Digital Literacy and Digital Training Effects on Employee Performance: Work Motivation as a Mediator
Keywords:
Digital Literacy, Digital Training, Work Motivation, Employee Performance, Public Sector
Abstract
Digital transformation requires public employees to combine technical capability with the motivation to apply it, yet evidence on whether digital training improves performance remains inconsistent. This study examines the direct effects of digital literacy, digital training, and work motivation on employee performance and tests work motivation as a mediator in a local government revenue agency. Positioned within the ability-motivation-opportunity framework, the study used an explanatory cross-sectional design and a census of 40 employees at the Regional Revenue Agency of Hulu Sungai Utara Regency, Indonesia. Employees self-reported digital literacy, digital training, and work motivation, whereas the agency head rated employee performance. Reflective measures were assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling in SmartPLS 4. Digital literacy predicted performance (beta = .494, p < .001) and motivation (beta = .649, p < .001); motivation predicted performance (beta = .401, p = .006); and digital training predicted motivation (beta = .301, p = .003) but not performance (beta = -.016, p = .889). Motivation partially mediated the digital literacy-performance relationship (beta = .260, p = .004) but not the training-performance relationship. The findings identify digital literacy as the more immediate performance capability and suggest that training requires stronger job alignment and transfer opportunities to influence performance.
References
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Al-Kharabsheh, S. A., Attiany, M. S., Alshawabkeh, R. O. K., Hamadneh, S., & Alshurideh, M. T. (2023). The impact of digital HRM on employee performance through employee motivation. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 7(1), 275-282. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2022.10.006
Appelbaum, E., Bailey, T., Berg, P., & Kalleberg, A. L. (2000). Manufacturing advantage: Why high-performance work systems pay off. Cornell University Press.
Baldwin, T. T., & Ford, J. K. (1988). Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research. Personnel Psychology, 41(1), 63-105.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Becker, G. S. (1993). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education (3rd ed.). University of Chicago Press.
Bernardin, H. J., & Russell, J. E. A. (2013). Human resource management: An experiential approach (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Bos-Nehles, A., Townsend, K., Cafferkey, K., & Trullen, J. (2023). Examining the ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO) framework in HRM research: Conceptualization, measurement and interactions. International Journal of Management Reviews, 1-15.
Cantarelli, P., Belle, N., & Belardinelli, P. (2020). Behavioral public HR: Experimental evidence on cognitive biases and debiasing interventions. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 40(1), 56-81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X18778090
Caroline, A., Coun, M. J. H., Gunawan, A., & Stoffers, J. (2024). A systematic literature review on digital literacy, employability, and innovative work behavior: Emphasizing the contextual approaches in HRM research. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1448555
Dao, T. H. A., Sisavath, C., Bui, H. T. T., Bui, T. Q., & Le, T. H. (2025). Digital workforce training, employee motivation, job satisfaction, digital behavior as determinants of employee performance: Empirical research from Vietnam. SAGE Open, 15(4), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440251395698
Dessler, G. (2020). Human resource management (16th ed.). Pearson Education.
Dhaniswara, A. S., Susita, D., & Wahono, P. (2024). The influence of digital competence and knowledge sharing on employee performance with work motivation as an intervening variable. Sinomics Journal, 3(1), 59-74. https://doi.org/10.54443/sj.v3i1.283
Eshet-Alkalai, Y. (2004). Digital literacy: A conceptual framework for survival skills in the digital era. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13(1), 93-106.
Ferrari, A. (2013). DIGCOMP: A framework for developing and understanding digital competence in Europe. Publications Office of the European Union.
Ginoga, V., & Suhairi, S. (2024). Pengaruh literasi digital terhadap kinerja tenaga kependidikan pada Universitas Lamappapoleonro. Jurnal Ilmiah Metansi (Manajemen dan Akuntansi), 7(1), 171-178. https://doi.org/10.57093/metansi.v7i1.308
Herlambang, V. B., & Harsiwi, T. A. M. (2025). The mediation effect of employee motivation on the influence of digital training and digital performance assessment on employee performance. Sibatik Journal, 4(10), 3161-3178. https://doi.org/10.54443/sibatik.v4i10.3336
Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., & Snyderman, B. B. (1959). The motivation to work. John Wiley & Sons.
Kirkpatrick, D. L. (1994). Evaluating training programs: The four levels. Berrett-Koehler.
Nikou, S., De Reuver, M., & Mahboob Kanafi, M. (2022). Workplace literacy skills: How information and digital literacy affect adoption of digital technology. Journal of Documentation, 78(7), 371-391. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-12-2021-0241
Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2017). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Nusraningrum, D., Rahmawati, A., Wider, W., Jiang, L., & Udang, L. N. (2024). Enhancing employee performance through motivation: The mediating roles of green work environments and engagement in Jakarta’s logistics sector. Frontiers in Sociology, 9, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1392229
Oladimeji, K. A., Abdulkareem, A. K., & Adejumo, A. (2024). From tech skills to performance gains: How digital literacy drives productivity improvements in the public sector. Institutiones Administrationis, 4(1), 56-73. https://doi.org/10.54201/iajas.v4i1.93
Riyanto, S., Endri, E., & Herlisha, N. (2021). Effect of work motivation and job satisfaction on employee performance: Mediating role of employee engagement. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 19(3), 162-174. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(3).2021.14
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2019). Organizational behavior (18th ed.). Pearson Education.
Sulaiman, Saleh, C., Muluk, M. R. K., & Setyowati, E. (2025). Digital competence and employee performance: The mediating role of work motivation in the public sector. Journal of Cultural Analysis and Social Change, 10(2), 580-592. https://doi.org/10.64753/jcasc.v10i2.1646
Vebryana, V., Herachwati, N., Niska, F., Nadia, D., & Faiz Akbar, R. (2024). The influence of digital literacy and digital leadership mediated by employee motivation on the performance of East Java Province government ASN employees. International Journal of Science and Society, 6(1).
Widihartono, R. P., & Ahmadi, M. A. (2024). Pengaruh pelatihan terhadap kinerja karyawan di era digital. Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi Manajemen dan Bisnis, 204(4), 204-213.
Published
2026-09-08
How to Cite
Safitri, R. N., & Dahniar, D. (2026). Digital Literacy and Digital Training Effects on Employee Performance: Work Motivation as a Mediator. International Journal of Education, Vocational and Social Science , 5(04), 441-459. https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i04.6414
Contact Person +6282139474255
Email : ijevss@citakonsultindo.or.id / editor.ijevss@gmail.com
