INVESTIGATING INFORMATION BEHAVIOR AND SELF-REGULATION AS PSYCHOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF DIGITAL CULTURE FORMATION IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

This study theoretically and empirically investigates the socio-psychological and pedagogical mechanisms of developing digital culture among higher education students, focusing on information behavior and self-regulation processes. The theoretical framework synthesizes classical psychological theories (J. Piaget, L.S. Vygotsky, S.L. Rubinstein, C.G. Jung) alongside modern cyberpsychological models. An empirical investigation ($N = 180$) was conducted to evaluate the statistical relationships between students' critical thinking, self-regulation capacities, and digital hygiene skills using Pearson correlation analysis. The findings indicate strong positive correlations between general self-regulation and digital hygiene ($r = 0.64, p < 0.01$), as well as between critical thinking and information filtering capabilities ($r = 0.51, p < 0.01$). Based on these empirical insights, practical psychological and pedagogical recommendations are proposed to foster digital culture within academic environments.