https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2875-4915
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Abstract
Digital fluency is a central 21st-century competence. Schools are responsible for ensuring that all students cultivate sophisticated sociodigital competences and mindsets needed for studying and collaborating through and around technology and overcoming digital challenges encountered. Although some schools have successfully integrated digital technologies into traditional schoolwork, students are not provided sufficient structured training in creative and academic practices of using digital technologies. This study explored changes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Finnish primary and middle school students’ perceived sociodigital study practices, competences, mindsets, and profiles. Participants were asked to respond to the Sociodigital Practices Inventory (SDPi), which assessed their sociodigital study practices, competences, and mindset. The participants consisted of 947 cohort 1 students (5th grade in 2019 and 6th grade in 2020) and 771 cohort 2 students (7th grade in 2019 and 8th grade in 2020). The results revealed subtle changes in students’ perceptions regarding schools’ digital practices; primary school students experienced an increase in basic practices while middle schoolers experienced a decrease in perceived advanced practices. Both boys’ and girls’ self-evaluated academic sociodigital competences increased from 2019 to 2020, while their artistic and technical competences decreased. Primary school boys’ sociodigital mindsets increased, while that of middle school girls decreased. The analyses revealed four latent profiles of digital fluency: Inexperienced, Enthusiastic, Humble, and Driven. We propose that it is vital to build a multidimensional view of students’ digital fluency by exploring interrelations between their sociodigital practices, competences, mindsets, and profiles.
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Tiina Korhonen
Tiina Korhonen, PhD, is the University Lecturer (Learning Innovations in Digital Society) and head of Innokas Network (www.innokas.fi/en), coordinating nationwide Innovation Education activities for over 750 schools in Finland and leading the Learning and Teaching in Digital Environments post-graduate specialization studies program in University of Helsinki. Dr. Korhonen’s professional interests lie in the wide landscape of 21st century learning and development of innovative educational practice in the context of the digital society, with special focus on the practical opportunities available through digital tools and processes, including digital learning environments, AI, VR, computational thinking, and robotics.
Noora Laakso
Noora Laakso, MEd, is a PhD researcher in the Department of Education, University of Helsinki. Laakso’s working experience within research projects has an emphasis on data collection and conducting a variety of statistical analyses. Her doctoral research is about comprehensive school students’ digital game-making projects focusing on 21st century learning, and the interconnection of informal and formal learning applying a mixed-methods approach.
Aino Seitamaa
Aino Seitamaa, MEd, is a Learning Design Specialist in the EdTech field, specializing in course creation in online learning platforms. Her master’s thesis on sociodigital mindset paved way to further research learning analytics and virtual reality in competence development.
Visajaani Salonen
Reito Visajaani Salonen is Project planner in the Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (HSSH), University of Helsinki. Salonen has, for 7 years, carried out methodological support and develompent on statistical analysis in quantitative and physiological data, such EDA and eye-tracking data, in the University of Helsinki. Salonen is also PhD student in the Faculty of Educational Sciences (UH). Salonen is actively collaborating with many projects and designing facilities for easier data collection and analysis internationally.
Netta Tiippana
Netta Tiippana, MEd, is a PhD researcher in the Department of Education, University of Helsinki. She has gained working experience in the areas of international education, digital learning, professional development and training management. She has managed development of online workshops and novel eLearning products, as well as capacity-building projects in the field of education and community management in various international contexts. Her professional interests lie in organizational development and networked learning.
Jari Lavonen
Jari Lavonen, is a Professor of Physics and Chemistry Education at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He has been researching science and teacher education for the last 35 years. His special focuses are: project-based learning, student interest and engagement, career awareness, transversal competences and teacher education. He worked recently as a Director of the National Teacher Education Forum and is working as a Chair of the Finnish Matriculation Examination Board.
Kai Hakkarainen
Kai Hakkarainen, is Professor of education in the Department of Education, University of Helsinki. With his colleagues, Hakkarainen has, for 20 years, carried out learning research based on psychology and cognitive science at all levels, from elementary to higher education. During recent years, Hakkarainen’s research activity has expanded toward investigating personal and collective learning processes taking place in communities and networks of experts, including knowledge-intensive professional organizations and academic research communities.