Analyzing the effect of ICT engagement on academic performance: A PLS-SEM approach mediated by intrinsic motivation

This study examines how engagement with information and communication technologies (ICT) relates to university students’ academic performance, considering intrinsic motivation as a mediator and platform usability as an enabling condition. A quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational, and descriptive design was implemented with 385 students from a university in Lima (Peru), selected through non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured 5-point Likert questionnaire measuring platform usability, ICT engagement, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Academic performance was operationalized as self-reported semester GPA using the national 0-20 grading scale. The model was tested using PLS-SEM (SmartPLS 4) with a bootstrapping procedure of 5,000 subsamples. Results indicated a strong association between platform usability and ICT engagement (β = 0.78). ICT engagement showed positive effects on intrinsic motivation (β = 0.64) and extrinsic motivation (β = 0.42). Intrinsic motivation was positively related to academic performance (β = 0.55) and mediated the relationship between ICT engagement and performance (indirect effect = 0.35). Platform usability also exerted an indirect effect on performance through engagement and intrinsic motivation (0.43). Overall, the findings suggest that ICT engagement translates into better academic outcomes primarily when digital platforms are usable and instructional strategies foster intrinsic motivation and autonomous learning.