Deficits in digital skills are particularly evident among older and less educated people, women and people with an immigrant background. This is the result of a new study by the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research (RWI). It is also shown that children start their educational career with little difference in the acquisition of digital skills, but over the course of their school years the socio-economic background of the family in particular decides on further acquisition. A strong link between the socio-economic background and other learning successes of German students has been documented by international studies for years.
Younger people with more skills
The study paints a clear picture of the state of digital skills and “digital literacy” within the population. Younger adults have “significantly higher skills” than adults over 50 years of age. And also in the group of children and adolescents, a slightly higher level of competence is attested for the younger ones.
Gender-specific differences are still small in childhood and adolescence, but increase in adulthood. The researchers therefore assume that selection effects already take effect within the lower secondary level. They also warn that the level of digital skills acquired at school may influence study choices and lead to even greater disparities in skills acquisition. This could explain, among other things, the current differences between younger women and men.
Years of education, migration background and parental home
A strong correlation was also found with the number of years of education. In particular, people with no, low or middle school qualifications showed below-average digital skills. On average, people with a university degree or doctorate had significantly higher digital skills than respondents without a university degree.
While people with a migrant background showed lower digital competence across all age cohorts, the smallest differences were found for people with a migrant background when they belonged to the student group.
A comparison of children of unemployed parents and parents with STEM professions showed how decisive the conditions in the parental home are. Children of unemployed parents in particular reveal below-average digital skills. Adolescents from working parents who pursue a mathematical, IT, scientific or technical profession, on the other hand, exhibited higher levels of competence than their classmates.
Promote digital skills in schools
As the researchers at RWI explain, the study results in a recommendation for action, especially for the formal education sector – i.e. the German education system. This should “promote the digital skills of children and young people at an early stage” – that is, at the latest at the beginning of secondary school I. In this way, the low level of skills development outside of schools and also the different requirements in families could be compensated. In addition, schools should inspire and motivate young people with a migration background and girls more for topics related to computer science.
Educational opportunities should be strengthened for older people in order to “enable them further participation in the changing areas of life, education and work”. In this way, older people could connect with the digital natives.
As co-author Friederike Hertweck further explains, the findings of the study also show that the coronavirus pandemic could “intensify existing social inequalities in the long term”, since “digital skills are already unequally distributed among young people and are strongly influenced by their parents”. This makes access to digital lessons for children from disadvantaged families more difficult.
How should digitization be implemented in our schools? How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting what is happening? What was achieved in the school year 2020/2021? This is what our series of articles aims to shed light on.
basics
The study (PDF) is based on an inventory of digital skills in Germany between 2010 and 2013 with data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Data on children and adolescents in sixth, ninth and 12th grade were analyzed. The data also included students and adults from training to retirement age.
(kbe)