Digital Literacy, Digital Citizenship Competency, and Academic Behavior Among Secondary School Students in Bihar: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Abstract

In today’s technology driven environments digital literacy and digital citizenship are critical competencies for adolescent learners. However, their joint influence on academic behavior—particularly in under-resourced public-school settings—remains insufficiently theorized and empirically under-tested in the Indian context. This study examined the structural relationships among digital literacy (DL), digital citizenship competency (DC), and academic behavior (AB) among secondary school students (Classes 9–10) enrolled in government schools across three districts of Bihar's Magadh region: Gaya, Nawada, and Jehanabad. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a stratified random sample of 850 students (n = 466 male; n = 384 female) from 33 government schools. Three validated scales—the Digital Literacy Scale (DLS-16), the Digital Citizenship Competency Scale (DCCS-16), and the Academic Behavior Scale (ABS-16)—were administered. Data were analyzed using a two-stage approach: confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for measurement model validation, followed by full structural equation modeling (SEM) with bootstrapped mediation analysis. Results indicated that digital literacy (β = .412, p < .001) and digital citizenship (β = .389, p < .001) were both significant positive predictors of academic behavior. Digital literacy also predicted digital citizenship (β = .574, p < .001), with digital citizenship partially mediating the DL–AB relationship (indirect β = .223, 95% CI [.172, .274]). The final SEM achieved acceptable model fit (χ²/df = 2.31, CFI = .968, TLI = .961, RMSEA = .039, SRMR = .047). Multi-group invariance analysis confirmed scalar invariance across gender. Findings highlight the importance of including digital literacy and digital citizenship education in Bihar’s NEP 2020 implementation roadmap.