The impact of digital literacy on university students' innovation capability: evidence from Ningbo, China

Digital literacy has become a necessary basic ability for university students and has profoundly influenced their learning attitudes and behavior. This study aims to explore the direct effects of digital literacy on innovation capability among university students and whether it varies with students' personal characteristics.

This study developed new scales to measure the digital literacy and innovation capability of university students. Data was collected from 12 universities in Ningbo, China (N = 1,334) through a self-report questionnaire and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

The findings showed that digital literacy positively correlated with university students' innovation capability (β = 0.76, p < 0.001). Significant differences in digital literacy and innovation capability were found among university students with different educational backgrounds, academic disciplines, types of institutions, and training experiences, but no gender differences were observed.

University students with better digital literacy tend to be more innovative. The study suggests that higher education institutions should emerge from the traditional concept of curriculum systems, accelerate the construction of a digital literacy cultivation ecosystem considering different personal characteristics, and stimulate the innovation drive of university students.