Digital Islamic Literacy and Self efficacy in Shaping Santri Religious Behavior: Mediating Attitudes Toward Technology and Moderating Pesantren Culture

Digital transformation in pesantren education presents challenges in integrating technology use with the development of santri religious behavior, particularly in ensuring alignment with Islamic values and pesantren culture. This study examines the effects of Islamic digital literacy and digital self-efficacy on santri religious behavior, considering attitudes toward technology as a mediating variable and pesantren culture as a moderating variable. A quantitative approach was employed through a survey involving 200 Madrasah Aliyah students residing in traditional and modern pesantren in Kudus Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Respondents were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling based on grade levels (X, XI, and XII) within each madrasah, with random selection following proportional allocation. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The findings reveal that Islamic digital literacy and digital self-efficacy have positive and significant effects on santri religious behavior. Both variables also significantly influence attitudes toward technology, which mediate the relationships between digital competencies and religious behavior. Furthermore, pesantren culture strengthens the relationship between attitudes toward technology and santri religious behavior. These findings indicate that religious behavior in digitally evolving educational environments depends not only on individual digital competencies but also on positive attitudes toward technology and institutional cultural values. The study concludes that managing digital transformation in Islamic education requires integrating digital competency development, positive technological attitudes, and the preservation of pesantren culture. Accordingly, pesantren administrators are encouraged to implement Islamic value-based digital literacy programs supported by institutional guidance and cultural reinforcement.