Digital Literacy and Study Performance: The Case of Students in Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Challenges in measuring digital competence among the higher education students from different disciplines and universities in Ho Chi Minh city is confronted in this study. The results confirm that the scales proposed and applied in foreign studies can also be able to apply in the context of Vietnam. The first effort was paid to measure digital competence using a quantitative method among Vietnamese students in 2021 with the emerging of E-learning alternative which is clearly triggered by the Covid 19 pandemic. The significant components that construct the digital competence levels of observed students include the skills in understanding and using information, the skills in using technology and computers, the skills in communicating via E-learning channel, and the skills in effectively using images. All the above skills are presented in the activities within the higher education context. The results provide some insights into the differences in digital literacy between the groups of students whose English levels are different as well as the students who attained different study performance. The better literacy the higher GPA that students obtain. By providing empirical evidence to policy implications, contribute to the sake of technology development benefiting study performance and working competencies of the graduates in the digital era.