RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Digital literacy is one of the 21st-century skills that nursing students should develop and acquire. Several factors influencing digital literacy have been identified, but the predictive role of technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional factors in digital literacy remains unexplored in nursing students. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the digital literacy level and determine the predictive role of technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional factors in digital literacy among nursing students in Turkey using a structural equation modeling (SEM)-based approach. DESIGN: A web-based, predictive, cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: This study was conducted among first-, second-, third- and fourth-year students in a nursing faculty located in the capital of Turkey in the academic year 2021-2022. PARTICIPANTS: Overall, 210 nursing students were recruited for this study. METHODS: The use of a digital literacy model guided data collection. Data were collected between 8 and 28 June 2022 using online Google Forms. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SEM. RESULTS: Nursing students' digital literacy mean score was 67.29 (13.60). Internet self-efficacy (ß = 0.31, p < 0.001), online information search strategies (ß = 0.20, p = 0.003), and online privacy concerns (ß = 0.14, p = 0.024) were positive predictors, whereas social media use (ß = -0.13, p = 0.032) was a negative predictor of digital literacy. Among these variables, Internet self-efficacy had the most significant influence on the digital literacy level. The four variables contributed to 22 % of variance in the digital literacy level. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows nursing students' digital literacy level is above average. Our findings suggest that technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional factors influence digital literacy.
