Digital Technology Use, Cognitive Engagement and Perceived Learning Effectiveness Among Adult Learners in Non-Formal Education in Uzbekistan

Abstract Although digital technologies are increasingly embedded in adult education policy, evidence from post-Soviet Central Asia remains scarce. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examined how digital technology use relates to two proximal indicators of learning processes – cognitive engagement and perceived learning effectiveness – among adults in non-formal education programmes in Uzbekistan. Survey data from 312 learners nested in 26 programmes across three provinces were analysed with two-level random-intercept models, followed by semi-structured interviews with 22 learners and two facilitators, analysed through reflexive thematic analysis. After adjustment for age, gender, educational attainment, urban–rural location and programme type, digital technology use was positively associated with cognitive engagement (β = .38, 95% CI [.27, .49]) and perceived learning effectiveness (β = .35, 95% CI [.24, .46]). Between 17% and 18% of the variance in each outcome lay at the programme level. Four qualitative themes – socially produced digital self-efficacy, peer-mediated learning, institutional culture and structural barriers – helped to explain these patterns. Interpreted through self-directed learning theory and the capability approach, the findings suggest that the educational value of digital tools depends on the social and institutional conditions in which adults use them. The cross-sectional design and reliance on self-report preclude causal inference.