IRCI Article ID: IRCI-AR-0000001852

Information Overload in Digital Learning Environments and Academic Achievement among Libyan University Students: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Authors:

Abubaker Kashada Kashada, Abubaker Khalid J Bisher J Bisher, Khalid Abubaker Sasi Sasi, Abubaker Riyadh M. Suwayd M. Suwayd, Riyadh

Journal: International Journal of Education and Digital Learning (IJEDL)

Publication: 2025-10-31 · Vol. 4 No. 1 · pp. 9–18

DOI: 10.47353/ijedl.v4i1.356

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Abstract

This study examines the complex role of information overload in shaping academic achievement within digital learning environments, with a specific focus on Libyan higher education. Drawing on data from 205 undergraduate students and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the study investigates both the direct and indirect effects of information overload through cognitive load and self-regulated learning (SRL). The findings reveal a dual and nuanced effect. Information overload exerts a significant negative direct impact on academic achievement by increasing cognitive load and disrupting attentional processes. At the same time, it demonstrates a positive indirect effect by stimulating self-regulated learning, which partially offsets its adverse cognitive consequences. Cognitive load emerges as a key mediator that amplifies the negative pathway, while self-regulated learning functions as an adaptive mechanism that enhances academic performance. These results contribute to the literature by integrating Cognitive Load Theory and self-regulated learning within a unified empirical framework, highlighting the conditional nature of information overload in educational settings. Rather than being purely detrimental, information overload operates as a double-edged phenomenon, with its impact depending on students’ capacity to regulate their learning processes. Practically, the study underscores the need for higher education institutions—particularly in resource-constrained contexts—to move beyond information provision toward developing students’ digital literacy and self-regulation skills. Such interventions are essential for mitigating cognitive overload and fostering sustainable academic achievement in increasingly complex digital environments.

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Authors

Abubaker Kashada

Affiliation: , Surman College of Science and Technology, Libya Author Origin : Libya

ORCID: 0000-0002-5160-8847

Kashada, Abubaker

ORCID: 0000-0003-3923-6646

Khalid J Bisher

Affiliation: , Surman College of Science and Technology, Libya Author Origin : Libya

ORCID: 0009-0004-8817-5020

J Bisher, Khalid

ORCID: 0000-0001-8537-2492

Abubaker Sasi

Affiliation: , Az Zawiya College of Computer Technologies, Libya Author Origin : Libya

ORCID: 0009-0004-8817-5020

Sasi, Abubaker

Riyadh M. Suwayd

Affiliation: , Surman College of Science and Technology, Libya Author Origin : Libya

ORCID: 0000-0001-8537-2492

M. Suwayd, Riyadh

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