This article analyzes the digital capital of students in various fields of study in the context of the digital transformation of higher education. The relevance of the study is determined by the increasing role of digital competencies as a factor in academic success, professional mobility, and overcoming new forms of educational inequality. Despite the growing number of studies on digital literacy and competencies, comprehensive empirical assessments of students' digital capital in Russian scientific practice are limited. The aim of the study is to identify the types of digital capital in students of different educational profiles, as well as to analyze the relationship between the type of digital capital and its components (digital competencies, motivation, attitude towards digital technologies, distance learning), as well as the characteristics of educational activities. Based on P. Bourdieu's concept of capital, M. Ragnedda's digital capital, and S. Park's digital ecosystem, the author's concept of digital capital was proposed. It includes parameters that take into account educational specifics, namely: material; cultural; social; motivational and institutional. The empirical base of the study consisted of data from an online survey of students from five St. Petersburg universities (N = 458). Data processing was carried out using statistical analysis in the SPSS package. As a result, four types of digital capital were identified among students: deficient, socially oriented, high, and partially formed. The results of the study showed the absence of a pronounced basic digital divide in access to technology, although there are significant differences in the structure of digital competencies and the motivation for their use between the fields of study. Students majoring in technical specialties have a relatively high level of digital capital, demonstrating a wide range of digital skills and a positive attitude toward online learning, while students in the humanities and pedagogical fields are characterized by relatively low indicators of digital capital. According to the study's findings, the type of digital capital is associated with educational parameters such as academic performance, attitude toward learning, class attendance, length of study, and readiness for additional learning. The findings suggest that developing students' digital capital is an important area of university education policy.
Translated title of the contributionDigital Capital of Students: a Сomparative Аnalysis by Fields of Study
Original languageRussian
Pages (from-to)105-125
Number of pages21
JournalВЫСШЕЕ ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ В РОССИИ
Volume35
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - 5 Aug 2026

    Research areas

  • digital capital, digital competencies, digitalization of education, higher education, online learning, university students

ID: 160990192