THE DIGITAL LITERACY PARADOX IN HIGHER EDUCATION: CULTURAL ATTITUDES, TECHNOLOGICAL ACCESS, AND EDUCATIONAL EQUITY IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of digital literacy (DL), technology access (TA) and cultural attitudes (CA) on education equity (EE) with the mediating role of digital platforms usefulness (DPU). The population of this study were students and teachers in higher education institutes. Using the purposive sampling technique, this study collected a sample of 395 respondents from Asia, Africa, Europe and North Africa. For statistical analysis, the study used JASP Statistical Analysis tool that is an open-source programs for regression analysis. The study found that DL, TA and CA have a significant impact on DPU. The study also reported the significant effect of TA and CA on EE, while it reported an insignificant impact of DL on EE. However, the study confirmed a significant mediating role of DPU for the impact of DL, TA and CA on EE. The study has theoretical as well as practical implications for Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.