How Digital Well-Being and Generative AI Achieve Student Academic Success and Sustainable Development Goals

Summary

This study finds that digital well-being and generative AI boost English as a Foreign language learning engagement, leading to better academic performance. Higher achievement increases awareness of sustainable development goals, linking educational technology to both scholastic and sustainability outcomes.

Abstract

This study examines how digital well-being and generative AI adoption contribute to English as a Foreign language (EFL) students' academic success and engagement with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using a quantitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 440 participants through validated scales measuring digital well-being, AI usage, learning engagement, academic performance, and SDG awareness. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships between these constructs while assessing the model's predictive validity and robustness. The findings reveal that both digital well-being and generative AI significantly enhance EFL learning engagement, which in turn drives academic success. Furthermore, academic achievement positively influences students' SDG awareness, highlighting the interconnectedness of digital education and sustainability outcomes. The study identifies learning engagement as a critical mediator between technology-enhanced learning and academic performance. These results underscore the importance of integrating digital wellness strategies and AI literacy into educational frameworks to foster both scholastic achievement and global citizenship. These are achieved by designing curricula and pedagogies that simultaneously teach students to manage their digital lives for effective learning, and equip them to leverage and critique advanced technologies to understand and act upon the world's most pressing challenges.

Introduction

In an era marked by rapid technological advancements, the integration of digital well-being and generative artificial intelligence (GAI) into education has emerged as a transformative force with far-reaching implications for student academic achievement and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)¹. While digital well-being focuses on promoting healthy technology usage to enhance cognitive and emotional balance, GAI introduces unprecedented opportunities for personalized learning², accessibility, and educational efficiency³. Nevertheless, as much as there is a developing line o....

Protocol

This study did not require formal ethical approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) as it involved anonymous surveys and/or interviews with participants who provided informed consent. No personal or sensitive data was collected, and all responses were treated confidentially for research purposes only. Participation was voluntary, and respondents were informed of the study's objectives before providing their input.

The study employed a quantitative, cross-sectional design to investigate the relationships among digital well-being, generative AI usage, and academic outcomes among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Data w....

Results

The results provide robust empirical support for the study's core hypotheses, confirming a significant sequential pathway where digital well-being and generative AI usage positively influence EFL learning engagement, which in turn drives academic success and subsequently fosters greater engagement with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, both digital well-being (β=0.32, p<0.001) and generative AI usage (β=0.28, p<0.001) had strong direct effects on learning engagement, explaining 41% of its variance.......

Discussion

Prior research has largely examined digital well-being, AI in education, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in isolation⁴⁷. A significant gap existed in understanding how personal digital competencies intersect with emerging technologies to drive not just scholastic outcomes, but also global citizenship. This study uniquely bridges these domains. We demonstrate that digital well-being (β = 0.32, p<0.001) and GAI adoption (β = 0.28, p<0.001) are significant, complemen.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Academic Success Scale	Adapted from Yu et al. (2010)	N/A	Survey Instrument
Blindfolding Procedure (for Q2)	SmartPLS	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
Bootstrapping Procedure	SmartPLS	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
Composite Reliability Assessment	SmartPLS	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
Correlation Matrix Analysis	IBM SPSS Statistics	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
Cronbach's Alpha Reliability Analysis	IBM SPSS Statistics	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
Data Storage System	Institutional IT	Secure Server	Equipment & Material
Descriptive Statistics Analysis	IBM SPSS Statistics	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
Digital Well-Being Scale	Arslankara et al. (2022)	N/A	Survey Instrument
EFL Learning Engagement Scale	Eerdemutu et al. (2024)	N/A	Survey Instrument
Fornell-Larcker Criterion Assessment	SmartPLS	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
Generative AI Usage Scale	Adapted from Abbas et al. (2024)	N/A	Survey Instrument
Heterotrait-Monotrait (HTMT) Ratio Assessment	SmartPLS	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
IBM SPSS Statistics	IBM	Version 27	Software
Informed Consent Documentation	Research Team	Electronic Form	Equipment & Material
Online Questionnaire	Research Team	Self-Administered	Equipment & Material
PLS Algorithm	SmartPLS	Internal Routine	Analytical Procedure
PLS-SEM Software	SmartPLS	Version 4.0	Software
SDG Awareness Scale	Adapted from Atmaca et al. (2019)	N/A	Survey Instrument
SmartPLS	SmartPLS GmbH	Version 4.0	Software