How is digital literacy related to self-efficacy beliefs? The mediating role of motivation toward web-based professional development

Pre-service teachers' digital literacy skills are a crucial competency area that impacts both their professional development and self-efficacy. This study examines the mediating role of motivation for web-based professional development in the relationship between pre-service primary teachers' digital literacy levels and their self-efficacy beliefs. In this study, relational scanning was employed to examine relationships among variables, and a structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the mediation model. A total of 412 pre-service primary teachers from ten different universities participated in the study. Data were collected using the Digital Literacy Scale (DL), the Motivation Toward Web-Based Professional Development Scale (MWPD), and the Self-Efficacy Belief Scale (SEB). According to the research findings, there are positive and significant relationships among digital literacy, motivation for web-based professional development, and self-efficacy. As pre-service teachers' digital literacy levels increased, their self-efficacy beliefs also increased positively. An important finding of the study is that motivation toward web-based professional development mediates the relationship between digital literacy and self-efficacy beliefs. These findings highlight the role of web-based professional development in relation to pre-service teachers' self-efficacy and digital literacy in pre-service education.