Serial mediation of civic competence digital ethics awareness and attitudes on digital citizenship literacy in Indonesian pancasila elementary education

This study investigates how Pancasila-based education develops digital citizenship literacy through the serial mediation of civic competence, digital ethics awareness, and attitudes toward digital citizenship among Indonesian elementary school students. An explanatory quantitative design was employed with 312 students in Grades IV, V, and VI from public and private schools in Semarang, Indonesia. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results confirm that digital citizenship literacy develops through a structured sequential mechanism initiated by values-based education. The findings demonstrate that Pancasila-based education strengthens civic competence, which subsequently heightens digital ethics awareness. This ethical awareness then shapes positive attitudes toward digital citizenship, which serves as the primary driver for digital citizenship literacy. Notably, the study identifies a significant serial mediation pathway, suggesting that values-based education influences behavioral outcomes through a progression of cognitive, ethical, and attitudinal transformations. These results underscore the importance of integrating national ideological values with digital literacy curricula, providing a robust theoretical framework that combines civic education, moral development, and the theory of planned behavior. This research offers a strategic roadmap for character-based digital education, shifting the focus from purely technical skills to a value-driven paradigm in primary education. This study’s primary contribution lies in validating a serial mediation model in which civic competence, digital ethics awareness, and attitudes toward digital citizenship sequentially channel the influence of Pancasila-based education on digital citizenship literacy; although the direct effects of digital ethics awareness and Pancasila-based education on their respective outcomes are statistically significant, the serial mediation pathway constitutes the dominant mechanism.