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Abstract
This study investigated digital literacy as a predictor of democratic attitudes and values among secondary school students in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The study was guided by three objectives, three research questions, and one null hypothesis. A quantitative approach employing a correlational survey research design was adopted. The population comprised Senior Secondary School II (SS II) students in public secondary schools in Zamfara State, from which a sample of 373 respondents was selected using a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a researcher-developed instrument titled Digital Literacy and Democratic Attitudes and Values Questionnaire (DLDAVQ). The instrument was validated by experts, while its reliability was established using Cronbach's Alpha, yielding an overall reliability coefficient of 0.87. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while simple linear regression was used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that secondary school students possessed a high level of digital literacy (Grand Mean = 3.15, SD = 0.79) and a high level of democratic attitudes and values (Grand Mean = 3.24, SD = 0.73). The regression analysis further showed that digital literacy significantly predicted democratic attitudes and values (R = 0.596, R² = 0.355, β = 0.596, t = 14.317, p < .05), indicating that digital literacy accounted for 35.5% of the variation in students' democratic attitudes and values. The study concluded that digital literacy is a significant predictor of democratic attitudes and values among secondary school students. It recommended improved digital infrastructure, integration of digital citizenship education into the curriculum, and continuous teacher capacity development to enhance students' digital competence and democratic values.
[Penelitian ini menginvestigasi literasi digital sebagai prediktor sikap dan nilai demokrasi pada siswa sekolah menengah di Negara Bagian Zamfara, Nigeria. Penelitian ini dipandu oleh tiga tujuan, tiga pertanyaan penelitian, dan satu hipotesis nol. Pendekatan kuantitatif yang menggunakan desain penelitian survei korelasional diadopsi dalam penelitian ini. Populasi penelitian terdiri dari siswa Sekolah Menengah Atas Kelas II (SS II) di sekolah menengah negeri di Negara Bagian Zamfara, di mana sampel sebanyak 373 responden dipilih menggunakan prosedur pengambilan sampel bertingkat (multistage sampling). Data dikumpulkan menggunakan instrumen yang dikembangkan oleh peneliti berjudul Kuesioner Literasi Digital serta Sikap dan Nilai Demokrasi (DLDAVQ). Instrumen ini divalidasi oleh para ahli, sementara reliabilitasnya ditetapkan menggunakan Alpha Cronbach, yang menghasilkan koefisien reliabilitas keseluruhan sebesar 0.87. Data dianalisis menggunakan rata-rata dan simpangan baku untuk menjawab pertanyaan penelitian, sementara regresi linear sederhana digunakan untuk menguji hipotesis pada tingkat signifikansi 0.05. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa siswa sekolah menengah memiliki tingkat literasi digital yang tinggi (Rata-rata Keseluruhan = 3.15, SD = 0.79) dan tingkat sikap serta nilai demokrasi yang tinggi (Rata-rata Keseluruhan = 3.24, SD = 0.73). Analisis regresi lebih lanjut menunjukkan bahwa literasi digital secara signifikan memprediksi sikap dan nilai demokrasi (R = 0.596, R² = 0.355, β = 0.596, t = 14.317, p < .05), yang mengindikasikan bahwa literasi digital menyumbang 35.5% dari variasi dalam sikap dan nilai demokrasi siswa. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa literasi digital adalah prediktor yang signifikan terhadap sikap dan nilai demokrasi pada siswa sekolah menengah. Penelitian ini merekomendasikan peningkatan infrastruktur digital, integrasi pendidikan kewarganegaraan digital ke dalam kurikulum, dan pengembangan kapasitas guru yang berkelanjutan untuk meningkatkan kompetensi digital dan nilai-nilai demokrasi siswa.]
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Copyright (c) 2026 Sule Muhammad, Zulyadaini Sani Gaya (Author)

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References
- Acheampong, A. O., & Taden, J. (2024). Social media penetration, digital inclusion and democratic institutions: Evidence from 145 countries. Social Indicators Research, 172(2), 645–668.
- Adebayo, A. A., & Olanrewaju, M. K. (2023). Digital literacy and civic engagement among secondary school students in Nigeria. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 52(1), 35–52.
- Adeleke, A. A., & Josiah, M. M. (2024). Digital inclusion and educational outcomes in Northern Nigeria. International Journal of Educational Development, 104, Article 102965.
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- Campos, D. G., & Scherer, R. (2024). Digital knowledge, attitudes, and skills among students: An integrative analysis across 32 countries. Education and Information Technologies, 29(5), 6029–6053.
- Choi, M., Glassman, M., & Cristol, D. (2022). Digital citizenship, civic engagement, and democratic participation among adolescents. Computers & Education, 186, Article 104535.
- Digital engagement, digital skills and civic participation among young people in Europe. (2025). Journal of Applied Youth Studies, 8(2), 211–229.
- Digital literacy and democratic literacy among university students. (2025). Indonesian Journal of Innovation Studies, 30, Article 1478.
- Fraillon, J., Ainley, J., Schulz, W., Friedman, T., & Duckworth, D. (2023). Students' digital literacy and civic engagement: International evidence. Large-scale Assessments in Education, 11(1), 1–20.
- Getenet, S., Beswick, K., & Callingham, R. (2024). Investigating students' digital literacy, self-efficacy and engagement in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(1), 1–21.
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- Jones, S. L., & Procter, R. (2023). Digital, media and information literacy among secondary school students: A cross-national European study. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 32(5), 563–579.
- Jones-Jang, S. M., Mortensen, T., & Liu, J. (2021). Does media literacy help identification of fake news? Information, Communication & Society, 24(13), 1869–1885.
