IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i14p6632-d1705981.html

Exploring the Impact of Female Student’s Digital Intelligence on Sustainable Learning and Digital Mental Well-Being: A Case Study of Saudi Arabia

Author

Listed:
  • Norah Muflih Alruwaili

    (Department of Social Work, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

  • Zaiba Ali

    (Management Department, College of Business Administration, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

  • Mohd Shuaib Siddiqui

    (Department of Management, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia)

  • Asad Hassan Butt

    (Department of Marketing, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia)

  • Hassan Ahmad

    (Business School, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036, China)

  • Rahila Ali

    (Faculty of Management, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal 462044, MP, India)

  • Shaden Hamad Alsalem

    (Department of Social Work, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

This study investigates the interplay between adaptive online learning, students’ digital intelligence, sustainable learning, and digital mental well-being among female university students in Saudi Arabia. In response to the growing reliance on digital platforms in higher education, a structured questionnaire was distributed via social media to capture student perceptions of their online learning experiences. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), the analysis revealed that while adaptive online learning is a critical enabler, its influence is most effective when mediated by students’ digital intelligence. The findings highlighted that students with higher digital intelligence are more likely to engage in sustainable learning practices and maintain better mental well-being in digital environments. Furthermore, innovative teaching practices were shown to strengthen these relationships, underscoring the importance of interactive and adaptive pedagogies. This research contributes to the growing discourse on digital education by emphasizing the importance of indirect pathways and learner-centred dynamics in shaping positive educational and psychological outcomes. This study offers practical and theoretical implications for educators, institutions, and policymakers aiming to create inclusive, resilient, and psychologically supportive digital learning environments. Future research is encouraged to examine these relationships across different cultural and institutional contexts and explore the longitudinal impacts of digital learning strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Norah Muflih Alruwaili & Zaiba Ali & Mohd Shuaib Siddiqui & Asad Hassan Butt & Hassan Ahmad & Rahila Ali & Shaden Hamad Alsalem, 2025. "Exploring the Impact of Female Student’s Digital Intelligence on Sustainable Learning and Digital Mental Well-Being: A Case Study of Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-19, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:14:p:6632-:d:1705981
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/14/6632/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/14/6632/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. José-María Fernández-Batanero & Pedro Román-Graván & Miguel-María Reyes-Rebollo & Marta Montenegro-Rueda, 2021. "Impact of Educational Technology on Teacher Stress and Anxiety: A Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-13, January.
    2. Adar Ben-Eliyahu, 2021. "Sustainable Learning in Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-10, April.
    3. Sungjin Park & Sangkyun Kim, 2022. "Identifying World Types to Deliver Gameful Experiences for Sustainable Learning in the Metaverse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Nayef Shaie Alotaibi, 2022. "The Significance of Digital Learning for Sustainable Development in the Post-COVID19 World in Saudi Arabia’s Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Maryam Aldossari & Thomas Calvard, 2022. "The Politics and Ethics of Resistance, Feminism and Gender Equality in Saudi Arabian Organizations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(4), pages 873-890, December.
    6. Kurt Haim & Wolfgang Aschauer, 2024. "Innovative FOCUS: A Program to Foster Creativity and Innovation in the Context of Education for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-18, March.
    7. Maria José Sousa & Ana Lúcia Marôco & Sónia P. Gonçalves & Andreia de Bem Machado, 2022. "Digital Learning Is an Educational Format towards Sustainable Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-16, January.
    8. Daniel H. Chang & Michael Pin-Chuan Lin & Shiva Hajian & Quincy Q. Wang, 2023. "Educational Design Principles of Using AI Chatbot That Supports Self-Regulated Learning in Education: Goal Setting, Feedback, and Personalization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-15, August.
    9. Amr Abdullatif Yassin & Norizan Abdul Razak & Yousef A. M. Qasem & Murad Abdu Saeed Mohammed, 2020. "Intercultural Learning Challenges Affecting International Students’ Sustainable Learning in Malaysian Higher Education Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-19, September.
    10. Mohammed Abdullatif Almulla & Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi, 2023. "Integrated Social Cognitive Theory with Learning Input Factors: The Effects of Problem-Solving Skills and Critical Thinking Skills on Learning Performance Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-26, February.
