Exploring The Links Between Social Media Use and Political Self-Efficacy In Chinese College Students: Insights For Digital Pedagogy In Political Education

This study explores how Chinese college students use social media while examining their political self-efficacy levels to make recommendations about political-ideological education in China. Through a descriptive-correlational design, researchers studied 350 students to investigate their social media behavior and political individual belief scale. Research findings showed a positive medium-strength connection (r = 0.334, p < 0.01) between students’ time on social media and their belief in their political capabilities. Students from both groups used social media more often but different age groups expressed higher political self-confidence. Student participation on WeChat and TikTok social media produced greater political self-confidence when they carried out political activism events including campaigning and electoral participation. Politic-ideological education in China stresses civic responsibility and socialist values so the inclusion of social media in the curriculum delivers benefits to student political efficacy. The suggested curriculum implementation plan starts from teaching political basics advances to virtual advocacy programming alongside community service projects. The paper presents specialized instructional approaches because it targets youth students with game-based lessons while targeting high school students with policy simulation activities. Social media needs ethical guidelines developed through the collaboration between educational institutions, political leadership and protective application monitoring for political learning. Chinese education students employ digital technology platforms to revolutionize their political interest levels and citizen participation rates according to research data