- Kahne, J., & Bowyer, B. (2021). Educating for democracy in a partisan age. American Educational Research Journal, 58(1), 3–34.
- Livingstone, S. (2021). Media literacy in the digital age. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 13(2), 1–20.
- Mihailidis, P., & Viotty, S. (2021). Spreadable spectacle in digital culture: Civic expression and democratic engagement. Social Media + Society, 7(1), 1–11.
- Ng, W. (2021). Transforming digital literacy in education. Education and Information Technologies, 26(6), 7067–7085.
- Omoera, O. S., & Ibagere, E. (2023). Digital media use and civic participation among Nigerian youths. Journal of African Media Studies, 15(2), 217–233.
- Onjewu, A.-K. E., Alhassan, I., & Boateng, R. (2025). Technology use and learning skills among Generation Z students: Evidence from Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Active Learning in Higher Education, 26(1), 45–62.
- Polizzi, G. (2025). Digital literacy and civic participation: Understanding the relationship between digital skills and democratic engagement. Information, Communication & Society, 28(4), 731–748.
- Reichert, F. (2022). Democratic citizenship education and students' civic attitudes: A systematic review. Educational Review, 74(4), 675–695.
- Siddiq, F., Gochyyev, P., & Wilson, M. (2024). Digital literacy frameworks and assessment: A systematic review. Computers & Education Open, 6, Article 100182.
- Smith, E. E., & Storrs, H. (2023). University students' perceptions of digital literacy and social media in learning. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(1), 1–20.
- Veugelers, W. (2023). Education for democratic citizenship: Contemporary perspectives. Journal of Social Science Education, 22(1), 1–15.
- Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2021). Addressing misinformation through media literacy education. New Media & Society, 23(7), 1803–1821.
References
Acheampong, A. O., & Taden, J. (2024). Social media penetration, digital inclusion and democratic institutions: Evidence from 145 countries. Social Indicators Research, 172(2), 645–668.
Adebayo, A. A., & Olanrewaju, M. K. (2023). Digital literacy and civic engagement among secondary school students in Nigeria. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 52(1), 35–52.
Adeleke, A. A., & Josiah, M. M. (2024). Digital inclusion and educational outcomes in Northern Nigeria. International Journal of Educational Development, 104, Article 102965.
Arkorful, V., Agyei, D. D., & Aboagye, E. (2024). Exploring the nexus between digital competencies and digital citizenship of higher education students: A PLS-SEM approach. Education and Information Technologies, 29(8), 10013–10037.
Campos, D. G., & Scherer, R. (2024). Digital knowledge, attitudes, and skills among students: An integrative analysis across 32 countries. Education and Information Technologies, 29(5), 6029–6053.
Choi, M., Glassman, M., & Cristol, D. (2022). Digital citizenship, civic engagement, and democratic participation among adolescents. Computers & Education, 186, Article 104535.
Digital engagement, digital skills and civic participation among young people in Europe. (2025). Journal of Applied Youth Studies, 8(2), 211–229.
Digital literacy and democratic literacy among university students. (2025). Indonesian Journal of Innovation Studies, 30, Article 1478.
Fraillon, J., Ainley, J., Schulz, W., Friedman, T., & Duckworth, D. (2023). Students' digital literacy and civic engagement: International evidence. Large-scale Assessments in Education, 11(1), 1–20.
Getenet, S., Beswick, K., & Callingham, R. (2024). Investigating students' digital literacy, self-efficacy and engagement in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 21(1), 1–21.
Guess, A. M., Nagler, J., & Tucker, J. A. (2020). Less than you think: Prevalence and predictors of fake news dissemination on social media. Science Advances, 6(14), eaay3539.
Jones, S. L., & Procter, R. (2023). Digital, media and information literacy among secondary school students: A cross-national European study. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 32(5), 563–579.
Jones-Jang, S. M., Mortensen, T., & Liu, J. (2021). Does media literacy help identification of fake news? Information, Communication & Society, 24(13), 1869–1885.
Kahne, J., & Bowyer, B. (2021). Educating for democracy in a partisan age. American Educational Research Journal, 58(1), 3–34.
Livingstone, S. (2021). Media literacy in the digital age. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 13(2), 1–20.
Mihailidis, P., & Viotty, S. (2021). Spreadable spectacle in digital culture: Civic expression and democratic engagement. Social Media + Society, 7(1), 1–11.
Ng, W. (2021). Transforming digital literacy in education. Education and Information Technologies, 26(6), 7067–7085.
Omoera, O. S., & Ibagere, E. (2023). Digital media use and civic participation among Nigerian youths. Journal of African Media Studies, 15(2), 217–233.
Onjewu, A.-K. E., Alhassan, I., & Boateng, R. (2025). Technology use and learning skills among Generation Z students: Evidence from Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Active Learning in Higher Education, 26(1), 45–62.
Polizzi, G. (2025). Digital literacy and civic participation: Understanding the relationship between digital skills and democratic engagement. Information, Communication & Society, 28(4), 731–748.
Reichert, F. (2022). Democratic citizenship education and students' civic attitudes: A systematic review. Educational Review, 74(4), 675–695.
Siddiq, F., Gochyyev, P., & Wilson, M. (2024). Digital literacy frameworks and assessment: A systematic review. Computers & Education Open, 6, Article 100182.
Smith, E. E., & Storrs, H. (2023). University students' perceptions of digital literacy and social media in learning. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20(1), 1–20.
Veugelers, W. (2023). Education for democratic citizenship: Contemporary perspectives. Journal of Social Science Education, 22(1), 1–15.
Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2021). Addressing misinformation through media literacy education. New Media & Society, 23(7), 1803–1821.