Digital Literacy among University Students in Mexico and Spain: Implications for Education 4.0

Abstract

Digital literacy is crucial for attaining Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 9 and for education 4.0. For this purpose, university students must improve their digital skills—a fact adequately highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To examine the perceptions of university students about their digital literacy in higher education, a descriptive, cross-national study was conducted with 378 university students from public universities in Mexico and Spain. Data was analyzed using Spearman’s correlation and descriptive statistics in RStudio. The results show differences in digital literacy of university students between the two countries. However, gender has a much lower influence and is primarily linked to the use of online tools, such as Pinterest and Instagram. Prior training in Information and Communications Technology is also linked to several items evaluated at the level of literacy. Digital competencies are strongly influenced by a cultural component. These findings highlight the need to strengthen digital literacy programs in higher education to reduce cross-country disparities and promote inclusive digital competence aligned with SDG 4 and 9.