Effect of technological and digital learning resources on students' soft skills within remote learning: The mediating role of perceived efficacy

The study analyses the effects of the technological and digital learning resources (DLRs) on the development of students' soft skills (SSk) in remote learning, mediated by the perceived efficacy of students in this modality of education. The study employed a survey research method, and the data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. Participants included 637 students experiencing remote learning during the second COVID-19 lockdown in the north of Portugal (between 1 and 15 March 2021). The structural equation modelling analysis technique tested the hypothesized model. The study showed that technological and DLRs were strongly interconnected. The results supported our hypotheses, evidencing that, in remote learning, the adequacy of DLRs had a direct effect on the development of SSk, presenting the efficacy perceived by the students as a mediator of this relationship. The study demonstrated that, with the experience of remote learning, students perceived the development of their SSk, which is consistent with the literature review we carried out. Implications of these findings are discussed, considering the literature on technology-mediated learning and the development of human resources SSk in the context of the digital transition.