Veritatis Gaudium: Multidisciplinary Journal of Postgraduate Studies

Digital literacy has become an essential part of modern education, particularly in technical and vocational programmes where students are expected to learn and perform in technology-supported environments. This study examined the relationship between digital literacy skills and academic performance among HND II Office Technology and Management (OTM) students in selected federal polytechnics in Northeastern Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, and a sample of 218 students was selected using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and simple linear regression analysis. Findings revealed that the students possessed a high level of digital literacy skills, especially in internet usage, office application software, online communication, and digital document management. The study further established a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.557) between digital literacy skills and academic performance. Regression analysis showed that digital literacy skills significantly predicted academic performance, explaining approximately 31% of the variation (R2 = 0.31) in students’ academic outcomes. The study concludes that digital literacy plays a significant role in improving students’ academic performance. It recommends strengthening ICT infrastructure, integrating practical digital literacy training into the curriculum, and promoting collaborative digital learning.

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