The outcomes of gaining digital skills for young people’s lives and wellbeing: A systematic evidence review

Abstract

Research and policy have invested in the prospect that gaining digital skills enhances children’s and young people’s outcomes. A systematic evidence review of research on digital skills among 12- to 17-year-olds identified 34 studies that used cross-sectional survey methods to examine the association of digital skills with tangible outcomes. Two-thirds concerned the association with online opportunities or other benefits. Another third examined online risks of harm. Findings showed a positive association between digital skills and online opportunities, information benefits, and orientation to technology. Greater digital skills were indirectly linked to greater exposure to online risks, although any link to harm was unclear. While technical skills were linked with mixed or even negative outcomes, information skills were linked with positive outcomes. There was little research on the outcomes of communication or creative digital skills. Future research should examine the dimensions of digital skills separately and encompass a wider range of outcomes.

Digital skills critical for education: Video analysis of students' technology use in Norwegian secondary English classrooms

“…These practices contrast with survey responses indicating digital skills mainly concern digital technology (Livingstone et al, 2021). According to Erstad (2006), even basic use of writing tools, often resembling how people would use an analogue typewriter, should be considered digital skills because they differ from the use of pen and paper for text writing and whiteboard and pen for presentations in that they require different conceptualisations of how to write and communicate.…”

Using a socio-ecological framework to understand how 8–12-year-olds build and show digital resilience: A multi-perspective and multimethod qualitative study

“…Self-efficacy, optimism and emotional regulation are frequently cited as protective factors at this level (Ungar, 2021). In the context of digital resilience at this level, research efforts have focused on how 'offline' vulnerabilities including mental illness and special educational needs may contribute to greater risk exposure (El Asam & Katz, 2018;Livingstone et al, 2017), with work considering if better digital skills may help avoidance and/or responses to risk experiences (Haddon et al, 2020;Livingstone et al, 2021).…”

“…In re-orientating digital resilience as situated across differing levels and processes, the paper enables theory to explain more closely the role of context. This problematizes knowledge of online risks as universally experienced as opposed to situated, contextual, and continuous phenomena (Livingstone et al, 2021;Stoilova et al, 2021). This is important as the role of the individual, family, community, and societal as social actors is brought into sharper focus.…”

L’apprendimento transmediale: oltre le mura della scuola?

“…Il cambiamento si lega alle dinamiche del resto d'Europa, concretizza la Raccomandazione europea del 23 maggio 2018 sull'apprendimento permanente, in linea con il quadro di riferimento DigComp, che suggerisce politiche educative che permettano ai cittadini di sviluppare le competenze digitali di cui hanno bisogno per partecipare alla Knowledge Society (Fabiano, 2020), per esercitare la propria cittadinanza anche in modo digitale, per ricavare vantaggi informativi e civici, per migliorare i risultati dell'apprendimento e per sfruttare opportunità online (Livingstone et al, 2021).…”