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Features of Measuring Soft Skills in a Saturated Digital Environment: Exploring the Relationship between Cognitive Control and Digital Literacy at the Individual Level

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Title: Features of Measuring Soft Skills in a Saturated Digital Environment: Exploring the Relationship between Cognitive Control and Digital Literacy at the Individual Level
Language: English
Authors: Ksenia V. Tarasova (ORCID 0000-0002-3915-3165), Tatiana A. Kustova (ORCID 0000-0001-8314-076X), Anna V. Popova (ORCID 0000-0002-1736-6784), Evgeniy G. Machnev (ORCID 0009-0004-3881-6029)
Source: British Educational Research Journal. 2026 52(2):1492-1511.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools
Middle Schools
Secondary Education
Descriptors: Soft Skills, Electronic Learning, Middle School Students, Foreign Countries, Cognitive Processes, Executive Function, Adolescents, Digital Literacy, Item Response Theory, Accuracy, Cognitive Measurement, Language Processing, Verbal Ability, Spatial Ability, Computation, Attention Control, Inhibition
Geographic Terms: Russia
DOI: 10.1002/berj.70083
ISSN: 0141-1926
1469-3518
Abstract: This study investigates the association between adolescents' digital literacy (DL) and cognitive control using ecologically valid, scenario-based tasks developed within an evidence-centred design (ECD) framework alongside a modified Stroop-like verbal-spatial test. The research was conducted at scale with 2860 students in years 7-8 (aged 13-14) from 102 schools across four regions of the Russian Federation, as part of a school-based administration. DL was assessed with performance tasks emulating authentic digital activities; scores were analysed in the Rasch framework. Cognitive control was indexed by response correctness speed (RCS) -- a composite of accuracy and time -- from incongruent trials of the verbal-spatial test. Associations between RCS and DL (overall and subconstruct scores) were estimated using Spearman's ρ with 10,000-iteration permutation tests and Bonferroni adjustment. Overall, DL showed a significant positive correlation with cognitive control (ρ = 0.407, pBonf <0.01). Stronger correlations were observed for cognitively demanding subconstructs -- computational literacy and information creation -- followed by information analysis and search, whereas weaker or non-significant relationships were found for domains reflecting procedural or socio-normative knowledge (e.g., digital security, digital communication). These results indicate that executive functions selectively underpin DL performance under realistic cognitive demands, supporting the use of scenario-based, process-sensitive assessments for both measurement and instruction. The findings have implications for the design of DL assessments that minimize construct-irrelevant variance and for pedagogies that combine explicit digital strategies with the fostering of attentional regulation and inhibitory control.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1502683
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Features of Measuring Soft Skills in a Saturated Digital Environment: Exploring the Relationship between Cognitive Control and Digital Literacy at the Individual Level
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  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Ksenia+V%2E+Tarasova%22&quot;&gt;Ksenia V. Tarasova&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3915-3165&quot;&gt;0000-0002-3915-3165&lt;/externalLink&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Tatiana+A%2E+Kustova%22&quot;&gt;Tatiana A. Kustova&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8314-076X&quot;&gt;0000-0001-8314-076X&lt;/externalLink&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Anna+V%2E+Popova%22&quot;&gt;Anna V. Popova&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1736-6784&quot;&gt;0000-0002-1736-6784&lt;/externalLink&gt;)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AR&quot; term=&quot;%22Evgeniy+G%2E+Machnev%22&quot;&gt;Evgeniy G. Machnev&lt;/searchLink&gt; (ORCID &lt;externalLink term=&quot;https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3881-6029&quot;&gt;0009-0004-3881-6029&lt;/externalLink&gt;)
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: 10.1002/berj.70083
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  Data: 0141-1926&lt;br /&gt;1469-3518
– Name: Abstract
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  Data: This study investigates the association between adolescents&#39; digital literacy (DL) and cognitive control using ecologically valid, scenario-based tasks developed within an evidence-centred design (ECD) framework alongside a modified Stroop-like verbal-spatial test. The research was conducted at scale with 2860 students in years 7-8 (aged 13-14) from 102 schools across four regions of the Russian Federation, as part of a school-based administration. DL was assessed with performance tasks emulating authentic digital activities; scores were analysed in the Rasch framework. Cognitive control was indexed by response correctness speed (RCS) -- a composite of accuracy and time -- from incongruent trials of the verbal-spatial test. Associations between RCS and DL (overall and subconstruct scores) were estimated using Spearman&#39;s ρ with 10,000-iteration permutation tests and Bonferroni adjustment. Overall, DL showed a significant positive correlation with cognitive control (ρ = 0.407, pBonf &lt;0.01). Stronger correlations were observed for cognitively demanding subconstructs -- computational literacy and information creation -- followed by information analysis and search, whereas weaker or non-significant relationships were found for domains reflecting procedural or socio-normative knowledge (e.g., digital security, digital communication). These results indicate that executive functions selectively underpin DL performance under realistic cognitive demands, supporting the use of scenario-based, process-sensitive assessments for both measurement and instruction. The findings have implications for the design of DL assessments that minimize construct-irrelevant variance and for pedagogies that combine explicit digital strategies with the fostering of attentional regulation and inhibitory control.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1502683
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      – SubjectFull: Soft Skills
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electronic Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Middle School Students
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      – SubjectFull: Russia
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