Exploring the synergy of digital competence and photo-driven reflection: A pilot study on reflective thinking skill development in business education

Figures & data

Figure 1. The proposed conceptual model.

Table 1. Measurement items with factor loading

Rotated Component Matrix	Component
Statements	1	2	3
EPH1: It helped me process what my photograph means to me.	0.140	0.912	−0.139
EPH2: It helped me self-identify my own learning and growth.	0.181	0.916	−0.241
EPH3: It provided a cue/clue or prompt to explore and analyse my learning experience in the Unit.	0.276	0.875	−0.048
EPH4: It helped me identify my emotions, actions, and responses to specific learning experiences easily.	0.324	0.857	−0.094
EPH5: It helped me focus on my specific learning experiences when writing the reflections.	0.347	0.825	0.045
Writing in the reflective portfolio enabled me to:
COG2 - Think about the experiences I had during the Unit that improved my learning methods.	0.906	0.193	−0.064
COG3 - Describe the main issues raised during the Unit.	0.906	0.141	0.017
BEH1 - Evaluate what worked well during the learning activity.	0.748	0.317	−0.153
BEH2 - Think whether the way I learned.	0.665	0.368	−0.120
BEH3 - Evaluate the problems that emerged during the learning activity.	0.800	0.317	−0.345
AFF1 - Describe my feelings during the course or assignment.	0.900	0.144	−0.254
AFF2 - Evaluate the reason for the feelings that emerged during the course or assignment	0.806	0.235	−0.286
EPC1 - My current level of confidence in working with Adobe Portfolio	−0.225	−0.245	0.675
EPC2 - My current level of knowledge about the features and functions of the Adobe Portfolio application	−0.083	0.108	0.828
EPC3 - My current level of ability to use Adobe Portfolio for showcasing the learning experience	−0.090	−0.165	0.819
EPC4 - My current level of ability to use various features and functions of Adobe Portfolio to reflect on the learning experience	−0.222	−0.087	0.889

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization.

a. Rotation converged in 5 iterations.

Key: EPH—items measuring the effectiveness of photo-use; COG—items measuring the cognitive level of reflective thinking skills; BEH—items measuring the behavioural level of reflective thinking skills; AFF—items measuring the affective level of reflective thinking skills; and EPC—items measuring digital competence in e-portfolio construction

Table 2. Descriptive statistics of study variables

No	Variable	Mean	SD	1	2	3
1	Reflective thinking skill development	3.96	0.61
2	Digital competence in e-portfolio construction	3.85	0.65	−.428**
3	Perceived usefulness of photo-use	3.63	1.00	.449**	−0.216	0.044

Note: **. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Table 3. Results of the hierarchical linear regression test: with control variables vs. Without control variables

	Preliminary models with control variables						Final models without control variables
	Model 1		Model 2		Model 3		Model 1		Model 2
	$\mathit{\beta }$	S.E.	$\mathit{\beta }$	S.E.	$\mathit{\beta }$	S.E.	$\mathit{\beta }$	S.E.	$\mathit{\beta }$	S.E.
Constant Control variables	3.80	(0.16)	4.50	(0.72)	4.39	(0.70)	4.39	(0.69)	4.38	(0.65)
PEPR^1	0.12	(0.21)	0.08	(0.20)	−0.01	(0.20)	-	-	-	-
PEPH^2	0.08	(0.21)	0.03	(0.19)	0.04	(0.18)	-	-	-	-
Direct effects
UPH^3			0.30*	(0.10)	0.31**	(0.10)	0.34	(0.09)	0.32**	(0.08)
DCE^4			−0.33**	(0.14)	−0.30**	(0.14)	−0.32	(0.14)	−0.29**	(0.13)
Two-way interactions
UPH X DCE					0.29**	(0.08)			0.29**	(0.08)
R-square		0.03		0.26		0.34		0.26		0.34
Adjusted R-square		−0.02		0.19		0.26		0.22		0.29
R-squared change		0.02		0.23***		0.08**		0.26**		0.09**

a. Dependent Variable: Reflective thinking skill development

***p<0.01; **p<0.05; *p<0.10

Note 1: Standardised β coefficients are reported.

Note 2: Standard errors are reported in brackets.

Note 3: PEPR¹: Previous experience of e-portfolio construction; PEPH²: previous experience of using photographs for reflective tasks; UPH³: the usefulness of photo-use to capture learning experiences, DCE⁴: digital competence in e-portfolio construction

Figure 2. Moderation effect of digital competence on the relationship between the photo-use to capture learning experiences and reflective thinking skill development.