Digital literacy is an essential component of learning in the 21st century. The objectives of this study were to identify the levels of digital literacy for learning among university students; examine the differences in students’ digital literacy for learning due to demographic variables; and investigate the relationship between digital literacy and student academic achievement. The quantitative method was utilized to answer the research questions. The sample consisted of 273 undergraduate students and 116 postgraduate students selected from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) -Gombak. The data analysis (i.e. Means, Standard Deviations, Frequencies and Percentages) of the levels of the five dimensions of the digital literacy for learning showed that the ‘data presentation skills’ dimension scored a high level. However, the other four dimensions (i.e. the information search skills, information retrieval skills, information interpretation skills, and information management skills) indicated moderate levels. The independent sample t-test results showed that there were statistically differences in the means scores for the five dimensions of digital literacy for learning due to the students’ level of study and degree. The Spearmen correlation analysis showed no statistically significant relationship between the levels of digital literacy and the student academic achievement. In conclusion, the findings of the study can motivate both teachers and students of IIUM to enhance their digital literacy skills to get better academic achievement.

This study was conducted in order to explore the “Risk for Learned Helplessness in Academic Setting” (RLHAS) at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) among its low academic achievers, who had scored CGPA of 2.3 or below. The aim of this study was to find out the differences in risk for learned helplessness in academic setting of students across their demographic characteristics such as Gender, Location, Kulliyyah, Family Income Level, Father’s and Mother’s Educational Levels. Further, efforts were made to find out the degree and directions of relationships between students’ risk for learned helplessness in academic setting and three adverse academic factors, namely Impact of Low Grades, Unfriendly Relationship of Lecturers with Students, and Negative Perception of Peers about the Academic Ability of Students, which were assumed to primarily affect cognitive immunity and psychological strength of students in an academic setting. The population of the study was 606 undergraduate low academic achievers from Gombak campus, IIUM. The sample of the study consisted of 118 randomly selected undergraduate low academic achievers from 2nd year to 4th year, 63 males (53.4%) and 55 females (46.6%), with the consent of Admission & Records Division, IIUM. The study used an inventory-based survey method for data collection. The instrument named the Perceived Causality of Academic Underachievement Scale (PCAUS) was employed to assess students’ levels of risk for learned helplessness in academic setting. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS computer software whereby means, standard deviations, Independent samples T-test, One-Way ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient were the statistical techniques used. The results indicated that among the respondents, 24.6% (n=29) were identified as students at ‘need attention’ level, 63.6% (n=75) were identified as students at ‘mild risk’ level, while only 11.9% (n=14) were identified as students at ‘high risk’ level for learned helplessness in academic setting. Hence, the majority of low academic achievers seemingly represented ‘mild risk’ level and remarkably, none of the students was identified at ‘acute risk’ level. The study further found that there were no significant differences in risk for academic learned helplessness across respondents’ demographic variables studied. The correlation coefficient analysis indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between students’ risk for learned helplessness in academic setting and impact of low grades and negative perception of peers. However, the correlation was not significant between students’ risk for learned helplessness in academic setting and unfriendly relationship of lecturers with students. The findings of the study, conclusions reached and its implications for educators and decision makers, limitations faced in addition to alternative research strategies and suggestions, recommendations needed for future research were discussed comprehensively.

The prevalence and importance of social media as a medium of communication, education and entertainment has raised concerns regarding their high usage and engagement among Malaysians, especially among school-aged students. Given the concerns, this study explores and profiles the social media engagement of young Malaysian teenagers and its association with their academic achievement. In addition, the study attempts to uncover significant differences, if any, among urban, suburban and rural secondary school students in engagement and academic achievement. The study adopts the ex-post facto survey research design with data collected from 451 young Malaysian teenagers aged between thirteen to seventeen years old using stratified and simple random sampling. Among the results are that most Malaysian teenagers use social media, particularly WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram, between one and six hours daily at all times throughout the week, especially before going to bed. Despite their frequent engagement, the teenagers do not perceive their social media use to have a negative impact on their academic and social activities. Pointing likely to a digital divide, urban and suburban teenagers engage significantly more in social media than their rural counterparts. However, a weak negative correlation characterizes the relationship between social media engagement and academic achievement, suggesting that increased engagement in these media is associated with decreased test scores and academic performance. Considering teenagers' attachment to and fondness of social media, the study recommends that teachers use these media for learning purposes and activities to reap optimum benefits from them.