Abstract
The purpose of this non-experimental correlational study was to examine the extent to which there exists a relationship between undergraduate study and digital citizenship knowledge and skills as measured by the digital citizenship scale (DCS), a previously validated quantitative instrument. A web-based survey including the DCS, demographic questions, and a Higher Education Engagement questionnaire was distributed to all full-time undergraduate students at a public university in the Upper Midwestern United States. Data was collected from a sample of 349 undergraduate students who completed the entire DCS and the question about number of post-secondary credits earned. A bi-variate correlational analysis revealed that there is no relationship between digital citizenship knowledge and skills as measured by the DCS and number of post-secondary credits earned. Results of multiple regression analysis showed that the absence of correlation remained constant regardless of student demographic characteristics and campus involvement. Study results also provide insight into the mean level of digital citizenship as expressed by DCS scores. Respondents scored in the low-to-moderate range for three of the DCS subscales: Critical Perspectives, Internet Political Activism, and Networking Agency. Respondents who identified as non-cisgender and respondents with majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences had higher mean DCS scores than their peers.
Date Dissertation Completed
5-2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate of Education
Department
Education Studies
Dissertation Advisor
Joel Traver
Dissertation Committee Members
Steve Baule, Norb Thomes
Location
Winona, Minnesota
Recommended Citation
Ladd, Jenna, "Higher Education for the Digital Age: A Correlational Study of Undergraduate Engagement and Digital Citizenship" (2024). Education Doctorate Dissertations. 29.
https://openriver.winona.edu/educationedddissertations/29
