This study examined the relationships among digital arts participation, visual literacy, and humanistic development among higher vocational students. In the digital age, students are increasingly exposed to digital visual culture, and digital arts participation has become an important part of their learning and daily life. However, its influence on students’ broader development has not been fully explored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether digital arts participation could promote students’ visual literacy and humanistic development, and whether visual literacy played a mediating role in this relationship. A quantitative research design was adopted in this study. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey from 278 students in higher vocational colleges in Hainan, China. The data collected were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and mediation analysis. The results showed that digital arts participation had a significant positive effect on visual literacy and humanistic development. Visual literacy was also found to have a significant positive effect on humanistic development. In addition, visual literacy played a partial mediating role in the relationship between digital arts participation and humanistic development. These findings suggest that digital arts participation is not only helpful for students’ visual competence, but also beneficial to their broader personal growth. This study provides empirical support for the educational value of digital arts participation in higher vocational education. It also suggests that colleges should pay more attention to the integration of digital arts activities, visual literacy cultivation, and humanistic education in the digital era.
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Share and Cite
Qiao, H., Mustafa, L. M. (2025) How Digital Arts Participation Enhances Visual Literacy and Humanistic Development among Higher Vocational Students: A Mechanism-based Study. Global Education Bulletin, 2(2), 30-37.