Digital technology incorporation into higher education has greatly influenced how undergraduate students search for, access, evaluate and communicate information. While digital learning makes it possible for students to have unlimited access to educational resources, educational benefits of digital learning largely depend on students\" usage of digital tools during learning process. In this paper, I examine the relationship between digital learning behavior and critical thinking among undergraduate students. Quantitative survey research methodology was utilized in this research using 50 undergraduate students. Data collection was done using a structured questionnaire which measured digital learning behavior and critical thinking behavior using five-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics was applied to investigate patterns in digital learning behaviors and critical thinking while Pearson correlation and simple linear regression were utilized to determine the relationship between digital learning behaviors and critical thinking. Illustrative results revealed mean score of 3.82 (SD = 0.61) for digital learning behavior and mean score of 3.74 (SD = 0.58) for critical thinking. Analysis through Pearson correlation revealed positive relationship (r = 0.680) suggesting moderate strong relationship between the two variables. Regression analysis resulted into R² = 0.462 implying that 46.2% variance in critical thinking was explained by digital learning behaviors. The results indicate that the constructive use of digital learning strategies, such as source credibility assessment, information comparison, engagement in scholarly discourse, and problem-solving through digital resources, correlate with more critical-thinking behavior. The conclusions drawn from the analysis of the results show that the analytical use of digital resources is indispensable to critical thinking development.
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Digital Learning, Digital Learning Habits, Critical Thinking, Undergraduate Students, Digital Competence, Higher Education, Educational Technology, Survey Research.
