Digital literacy, including computer and information literacy (CIL) and computational thinking (CT), is vital for thriving in today's digitalized educational and career environments. To enhance digital literacy among K–12 students, it is crucial to explore factors influencing their ICT learning, including their perceptions of ICT and self-efficacy. This study examines the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between students' perceptions of societal values and risks associated with ICT and their achievement in CIL and CT. Using the ICILS 2018 U.S. sample dataset, we conducted a multilevel path analysis with ten plausible values to explore these relationships. The findings reveal that positive perceptions of ICT strongly predict higher CIL and CT achievement scores through the mediation of ICT self-efficacy. Self-efficacy related to the use of general applications explained 42% of the variation in CIL scores and 33% of the variation in CT scores. However, self-efficacy associated with specialist applications negatively predicted both outcomes. These results suggest that while general ICT self-efficacy facilitates academic achievement in digital literacy, overconfidence or challenges related to specialist applications may hinder performance. This study contributes to the growing body of research on digital literacy by highlighting the complex interplay between students' perceptions of ICT, their self-efficacy, and their academic outcomes. The findings provide actionable insights for designing educational practices, tools, and curricula that foster positive ICT perceptions and strengthen self-efficacy, thereby improving students' preparedness for the digital demands of the 21st century.
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Large-Scale Surveys in Education (Research Proposal)