The Digital Divide among University Freshmen

Developments in information and communication technologies have raised the issue of how a kind of intergenerational digital divide can take place between "digital natives" and "digital immigrants". This can in turn have important consequences for the organization of educative systems. In this paper we present the result of a research performed during the course of 2008 to study how university students in Italy make use of digital technologies. The methodology was based on a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches. A survey research was done, on a sample of 1186 students of the University of Milan-Bicocca, based on a questionnaire administrated through the Intranet of the University. A series of focus groups and in depth interviews with students, parents, and new media experts was furthermore performed. The results are consistent with the presence of a strong intergenerational divide. The implications of the results for the future organization of educative systems are discussed in the paper.

One of the consequences of the current wave of changes in information and communication technologies is the development of an intergenerational digital divide, that is taking place between "digital natives" and "digital immigrants". In this paper we present the result of a research performed during the course of 2008 to study styles of media consumption and usage among university students. The methodology was based on a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches. A survey research was done, on a sample of 1186 students of the University of Milan-Bicocca, based on a questionnaire administrated through the Intranet of the University. A series of focus groups and in depth interviews with students, parents, and new media experts was furthermore performed. The results are consistent with the presence of a strong intergenerational divide. The implications of the results for the future organization of educative systems are discussed in the paper.

International Journal of Research in English Education, 2019

Digital technology has recently become a ubiquitous feature of the modern era posing problems to higher education institutions. Digitization of the academic life has brought forth the claims that there is an evident disparity between the digital naturals and digital immigrants and that the myth of the former is "undemystifiable." The claim that the new digitized generation has its own distinguished learning preferences, skills of learning and beliefs about learning should make higher education authorities revisit their curricula and "reshuffle the academic cards" so that the digital immigrants could catch up with the fast-running pace of the digitized train and provide the digital natives with what they need for a successful academic life. The overall aim of the present work therefore is to investigate the extent to which the so-called digital natives really have control of the use of educational technology either as part of their self-directed learning practices or as part of formal tertiary teaching, the type of technologies they prefer to use, whether they possess the required digital skills that are important for their future careers, and how vital the digital skills are in boosting their employability. A questionnaire survey was used for doing the objectives of this study. 218 students participated in this study and completed the questionnaire. Then the data were collected and analyzed through frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The findings of the present study indicated that the media change under the created discourse of "moral panic" has unveiled the singularity of this generation and has forced academic authorities to reconsider learning, teaching as well as both skills and employability of such a generation for a better academic higher education system.

2010

2 rusc vol. 7 n.º 1 (2010) | issn 1698-580x Ismael Peña-López

- Verhoeven, Jef C., Heerwegh, Dirk. & De Wit, Kurt (2010) "Information and Communication Technologies in the Life of University Freshmen: An Analysis of Change", Computers & Education, 55 (1), 53-66. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2009.12.002, 2010

The passage from secondary school to university puts students in an environment with different expectations. Not only the expectations towards learning might change, but also towards ICT competences and computer use. The purpose of this article is to find out whether freshmen, after 6 months at the university, changed their self-perception of ICT competences and computer use in comparison with their behaviour at secondary school, and what factors can explain the self-perception of ICT competences and computer use in secondary school, in the university and their possible change. Based on a panel research among 714 freshmen of a large university, this article answers the following questions: (1) What is the self-perception of ICT competences among freshmen and is there a change in this self-perception 6 months after entering the university? (2) How often and for what purpose do freshmen use a computer and is there a change in the frequency of the use of a computer? (3) What factors might influence this attitude, behaviour, and possible change? In function of the basic components of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, & Davis, 2003) hypotheses was developed and tested to answer these questions. Students who consider the computer to be a useful instrument, have control over the computer, possess a certain level of Internet competence, and are at ease with computers are more likely to have the skills needed to maintain a computer, to develop a web site, and to use basic ICT skills. The predictors have little influence on Internet usage. The same predictors contribute modestly to the explanation of the different frequencies of computer use, and a few of the predictors explain parts of change in ICT skills and frequency of computer use.

