The mediating role of digital literacy on the acquisition of 21st Century competencies among adolescents: Evidence from East Africa

• In Event: Roundtable Session 12
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: The impact and challenges of digital technology and education policies on youth

Proposal

During the past decade, the world has witnessed a steady increase in the use of digital technologies in the teaching and learning process. This is coupled with the increased recognition of the need to equip the children and young people of the 21st century with the skills they need to live, learn and work in an increasingly complex world.

There is a growing consensus that digital technology use is gradually growing in our society since it has the potential to prepare students for the real world, to transform the learning process, and to change the way knowledge is delivered. As the world becomes increasingly digitalized, the role of technology in shaping the development of 21st century skills among adolescents has become a topic of growing interest among the global education community. Digital technologies have the potential to transform the educational landscape, providing new opportunities for skill acquisition and personal growth. The emergency and widespread use of modern technologies such as computers, tablets, smart phones and other technologies have revolutionised the way information is accessed.

However, even though these technologies have been widely accepted in the teaching and learning process, their influence and impact on the students’ acquisition of 21st-century skills has not been fully investigated. Yet, by exploring the interplay between digital technology and the acquisition of 21st century skills and competencies, educators and policymakers can work towards designing educational systems that prepare adolescents for the demands of the modern, technology-driven world.

Since 2019, the Assessment of Life Skills and Values in east Africa (ALiVE) project has been working to generate large scale data on life skills and values among young people and collaborating with local leaders to create and develop contextualized assessments in East Africa. The goal of the initiative is to support the four national education systems in their focus on these competencies, inform regional policy throughout the East African Community, and contribute to global knowledge on the measurement of life skills and values in context.

This paper draws from data and evidence from the ALiVE assessment that covered over 45,000 in-school and out-of-school adolescent boys and girls from ages 13 to 17 from 35,720 households, 1,991 enu¬meration areas, and 85 districts/counties spread across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The analysis revealed meaningful associations between adolescents’ digital skills and the possession of three key competencies namely problem solving, self-awareness, collaboration and the value of respect. The presentation will provide a detailed analysis of the relationship between adolescents’ level of digital literacy and their demonstration of key competencies and skills. In addition, the paper will seek to explore opportunities of how digital technologies can be effectively integrated into educational curricula to enhance the acquisition of 21st century skills. This could involve the development of targeted instructional strategies, the incorporation of digital literacy education, and the creation of learning environments that seamlessly blend technology with traditional pedagogical approaches.

Author

• Samuel O Otieno, Zizi Afrique Foundation