How Digital Literacy and Self-Efficacy Shape Critical Thinking through Engagement: Toward a Framework for Information Security-Aware Digital Education

Abstract

This study synthesizes empirical evidence to test the role of student engagement and information security as mediators between digital literacy, self-efficacy, and critical thinking skills in digital education contexts. Using random-effects meta-analysis of 56 indexed studies and two-step meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM), we aggregated correlation coefficients with Fisher Z transform and tested latent structure. Meta-analytic results showed significant combined correlations between digital literacy, self-efficacy, engagement, and critical thinking, with strong heterogeneity across studies. MASEM identified engagement as complete mediator: the influence of digital literacy and self-efficacy on critical thinking is entirely mediated by engagement (β = 0.95, p < .001). These findings have important implications for cybersecurity education: Critical thinking—developed through engaged digital learning—is theoretically and empirically established as foundational for information security awareness, enabling learners to evaluate source credibility, recognize manipulation tactics, and make secure digital decisions. While this meta-analysis did not directly measure security behaviors, the robust DL-SE-EN-CT pathway identified here provides an evidence-based foundation for designing security-aware digital education programs. The study provides an integrative model for digital education policy and offers a theoretical framework for understanding how foundational digital competencies contribute to cybersecurity-ready learners