TY - JOUR
T1 - Media and information literacy's antecedents and consequences
T2 - A survey of Hong Kong University students
AU - Wong, Koon Lin Linnie
AU - Chiu, Ming Ming
AU - Chan, Ki Keith
AU - Chong, King Man Eric
AU - Bhowmik, Miron
AU - Krzywosz-Rynkiewicz, Beata
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Studies have shown how instruction can improve students’ media and information literacy (MIL), but researchers have not modeled MIL's broader antecedents or consequences. Hence, we explore demographics, digital citizenship's, and online engagement's links to MIL, and its ties to social trust or psychological well-being (PWB). In Hong Kong, 726 university students completed surveys. Our structural equation model showed that students with stronger digital citizenship beliefs reported more online engagement, which was linked to higher MIL behaviors. Students with greater MIL showed greater social trust, which had ties to greater PWB. Students whose families had higher incomes also showed greater MIL and greater PWB. Similarly, students whose mothers had more schooling had greater PWB. Lastly, students who spent more time with information and communication technologies had lower social trust. Thus, MIL is not simply classroom content; instead, outside factors are linked to it: digital citizenship, online engagement, social trust, and PWB.
AB - Studies have shown how instruction can improve students’ media and information literacy (MIL), but researchers have not modeled MIL's broader antecedents or consequences. Hence, we explore demographics, digital citizenship's, and online engagement's links to MIL, and its ties to social trust or psychological well-being (PWB). In Hong Kong, 726 university students completed surveys. Our structural equation model showed that students with stronger digital citizenship beliefs reported more online engagement, which was linked to higher MIL behaviors. Students with greater MIL showed greater social trust, which had ties to greater PWB. Students whose families had higher incomes also showed greater MIL and greater PWB. Similarly, students whose mothers had more schooling had greater PWB. Lastly, students who spent more time with information and communication technologies had lower social trust. Thus, MIL is not simply classroom content; instead, outside factors are linked to it: digital citizenship, online engagement, social trust, and PWB.
KW - digital citizenship
KW - media and information literacy
KW - online engagement
KW - psychological well-being
KW - social trust
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105012770301
U2 - 10.1177/02666669251359962
DO - 10.1177/02666669251359962
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105012770301
SN - 0266-6669
JO - Information Development
JF - Information Development
M1 - 02666669251359962
ER -
