Lit Review: "Are 'digital natives' really digitally competent?--A study on Chinese teenagers"

            The purpose of this study was to answer the question, are digital natives really competent in using such tools in their learning circumstances? The study focused on a group of Chinese students in secondary school. The specific objectives of the study were:

(1) to analyse the ninth grade students’ experiences with computers and the Internet in China
(2) to assess the ninth grade students’ digital competence
(3) to examine the relationship between the ninth grade students’ digital performance and their personal characteristics (school, gender and age) and experiences with computers and the Internet.

               Martin defined digital literacy as ‘the awareness, attitude and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital tools and facilities to identify, access, manage, integrate, evaluate, analyze and synthesize digital resources, construct new knowledge, create media expressions, and communicate with others, in the context of specific life situations, in order to enable constructive social action; and to reflect upon this process’ (pp. 135–136). The questionare contained 35 questions about three domains of digital competence: technological, cognitive and ethical.

               School was found as an important variable that influenced the ninth grade students’ competence. It had significant impact on students’ performance in all the three domains (technological, cognitive and ethical). Probably some schools were better than other schools in developing their students’ digital competence and cultivating it through information and communication technologies education. Digital competence is a global challenge for educational systems in this new age. These "digital natives" still need the instruction of "digital immigrants."               
                 The main finding of the research was that there were big disparities among students in their digital performance. Factors such as age and school seem tohave an impact on students’ performance. K-12 schools should pay greater attention to the gap existing among students. We need to find out the reasons behind the divides and the possible solutions to bridge the gap. Living in a digital environment does not always mean being digitally competent. Even though new generations spontaneously learn to use technologies, there is not enough evidence that they are digitally competent.

              

Information:               

Are 'digital natives' really digitally competent?--A study on Chinese teenagers

Yan Li, Maria Ranieri. British Journal of Educational Technology. London: Nov 2010. Vol. 41, Iss. 6; pg. 1029.

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