The Mediating Effect of Task Difficulty Preference on the Relationship Between Digital Literacy and Learning Engagement: Focusing on University Students at J University

This study was conducted to find ways to improve college students' learning engagement by confirming the impact of college students' digital literacy on learning engagement in the digital learning environment of universities spread by COVID-19 and verifying whether college students' task difficulty preference characteristics mediate the relationship between them. A survey was conducted among students at J university of Korea, and 203 responses were collected and analyzed using SPSS 22.0, a statistical analysis program. The results of the study showed that, first, university students' digital literacy, measured by their ability to use digital tools and their ability to learn using digital tools, had a significant positive effect on learning engagement, and all subfactors of learning engagement (cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, and behavioral engagement) had a significant positive effect. Second, digital literacy had a significant positive effect on university students' task difficulty preference, and task difficulty preference had a significant positive effect on learning engagement. Third, it was found that university students' task difficulty preferences partially mediated the relationship between digital literacy and learning engagement. The findings of this study are significant in that they demonstrate not only that digital literacy is a direct and effective means of enhancing learning engagement in an increasingly digital educational environment, but also that it indirectly promotes learning engagement by increasing students' preference for task difficulty, thereby reinforcing their academic involvement.