Digital Reading Strategies and EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension in Digital Classrooms: The Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Motivation

Abstract

With the rapid integration of digital technologies into higher education, EFL learners’ reading practices have undergone profound transformations. This study investigates the relationship between digital reading strategies (cognitive, metacognitive, digital navigation) and reading comprehension (literal, inferential, evaluative) among 508 undergraduate EFL students in Shijiazhuang, China, with self-efficacy and motivation as mediators. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for quantitative data and thematic analysis for qualitative interview data. Quantitative results revealed that digital reading strategies had a significant direct effect on reading comprehension (β=0.277, p<0.001) and indirectly influenced comprehension through self-efficacy (indirect effect=0.078, p<0.001) and motivation (indirect effect=0.066, p<0.001). Cognitive and metacognitive strategies contributed more to comprehension than digital navigation strategies, while cognitive and performance-driven motivation emerged as stronger mediators than strategic motivation. Gender, age, and academic year significantly moderated the relationships between constructs, with males, younger students (<20 years), and Year 1 students deriving greater benefits from strategy use. Qualitative findings confirmed that students perceive self-efficacy as a confidence booster and motivation as a driver of strategic engagement. This study contributes to digital literacy scholarship by validating mediation mechanisms in EFL contexts and offers practical implications for enhancing digital reading instruction.