Statistics 29. Findings indicate that while students exhibit moderate overall digital literacy (M = 3.47, SD =

0.61), their engagement with institutional e-resources remains limited (M = 2.96). All four literacy dimensions

correlated positively with library engagement (p < .01); however, information literacy emerged as the strongest

predictor (β = 0.48, p < .001), followed by problem solving (β = 0.24) and critical thinking (β = 0.19). The results

highlight a perception–practice gap: students overestimate their abilities yet underuse scholarly databases. The

study affirms that higher-order cognitive and evaluative skills are central to effective digital participation and

recommends integrating structured literacy modules, gamified tutorials, and peer-mentoring initiatives to

strengthen Malaysia’s digital-competency agenda.

Keywords— Academic-library engagement, Digital literacy, Generation Z, Higher education, Information

Literacy, Malaysia

vital indicator of institutional quality (Carretero et al., 2017; Meyers et al., 2013). Beyond technical proficiency,

digital literacy incorporates higher-order cognitive and socio-ethical capacities, positioning it as an essential skill

for lifelong learning, critical scholarship, and innovation.

For members of Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012), technology is deeply embedded in everyday life.

They are often labelled “digital natives,” presumed to possess intuitive command over digital tools. However,

empirical studies have challenged this assumption. Research from various regions demonstrates that while Gen

Z students excel in multitasking and online communication, they frequently struggle with evaluating information

quality, synthesising evidence, and engaging in academic discourse (Giunta, 2017; Wilson, 2024). This paradox

between technological fluency and academic literacy underscores an urgent need for institutions to cultivate

students’ evaluative and reflective capabilities.

scholarly resources (Hamizak & Uzir, 2024). Students’ use of technology remains largely entertainment- or

communication-oriented, with insufficient emphasis on academic or research purposes.

Private universities, which primarily serve urban, middle-income learners, often feature more advanced digital

ecosystems—including subscription databases, AI-assisted discovery tools, and high-speed connectivity—than

public institutions. Yet librarians at these universities report a steady decline in database utilisation even among

digitally confident students. This paradox prompts a central pedagogical question: Does the mere availability of

technology translate into meaningful scholarly engagement with information? Addressing this question is at the

heart of the present study.

While digital infrastructures have expanded rapidly, the critical and scholarly use of these technologies by

2023). Although institutional libraries provide access to high-quality databases and digital repositories, usage

statistics show persistent under-utilisation (Azhari & Wong, 2019; Jusoh et al., 2022). Students continue to

prioritise quick web searches and social-media resources over peer-reviewed literature, indicating that ease of

access does not equate to information discernment (Lim, 2022; Wilson, 2024).

Within Malaysia, empirical evidence linking specific dimensions of digital literacy to academic-library

engagement remains limited, especially in private-university settings. Understanding these relationships is

crucial to designing effective curricula, targeted library interventions, and national strategies for digital-

competency development. Hence, this study seeks to close this empirical gap by analysing how particular

dimensions of digital literacy influence Generation Z students’ academic-library engagement.

Collectively, these objectives aim to generate empirical evidence that can inform curriculum design, library

instruction, and policy development aligned with Malaysia’s goal of nurturing digitally competent and critically

literate graduates.

The notion of digital literacy has evolved substantially from its early technical orientation to a multidimensional

construct encompassing cognitive, social, and ethical dimensions. Gilster (1997) first defined it as “the ability to

al., 2013).

Bawden (2008) described digital literacy as a synthesis of information, media, and ICT literacies that collectively

enable users to manage information overload in complex digital ecosystems. Ng (2012) further articulated three

interrelated dimensions—technical, cognitive, and socio-emotional—arguing that the latter two are decisive for

deep learning. Contemporary frameworks such as the European Commission’s DigComp 2.2 (Carretero et al.,

2017) operationalise digital literacy into five core domains: information and data literacy, communication and

collaboration, digital-content creation, safety, and problem solving. These domains stress the integrated nature

of digital competence, bridging technology use with critical reasoning and ethical behaviour.

Although these global frameworks offer strong frameworks, there is a growing demand among scholars for

culturally responsive frameworks that place digital literacy in particular socio-economic and educational contexts

Furthermore, the Big6 Information-Literacy Model (Eisenberg & Berkowitz, 2003) complements DigComp by

emphasising process. It delineates six iterative stages—task definition, information seeking, location and access,

use, synthesis, and evaluation—reflecting how learners progress from recognising an information need to

evaluating outcomes. Together, DigComp and Big6 demonstrate that effective digital engagement requires a

fusion of procedural skill and critical awareness. They form the theoretical anchor for this study’s

operationalisation of digital-literacy dimensions in academic settings.

Information-seeking-behaviour (ISB) theories provide behavioural insight into how individuals locate and use

information. Wilson (1999) proposed that information behaviour results from perceived needs shaped by

personal, social, and environmental contexts. His model identifies activating mechanisms—such as motivation

or barriers—that influence information seeking and use. Ellis (2005) supplemented this with a behavioural

taxonomy comprising starting, chaining, browsing, differentiating, monitoring, and verifying. These activities

theories underpin the present study’s assumption that digital literacy mediates between environmental

affordances (e.g., databases) and behavioural outcomes (e.g., frequency of academic-library engagement).

