University students’ acceptance of digital literacy in Malaysia: the influence of students’ innovativeness and technological factors

Purpose The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors that influence the acceptance of digital literacy among university students by extending the technology acceptance model (TAM). Design/methodology/approach Convenience sampling was used to conduct the survey. In addition, over 240 responses were obtained from students at a higher education institution based in the federal territory of Labuan, namely Labuan Faculty of International Finance, International Campus Labuan, University Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia. Similarly, literature on the determinants of digital literacy acceptance and TAM was reviewed to identify the factors instrumental in the adoption of digital literacy practices. The authors used the following three software programs for analysis, model drawing and SEM results: SPSS, AMOS, v.27, and SmartPLS, v.4.0. Findings The study’s findings show that Digital literacy acceptance is influenced by factors such as students’ innovativeness, technology self-efficacy (TS), perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived simplicity (S). Above all, the TS factor has been identified to have an impact on students’ adoption of digital literacy platforms. Research limitations/implications This study contributed not only to theoretical extensions but also to practical implications that would benefit policymakers and higher education providers regarding the acceptance of the digital literacy platform in the country. Practical implications This study not only contributed to the theoretical extensions but also to practical implications, which would benefit the policymakers of higher education providers in terms of digital literacy platform acceptance in the country. Originality/value The TAM model is assessed in conjunction with other factors, such as S, TS and students’ innovativeness. Thus, academicians, administrators in higher education and future scholars will find this work to be a helpful reference tool.