Digital Income Generation and Educational Aspirations Among Students: Investigating the Mediating Role of Academic Motivation

Abstract

The present study investigated the relationship between digital income generation and educational aspirations among university students, with academic motivation examined as a mediating factor. This study utilized a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design. Data collection was conducted through a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale, and a total of 427 students from public and private universities in Punjab and Sindh, Pakistan, participated in the study. Convenience sampling was used to select participants. The analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, and the proposed relationships were examined using Pearson correlation, simple linear regression, independent samples t-test, and PROCESS Macro (Model 4). The results indicated that digital income generation was positively related to both academic motivation and educational aspirations. Regression results suggested that digital income generation was a significant predictor of educational aspirations, whereas t-test results illustrated that a significant difference existed between students who participated in digital income activities and those who did not. Furthermore, academic motivation was found to be a significant mediator between digital income generation and educational aspirations. This study asserted that digital activities stimulate students’ motivation and, as a result, increase their educational aspirations. The study acknowledged that digital income generation, when managed properly in terms of educational priorities, positively affects students’ academic and psychological development.