2024). Digital competence and online civic readiness of Nigerian secondary school students. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 27(2), 98–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/ET.2024.0987654
Al-Hariri, M., Al-Hattami, A., & Ahmed, A. (2024). Digital citizenship and digital literacy in higher education: Implications for responsible online participation. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 19(2), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v19i02.45678
Almeida, L. F., Rocha, R., & Silva, P. A. (2025). Digital literacy education and democratic attitudes in Brazilian secondary schools. Latin American Journal of Education & Society, 10(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/LAJES.2025.0105
Basu, S., & Banerjee, R. (2023). Social media literacy and democratic engagement: A study of Generation Z in India. International Journal of Communication, 17(2), 503–525. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/22045
Bello, H., & Musa, T. (2023). School digital resources and student engagement in civic learning. International Journal of Digital Education, 6(2), 78–93.
Cleofas, J. V., & Labayo, H. K. (2024). Digital media use and civic engagement among university students. Journal of Youth Studies, 27(3), 412–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2023.2245123
Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93–106.
García-Peñalvo, F. J., Seoane-Pardo, A. M., & Sein-Echaluce, M. L. (2023). Technology-enhanced learning and democratic competencies in European secondary schools. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71(4), 231–249. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10123-z
Hasrullah, H., Arya, N., & Hidayatullah, F. (2023). Digital literacy and social media engagement: Examining the impact on political participation in Indonesia. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 12(3), 125–138. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v12-i3/17654
Hermansyah, H., & Mohamed, S. (2024). Digital literacy and civic competence among secondary school students in the digital era. Journal of Educational Technology and Society, 27(1), 75–87. https://doi.org/10.30191/ETS.202401_27(1).0006
Hossain, M. D., & Islam, F. (2024). Digital engagement and local governance participation among youth in Bangladesh. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 17(3), 287–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2024.1897654
Kaur, S., & Kaur, H. (2024). Urban–rural digital divide and civic participation among Indian high school students. Journal of Digital Learning & Society, 8(1), 120–135. https://doi.org/10.1080/JDLS.2024.09123
Lin, Y. C., & Li, H. (2024). Digital literacy, online information evaluation, and political attitudes among Taiwanese high school students. Journal of Youth and Media Studies, 16(2), 211–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/JYMS.2024.1003456
Mokgokong, P., & Ntshangase, T. (2023). Digital inequities and civic readiness in South African secondary schools. South African Journal of Educational Technology, 26(3), 154–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/SAJET.2023.07.0021
Muringa, J., & Adjin-Tettey, T. (2024). Media literacy education and democratic participation among African youth. African Journal of Media Studies, 16(1), 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2024.2424902
Mwangi, P. K., & Njoroge, K. (2023). Digital literacy and political engagement: Evidence from Kenyan secondary students. African Journal of Digital Education, 5(1), 49–67. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajde.v5i1.55
Nguyen, T., & Duong, P. (2023). Digital literacy and critical evaluation of online political information. Journal of Media Literacy & Education, 15(3), 201–220.
Nguyen, T. T., Pham, L., & Nguyen, H. (2022). Digital literacy interventions and youth civic engagement in Vietnam. Journal of Youth Studies & Civic Learning, 3(4), 300–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/JYSCL.2022.45.89
Nurjanah, S., Prasetyo, Z. K., & Suyanto, S. (2024). Digital literacy skills and students’ ability to evaluate online information. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 15(1), 150–165. https://doi.org/10.17499/jsser.2024.1507
Ojo, T. O., & Adeoye, O. (2022). Internet access, digital skills, and community engagement among Nigerian secondary school students. Journal of Educational Informatics, 21(4), 78–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/JEI.2022.99032
Omede, T., & Wokoma, O. (2024). Digital competence and student participation in community issues. Journal of Contemporary Education Studies, 10(1), 59–75.
Pangrazio, L., & Sefton-Green, J. (2021). Digital rights, digital citizenship and digital literacy: What’s the difference? Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 10(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.7821/naer.2021.1.616
Sánchez-Ruiz, M. J., García-Fernández, J. M., & Pérez-García, C. (2025). Digital citizenship programs and democratic attitudes in European schools. Journal of Citizenship Education & Practice, 13(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/JCEDP.2025.2022456
Tarsidi, D., Rahmawati, R., & Pranoto, B. (2023). Social media literacy and youth democratic participation in digital society. Journal of Civic Education, 8(2), 201–213. https://doi.org/10.15294/jce.v8i2.62845
Yadav, S. (2023). Digital literacy and civic engagement in the age of social media. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 39(4), 233–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2023.2184576
Yilmaz, R. M., & Bayram, H. (2023). Digital access, civic intentions, and democratic participation among Turkish students. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 15(2), 89–107. https://doi.org/10.23860/JMLE.2023.15.2.07
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sule Muhammad, Muhammad Nasa’i
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
