How do life course events affect the accumulation of digital literacy?: Based on qualitative research of 16 medical university teachers of China

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the level of the accumulation of digital literacy in medical university of China. In this study, we argue that positive life events facilitate the formation of digital literacy. We review the development of research of life course and digital literacy since the 2010. From the perspective of life course theory, this article examines the significant impact of social changes in information technology on the accumulation of digital literacy of 16 medical university teachers, and understands the life course of medical university teachers as a sequence composed of multiple life events. The results show that the accumulation of medical university teachers’ digital Literacy includes 4 types: linear accumulation, multi drive accumulation, parallel accumulation, and leading accumulation, of which multi drive accumulation and leading accumulation are the most conducive to the formation of medical university teachers’ digital literacy. In addition, our findings reveal that subjective initiative plays an important role in the accumulation of medical university teachers’ digital literacy. The accumulation of digital literacy is a dynamic and systematic process of the accumulation of individual life events of medical university teachers. This paper also discusses the relationship between order of life events and career outcomes.