Social development level, digital literacy, problematic social network use and online collaborative learning in higher vocational medical students: mediating and moderating effects

Grounded in Cognitive Strategy Theory and Compensatory Media Theory, this study investigates the mechanisms linking social development level to online collaborative learning among vocational medical students. It examines the parallel mediating roles of digital literacy and problematic social network use, alongside the moderating role of gender. A survey of 3,429 Chinese vocational medical students supported the hypothesized model. The results revealed that social development level positively predicted online collaborative learning. Furthermore, digital literacy mediated this relationship positively, whereas problematic social network use mediated it negatively, with the former effect being substantially stronger. Gender significantly moderated the indirect effect via digital literacy, with a stronger positive mediation observed among male students; however, no significant moderation was found for the pathway through problematic social network use. The findings provide an integrated theoretical account of the dual pathways shaping online collaborative learning and offer practical guidance for developing targeted educational interventions.