Engl. transl.: On the Relevance of IT Education at School for the Purpose of Acquiring Computer and Information Literacy as part of Media Education – Results from Germany and Switzerland on a Level of International Comparison

Thus far, only few empirical studies have been conducted that examine the relationship between media education and IT education. On the basis of data from the large-scale comparative study of ICILS 2013 (International Computer and Information Literacy Study) on educational achievement that for the first time compares computer and information literacy skills of Grade 8 students from 21 educational systems around the world, the present contribution sheds light on the previously mentioned interface with respect to Germany and Switzerland. Building on the fact that the student competencies – measured in ICILS 2013 by means of computer-based testing – are conceived as interdisciplinary key competencies on the one hand but often show an affinity to IT education on the other hand, descriptive and regressive secondary analyses are presented. For both Germany and Switzerland, it could be shown that students who attend IT classes demonstrate significantly lower levels of computer and information literacy than their peers who have not taken IT classes. However, if students who attend such classes use a computer in them (or in a similar subject related to IT education), their achievement is – on average – higher. This finding remains in place if the students’ answers regarding the computer-related skills acquired at school as well as their motivation and attitudes towards computer usage are included. The same is true when controlling for the students’ gender and their families’ cultural capital.

"... [T]he young people in Germany as well as in Switzerland have performed rather mediocre on average in an international comparison... "(Authors, p. 102, translated by the coder) "For both Germany and Switzerland, it could be shown that students who attend IT classes demonstrate significantly lower levels of computer and information literacy than their peers who have not taken IT classes. However, if students who attend such classes use a computer in them (or in a similar subject related to IT education), their achievement is – on average – higher." (Authors, p. 80, translated by the coder)