Reading in a digital ecology: University students’ inferential reading comprehension across the social media landscape

Iin Nur Yasinta; Sakaria Sakaria; Abdul Haliq; Muh. Bahly Basri

doi:10.33096/didaktis.v4i2.1232

Authors

Iin Nur Yasinta Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4472-5106
Sakaria Sakaria Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1171-7026
Abdul Haliq Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8237-6252
Muh. Bahly Basri Universitas Negeri Makassar, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7518-8659

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33096/didaktis.v4i2.1232

Keywords:

digital ecology, digital platform, inferential reading comprehension, social media

Abstract

This study examined differences in university students’ inferential reading comprehension according to the number of social media platforms they used. A quantitative comparative design was employed with 492 students from four universities in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Data were collected through Microsoft Forms using a 15-item inferential reading comprehension test and analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s HSD post hoc test. Mean scores increased across the 1–3 platform group (M = 9.0385), the 4–6 platform group (M = 9.5818), and the 7–9 platform group (M = 9.7500). The ANOVA indicated a significant overall group difference, F (2, 489) = 3.561, p = .029, with a small effect size (η² = .014). Tukey’s HSD showed a significant difference only between the 1–3 and 4–6 platform groups. These findings suggest that the breadth of social media platform use is associated with inferential reading comprehension, although the association is small and not fully linear. The study highlights the potential value of integrating critical digital literacy into reading instruction in higher education.

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