Orig. title: Дигитално грамотни ли са родените в дигиталната епоха деца?
Engl. transl.: Are Digital Natives Digitally Literate?
Keywords
digital and media literacy
digital citizenship
netiquette
digital identity
digital content creation
safety
problem solving
copyright
Publication details
| Issued: | 2017 |
| Language: | Bulgarian |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Кънчев П.; Георгиев Е.; Хайдиняк М.; Апостолов Г. |
| Type: | Report and working paper |
| Publisher: | Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre |
| Place: | Bulgaria |
| Topics: | Internet usage, practices and engagement; Literacy and skills; Online safety and policy regulation; Content-related issues |
| Sample: | 1000 Bulgarian children and 1000 parents; parents of children aged 9-11 (400), parents of children aged 12-14 (277) and parents of children aged 15-17 (323). Additionally 130 families with children under 9 years were also interviewed in order to get some insights about what parents of children under 9 years of age allow them to do online. |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation; Parental digital literacy ; Parenting guidance / support |
| Implications For Educators About: | Digital citizenship; Professional development |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | High-quality content online for children and young people; Creating a safe environment for children online |
Abstract
The purpose of this report is to gain insight about the digital and media literacy of Bulgarian children by examining and analysing their online behaviour and ICT use. The report uses the 2016 Bulgarian national representative survey to this end and compares the findings to the EU Kids Online 2010 Bulgarian data where applicable. The findings and analysis of this report could provide directions for the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science in its efforts to meet the standards determined by the Committee on the Rights of The Child. The 2016 national representative survey was a sociological research project, aimed at examining Bulgarian children’s online behaviour and ICT use; it was not designed for testing and diagnosing the digital and media literacy skills of Bulgarian children. The conclusions of this report are largely based on Bulgarian children’s subjective reports about the level of their digital and media literacy skills. This data is analysed in the context of children’s activities online in order to partially make up for the limited reliability of subjective reports. Nevertheless, this report does not rely on a specifically designed methodology for accurately testing digital and media literacy skills.These limitations of the analysis must be taken into account when interpreting the survey’s results for the purposes of this report.
Outcome
This report used the DigComp Conceptual Reference Model as a guideline for examining the digital and media literacy skills of 9-17 old Bulgarians on the basis of their online behaviour and ICT use. The findings suggest that Bulgarian children use the internet at an earlier age and more frequently than ever, which has helped them develop their digital and media literacy skills.They demonstrate high abilities in articulating their information needs and satisfying most of them, using a variety of means for online interaction, managing and protecting their digital identities, supporting their friends and parents in developing their digital competency levels, and even using programming languages. Nevertheless, several competency gaps were also identified in the report:
Low incentive to satisfy school-related information needs.
Insufficient ability to evaluate online information.
Passivity in online interaction, which translates into passivity in online sharing and digital content creation
Missed opportunities for online collaboration and civic participation.
Underdeveloped digital safety skills of older children.