2010

This paper looks at the results of a longitudinal study on how frequently the Net Generation students (i.e. those born in the 1980s) use technologies in their first year of university. Eight technology groupings were explored including web 2.0, social networking and computer software. The research investigated whether older Net Generation students (21-25 years) used technologies differently to the younger Net Generation students (≤20 years). Additional factors such as gender, university type (distance-learning or place-based) and nationality (UK or International) were accounted for during the study. The research found that nationality and university type were influential factors in determining the frequency of use across all technologies at the beginning of the academic year and continued to be influencing factors along with gender at the end of the academic year. Age only seemed to be an important factor for the use of Web 2.0 and social networking sites but these uses of technology were also dependent on students' university type, gender and nationality. Thus these demographic and social factors have to be considered when analysing technology use or designing educational tools. The findings of this study have implications for research into age-related differences in students' use of digital technologies and universities' digital technologies training provision.

2019

This article focuses on digital skills competence of students in higher education. It is considered to be one of the most prominent scientific research topics in recent decades since it leads to the digital divide. Based on the theory of Bourdieu, this research describes quantitative data with the aim to investigate the presence of the digital divide in higher education. The findings show that the students’ socioeconomic status influences the level of skills development. The relationship between SES and students’ skills shows the presence of the digital divide in higher education that increases learning inequalities. It concludes that the bridging of the digital divide has to be a priority for policies in order to implement new digital teaching and learning processes at all levels of education. New practices also have to be applied in higher education institutions and support students digitally promoting them to acquire sufficient skills and to make more effective use of the Interne...

RIDE Revista Iberoamericana para la Investigación y el Desarrollo Educativo, 2018

Los estudiantes de hoy en día pertenecen a una generación desarrollada alrededor de entornos digitales; son jóvenes —no todos— que pasan su mayor tiempo utilizando dispositivos tecnológicos. En atención a esta realidad, las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) han sido incorporadas a los espacios universitarios a través de modificaciones para que estos jóvenes puedan aprender de una mejor manera. Al respecto, este estudio analiza el nivel de desarrollo de las habilidades digitales que los propios alumnos consideran los identifica al ingresar a sus estudios universitarios, así como otros aspectos que han propiciado este aprendizaje, a través de la aplicación del método cualitativo en 18 estudiantes de nuevo ingreso en la Universidad de Sonora, México. Los resultados muestran que es posible identificar que las TIC se incorporan a la vida de los jóvenes estudiantes en diferentes caminos e inician su preparación para desarrollar habilidades tecnológicas, algunos más pro...

Social Science Computer Review, 2002

This article examines university student perceptions based on area of residence (urban, suburban, and rural) of the digital divide. The results show a medium effect size for the difference in means between the number of times per week urban students access the Internet compared to suburban and rural students. In addition, a medium effect size was found for the difference in means between the perceptions of the students with respect to the item that access to the library can be improved via the Internet in rural areas. Furthermore, the results indicate that there is a medium effect size for the difference in means between the perceptions of the students with regard to the item that social service applications of the Internet are crucial in rural areas. The results also show that students equally perceive the item that rural areas are being left behind with respect to the information superhighway.

British Journal of Educational Technology, 2010

This paper seeks to contribute to the discussion on the current generation of students and their relationship to technology, providing qualitative, empirical information obtained in the Chilean context. The study analyses and discusses the ideas regarding the emergence of a new generation of learners, or digital natives, as characterised by wide-ranging access to digital media and by having new skills and abilities. In-depth interviews held with students and teachers from four different cities in the country are analysed. The data shows evidence of a generation of learners without shared traits, with segments of learners presenting practices that do not characterise the entire generation. In addition, the data shows that the skills and abilities described in the literature do not represent a precise description of those that the students exploit when using technology. Beyond the ability to work simultaneously on several tasks, some learners have the ability to manage the attention that they pay to their work on the computer in sophisticated ways, and although some prefer images to words on paper, among others, there is still a taste for reading actual printed books. All in all, students and teachers describe a certain distance and conflict between the practices with the use of ICTs and their everyday school experiences.