Educators digital competence and students integrity in language education: Roles of self-efficacy and commitment

The landscape of language education is changing rapidly as technologies give learners greater leverage. This investigation explores the relationships between educators' digital competence, students' academic integrity, academic self-efficacy, and academic commitment. It also intends to discover the mediating roles of academic self-efficacy and academic commitment. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional research design and employing a parallel mediation analysis (Model 4), this paper surveyed 334 voluntary participants using a purposive sampling technique from a higher education institution in the Philippines with a structured research tool. The data gathering happened during the first semester of the academic year 2025-2026. Statistical analysis includes descriptive and inferential statistics, using SPSS 23, especially in the Process Macro model analysis. The investigation reveals that educators have a high digital competence. At the same time, students also reveal very high levels of academic integrity. The result also observed high academic self-efficacy and commitment among the students. Additionally, moderate to high correlations among these variables suggest interconnectedness within the educational context. The study also highlights significant indirect effects of digital competence on academic integrity via students' self-efficacy and commitment, underscoring the pivotal roles of students' beliefs and dedication in shaping ethical behavior. These results emphasize the reputation of fostering educators' digital skills and nurturing students' self-belief and commitment to uphold academic integrity in language education, promoting a positive learning environment conducive to academic success and ethical conduct.