From Digital Competence to Professional Competence: Mediating Roles of Attitude and Engagement with E-Sports Insights
TL;DR
Insights from the qualitative phase suggest that while e-sports may enhance certain competencies such as strategic thinking and collaboration, excessive engagement in such activities can interfere with academic priorities.
Abstract
In the era of digital transformation, digital competence has become a critical driver in shaping university students’ professional capabilities. This study adopted a mixed-methods design, with Phase 1 comprising a survey of 150 university students, and Phase 2 involving semi-structured interviews with 30 participants from the same cohort to further explore and contextualize the quantitative findings. A structural equation model was constructed to examine the sequential mediating roles of learning attitude and learning engagement in the relationship between digital competence and professional competence. The analysis, supported by bootstrap mediation testing and word frequency patterns from interview data, revealed that digital competence indirectly promotes professional competence through this dual pathway. It was found that learning attitude emerged as a key driver of engagement highlighting the role of emotional and motivational factors in shaping students’ professional competence development. Insights from the qualitative phase further suggest that while e-sports may enhance certain competencies such as strategic thinking and collaboration, excessive engagement in such activities can interfere with academic priorities.