Measuring Digital Literacy Across Three Age Cohorts: Exploring the Dimensionality and Performance Differences

Abstract

Digital literacy (DL) is an important capacity for students’ learning in a rapidly changing world. However, little is known about how DL may vary among different age cohorts. We apply a comprehensive DL assessment framework to examine the dimensionality of DL using data from three cohorts of school students. Comparisons of unidimensional and multidimensional item response models suggest a unidimensional conceptualization of DL. The results show that secondary school students obtain higher levels of DL compared to primary school students. We also find a gender gap in DL among secondary school students, suggesting that female students outperform male students when in secondary school. We discuss the implications of our findings for the design of DL assessments and for DL education.