The Moderating Effect of Attitude Toward Technology on the Relationship Between Digital Literacy and Electronic Resources Utilization in Higher Education

This study examined the moderating effect of attitude toward technology on the relationship between digital literacy and electronic resources utilization among higher education students in Davao City. Guided by Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the study employed a quantitative descriptive-regression design with moderation analysis. Data were collected from 300 undergraduate students across four higher education institutions using a validated self-constructed questionnaire covering digital literacy, electronic resources utilization, and attitude toward technology. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and moderation regression were used. Findings showed that students demonstrated a very high level of digital literacy (M = 4.33), with collaboration obtaining the highest score (M = 4.39), followed by communication (M = 4.37) and critical thinking (M = 4.24). Electronic resources utilization was high (M = 3.96), with multimedia resources most frequently utilized (M = 4.37), while Open Educational Resources had the lowest utilization (M = 3.78). Students also reported a very high attitude toward technology (M = 4.33), particularly perceived usefulness (M = 4.55). Digital literacy was significantly and moderately related to electronic resources utilization (r = .568, p < .001). However, attitude toward technology did not significantly moderate this relationship (B = .0453, p = .5758). The findings indicate that digital literacy is consistently associated with electronic resource utilization, whereas the uniformly positive technology attitudes of respondents may have limited detection of interaction effects. The study highlights the need for sustained digital literacy training, user education, and institutional strategies to promote use of electronic resources, particularly OERs.