What Helps Young People Thrive in Digital STEM Learning? Understanding Different Learner Profiles

Digital learning environments can place substantial demands on students’ ability to identify relevant information, regulate attention, and manage competing cognitive demands. This study examined how these processes are associated with engagement and task performance among 702 students aged 13–18 years attending eight public Experimental Schools in Greece. A cross-sectional design combined partial least squares structural equation modelling with latent profile analysis and Bolck–Croon–Hagenaars (BCH)-adjusted comparisons of distal outcomes. Engagement was assessed through a study-specific self-report measure, whereas task performance was based on ten separately scored digital STEM tasks. Critical digital information skills were positively associated with attentional self-regulation, which in turn was associated with lower visual/digital distractibility. Greater distractibility was related to higher cognitive overload, while overload was negatively associated with digital STEM learning engagement. The person-centred analysis identified three ordered configurations: Moderate/Mixed (46.7%), Skilled/Self-Regulated (33.5%), and Low-Skill/Distractible–Overloaded (19.8%). Although Moderate/Mixed was the largest profile, the Skilled/Self-Regulated group showed the highest engagement and task-performance scores, whereas the Low-Skill/Distractible–Overloaded group showed the lowest. The findings suggest that engagement and task performance in demanding digital learning settings are associated with how students select relevant information, regulate attention, and manage information-related cognitive strain.