" The 'digital natives' debate: A critical review of evidence"

Literature review by Anika Saxena

The purpose of this study was to answer the question, are digital natives really
competent in using technological tools in their learning circumstances? The
study focused on the urgent necessity of education reform to accommodate the
skills and interests of these students. The specific objectives of the study were:
1. to analyse the state of play in the digital natives debate.
2. to assess these claims and explore the need of educational reform with
research evidence.
3. to examine that what if the situation is creating moral panic between critical
and rational debate; as well as requirement to research and policymaking
around it.
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 tenable constructive social action; and
to reflect upon this process (pp. 135136). 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 to have 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.