Digital Technology Use and Self-Regulated Learning Among Elementary School Students: The Mediating Role of Digital Distraction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30605/cjpe.9.4.2026.9598Keywords:
Digital Technology Use, Digital Distraction, Self-Regulated Learning, Elementary School StudentsAbstract
The urgency of this study lies in understanding how digital technology use affects elementary school students’ self-regulated learning, particularly through digital distraction, which may hinder their ability to learn independently. The use of digital technology in elementary education provides opportunities to expand access to learning resources, but it may also cause digital distraction that interferes with students’ learning processes. This study aimed to examine the relationship between digital technology use, digital distraction, and self-regulated learning, as well as the mediating role of digital distraction among fifth-grade students at SD Negeri 5 Padangpanjang. A quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design was employed. The participants were 62 fifth-grade students, consisting of 26 male and 36 female students. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, regression analysis, and mediation analysis using PROCESS Macro Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap samples. The results showed a significant positive relationship between digital technology use and digital distraction (r = 0.370; p < 0.01), while digital distraction was significantly negatively related to self-regulated learning (r = -0.354; p < 0.01). The indirect effect of digital technology use on self-regulated learning through digital distraction was -0.160, with a 95% confidence interval of [-0.281, -0.054]. Since the confidence interval did not include zero, digital distraction significantly mediated the relationship between digital technology use and self-regulated learning. These findings highlight the importance of guiding students in using digital technology to maintain attention and strengthen their self-regulated learning skills.
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