    11. Anjeela Jokhan & Aneesh A. Chand & Vineet Singh & Kabir A. Mamun, 2022. "Increased Digital Resource Consumption in Higher Educational Institutions and the Artificial Intelligence Role in Informing Decisions Related to Student Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lui-Kwan Ng & Chung-Kwan Lo, 2022. "Flipped Classroom and Gamification Approach: Its Impact on Performance and Academic Commitment on Sustainable Learning in Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-23, April.
    2. Laura Parte & Teresa Herrador-Alcaide, 2021. "Teaching Disruption by COVID-19: Burnout, Isolation, and Sense of Belonging in Accounting Tutors in E-Learning and B-Learning," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-22, September.
    3. Uthman Alturki & Ahmed Aldraiweesh, 2023. "The Factors Influencing 21st Century Skills and Problem-Solving Skills: The Acceptance of Blackboard as Sustainable Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, August.
    4. Lui-Kwan Ng & Chung-Kwan Lo, 2022. "Online Flipped and Gamification Classroom: Risks and Opportunities for the Academic Achievement of Adult Sustainable Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-21, September.
    5. A. S. M. Shamsul Arefin & Sabbir Ahmed Chowdhury & Ruth Christina Roy & Md. Mizanur Rahaman & Beth Cross, 2023. "Education System in Bangladesh Amid COVID-19: Traditional Scenario, Emergency Protocols, Challenges and a Proposed Sustainable Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Kareema Ali & Daniel Burgos & Saida Affouneh, 2023. "Educational Loss at Times of Crisis: The Role of Games in Students’ Learning in Palestine and Iraq," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, March.
    7. OWUNNA, R & AJOBI, A.O & Akintoke, V. A., 2025. "Enhancing Academic Performance through Social Interaction: A Theoretical Exploration of Social Cognitive Theory," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(3s), pages 2656-2666, April.
    8. repec:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:i:11:p:4638-4651 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Yohan Hwang & Je-Young Lee, 2024. "Exploring Pre-Service English Teachers’ Perceptions and Technological Acceptance of Metaverse Language Classroom Design," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(4), pages 21582440241, November.
    10. Darren Yi Sern Low & Kar Ming Shaw & Poovarasi Balan, 2026. "Sustainable Development Integration in Higher Education Institutions: Challenges and Opportunities in the Age of AI and Big Data," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(2), pages 2386-2408, April.
    11. Judit García‐Martín & Lucila María Pérez Fernández, 2026. "A Review of Global Strategies for Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 in Higher Education (2020–2024): Key Actions in the Education for Sustainable Development Framework," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(S2), pages 843-856, March.
    12. Józef Ober & Anna Kochmańska, 2022. "Remote Learning in Higher Education: Evidence from Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-35, November.
    13. Saeed Nosratabadi & Thabit Atobishi & Szilard HegedHus, 2023. "Social Sustainability of Digital Transformation: Empirical Evidence from EU-27 Countries," Papers 2305.16088, arXiv.org.
    14. Saeed Nosratabadi & Thabit Atobishi & Szilárd Hegedűs, 2023. "Social Sustainability of Digital Transformation: Empirical Evidence from EU-27 Countries," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-18, May.
    15. Simona Sternad Zabukovšek & Zdenko Deželak & Silvia Parusheva & Samo Bobek, 2022. "Attractiveness of Collaborative Platforms for Sustainable E-Learning in Business Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-25, July.
    16. Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi & Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan & Qusay Al-Maatouk & Mohd Shahizan Othman & Anas Ratib Alsaud & Abeer S. Almogren & Ali Mugahed Al-Rahmi, 2023. "Integrating Communication and Task–Technology Fit Theories: The Adoption of Digital Media in Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-17, May.
    17. Ismail Hussein Amzat & Abdul Hakeem Alade Najimdeen & Lynne M. Walters & Byabazaire Yusuf & Nena Padilla-Valdez, 2023. "Determining Service Quality Indicators to Recruit and Retain International Students in Malaysia Higher Education Institutions: Global Issues and Local Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-25, April.
    18. Maryam Aldossari & Susan Elaine Murphy, 2024. "Inclusion is in the Eye of the Beholder: A Relational Analysis of the Role of Gendered Moral Rationalities in Saudi Arabia," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(5), pages 1244-1266, October.
    19. Xinyuan Zhang & Emmanuel Nketiah & Victor Shi & Jinfu Cheng, 2023. "Who Will Save Energy? An Extension of Social Cognitive Theory with Place Attachment to Understand Residents’ Energy-Saving Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-21, December.
    20. Lingjie Tang & Chang’an Zhang, 2023. "Global Research on International Students’ Intercultural Adaptation in a Foreign Context: A Visualized Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Landscape," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    21. Sungjin Park & Kyoungsoon Min & Sangkyun Kim, 2021. "Differences in Learning Motivation among Bartle’s Player Types and Measures for the Delivery of Sustainable Gameful Experiences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-10, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:14:p:6632-:d:1705981. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.