The effects of digital literacy on digital self-efficacy and career preparation behavior of tourism-majoring university students: the moderating effect of ICT importance perception level

Key Points

• The aim is to explore the structural relationship between digital literacy, digital self-efficacy, and career preparation behavior among tourism-majoring university students.
• Survey conducted with 300 tourism students from four-year colleges in South Korea.
• Data analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.
• Examined the moderating effect of ICT importance perception on the relationship between digital self-efficacy and career preparation behavior.
• Sub-factors of digital literacy positively impact digital self-efficacy, with significant effects from adaptability, basic ICT skills, and job application abilities.
• Digital self-efficacy positively influences career preparation behavior, indicating belief in digital skills drives practical career actions.
• A significant moderating effect of ICT importance perception on the relationship between digital self-efficacy and career preparation behavior was confirmed.