Digital Technology and Reading Habits of Students: An Empirical Study Using A Structural Equation Model

Digital technology is restructuring how students access knowledge and form reading habits in higher education. However, research on this topic has revealed such gaps as (a) a lack of integrated models simultaneously encompassing digital learning environments, library support, and information behaviour within a single structural validation framework; (b) a lack of studies from educational institutions in Southeast Asia; and (c) a failure to separate the mediating roles between these factors. This study surveyed 853 students at Hanoi Open University in August 2025, using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) to test five direct relationships and two mediating relationships. The results showed that (a) the digital learning environment (DIG) had a positive impact on information behaviour (INF) (β = 0.420) and academic reading engagement (ARE) (β = 0.280); (b) library support (LIB) had a positive impact on information behaviour (β = 0.310); and (c) information behaviour had a positive impact on academic reading (β = 0.390). The direct LIB → ARE path was not significant (β = 0.057; ns), confirming indirect-only information-mediated behaviour. The model explained 51.2% of the dependent variable variance. The average reading time was 3.91 hours a week (95% confidence interval (CI) [3.79; 4.03]), which was lower than referenced international studies, although direct comparisons were limited by differences in measurement methods. The digital entertainment time-to-academic reading time ratio of 5.7:1 is consistent with the media displacement theory. The study proposes repositioning the function of university libraries from resource gateway to orchestrator of reading behaviour.