Agricultural and Biological Research

Digital socialization, psychological beliefs, environmental literacy and altruism: A structural equation modelling analysis

Janet D. Barrera*

Digital socialization is vital for today’s adolescents, shaping their identities and peer interactions, even their views on their community and environment through online experiences. It was the purpose of this study to analyze through structural equation model the digital socialization, psychological beliefs, environmental literacy and altruism of students from the School of Teacher Education of J.H. Cerilles State College, Dumingag Campus, during the academic year 2025-2026. Two-hundred thirty-two students were involved and provided information relative to the variables through the adapted questionnaires. The data collected were treated with reliability and validity, direct and indirect effects through estimates and z-values.

High levels of validity and reliability are evident across digital socialization, environmental literacy, awareness, ecological concern and altruism, providing a robust basis for exploring their interconnections. Strong internal consistency is confirmed by Cronbach alpha and composite reliability scores, while clear convergent validity is shown with AVE values surpassing established thresholds.

Environmental literacy emerges as the most effective means to foster empathy and a desire to help, with digital platforms that enhance objective knowledge being particularly successful. Digital socialization significantly encourages empathy and voluntary behavior through cognitive processing, compensating for the absence of direct emotional ties. This can lead to improved environmental consciousness among students, particularly when education is integrated into digital experiences.