Global empirical research consistently identifies a paradox among Generation Z learners—widespread digital

exposure coexisting with shallow academic engagement. In technologically advanced contexts such as the United

States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, students often display high operational proficiency yet limited

evaluative judgment. Wilson (2024) reported that American employees under 25 demonstrated strong teamwork

and communication abilities but weak discernment of credible information. Likewise, Ng (2012) observed that

European findings mirror these tendencies. Giunta (2017) and Parkes et al. (2021) noted that although students

in high-income settings possess near-universal internet access, many still engage in surface-level searching and

demonstrate minimal ethical reflection when citing sources. These studies reveal that even in resource-rich

educational systems, digital literacy cannot be assumed; it must be cultivated through explicit, scaffolded

learning.

Across Southeast Asia, governments have elevated digital literacy as a strategic educational priority. Initiatives

such as Thailand’s Digital Literacy for Education Framework and the Philippines’ Digital Learner Competency

Model illustrate sustained policy commitment to embedding digital competencies in tertiary curricula (Sirisak &

Suwannaphim, 2023; Aguilar et al., 2020). Empirical assessments show that structured literacy interventions—

such as librarian-led workshops, gamified tutorials, and peer-learning modules—significantly improve students’

confidence and information-evaluation skills.

Nevertheless, regional progress remains uneven. Limilia et al. (2022) and Puspitasari et al. (2024) found that

Indonesian undergraduates demonstrate strong social-media fluency but limited evaluative competence, often

prioritizing accessibility over credibility. Similarly, Sirisak and Suwannaphim (2023) reported that introducing

literacies.

to reduce non-response bias. The response rate exceeded 80 percent of distributed invitations, reflecting strong

student interest and accessibility.

Data screening involved three stages:

3. Multiple linear regression identified the relative contribution of each predictor variable—information

All statistical assumptions were examined: normality (skewness ±1), linearity, homoscedasticity, and

multicollinearity (VIF < 2.5; Hair et al., 2020). Significance was established at p < 0.05. To enhance

interpretability, effect sizes were calculated using adjusted R² values and standardised β coefficients. Findings

were then interpreted in relation to the theoretical model (Big6 + DigComp + Bloom) and the study’s objectives.

This rigorous analytical protocol ensured reliability, transparency, and replicability—key hallmarks of positivist

study adhered to Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2010, the UiTM Research Integrity and Ethics

Framework (2022) guidelines. These measures ensured compliance with international research-ethics standards

for transparency, data protection, and participant welfare.

The descriptive analysis revealed that students reported a moderate overall level of digital literacy (M = 3.47,

SD = 0.61). Among the four literacy dimensions, information literacy recorded the highest mean score (M =

engage in scholarly discourse online.

= 0.71). Only 27 percent accessed e-resources weekly, while 41 percent relied mainly on Google Scholar or

open-web platforms. This pattern indicates that despite possessing moderate literacy skills, students’ academic

application of these skills remains limited.

Pearson’s correlation results showed strong, positive, and significant relationships between all four digital-

literacy dimensions and academic-library engagement (p < 0.01). The correlation coefficients were as follows:

information literacy (r = .93), problem solving (r = .81), critical thinking (r = .76), and digital communication (r

= .64). Information literacy exhibited the strongest association, underscoring its centrality in shaping library

engagement. These findings align with prior research by Salubi et al. (2018) and Rafi et al. (2019), who found

that the ability to evaluate and synthesise information is the most consistent predictor of effective academic-

variables were controlled.

These results confirm the theoretical expectation that higher-order cognitive competencies exert greater influence

on behavioural engagement than do technical or communicative abilities alone. The adjusted R² of 0.57 indicates

a large effect size (Cohen, 1988), demonstrating that literacy dimensions substantially account for variations in

students’ digital-library utilisation.

The findings demonstrate that while Generation Z students at the studied Malaysian private university possess

moderate to high digital proficiency, their engagement with academic-library systems remains limited. The

strong correlations among all four literacy dimensions indicate that digital-literacy skills function synergistically

rather than in isolation. The prominence of information literacy as the strongest predictor reinforces the

theoretical propositions of the Big6 Model and complements DigComp’s emphasis on information and data

literacy as foundational competences for effective digital participation.

more generously-furnished library systems or a more positive focus on English-language digital resources) could

have affected both the perceived literacy of the students and actually their particular library use patterns. This

solidifies the necessity of the comparative research which was already proposed in the limitations.

open-web content.

However, the study also revealed a clear discrepancy between students’ self-assessed information-search abilities

Conversely, students with lower critical-thinking competence often selected the first available results, reflecting

surface-level search behaviours consistent with McGrew et al. (2018).

Problem-solving competence, meanwhile, facilitated persistence in the face of technological barriers. Students

who actively sought assistance from librarians or peers demonstrated higher overall engagement. These results

affirm the procedural logic of the Big6 Model, wherein problem-solving and evaluation occur as iterative stages

of the information process, reinforcing cognitive and behavioural engagement with academic systems.

suggests that library services need to integrate communication tools—such as live chat, social networking

extensions, or collaborative annotation systems—to bridge social and academic communication spaces.

The correlation coefficients ranging from .64 to .93 highlight the interrelated nature of digital-literacy

competencies. Information literacy and critical thinking form the cognitive foundation, while communication

and problem-solving represent the applied and adaptive aspects of literacy. Improvement in one area often

enhances performance in others. For example, better search and evaluation skills can strengthen critical

reasoning, while reflective thinking can improve ethical information use. These interdependencies support

Carretero et al.’s (2017) interpretation of digital competence as a holistic construct integrating knowledge, skills,