According to the study, 40 percent of eighth graders are not fit to use the computer

Almost all young people are online – but many cannot use digital technology competently. According to a study, around 40 percent of eighth graders only have rudimentary skills – a number that is increasing.

Almost 70 percent of first graders now have access to a tablet or smartphone – and almost all teenagers are online. But how well can young people use smartphones and tablets and reflect on digital media and use them productively? The international comparative study “International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2023” (ICILS) investigated this question.

“Rudimentary skills”

Accordingly, German students are at risk of losing out: The average computer and information-related skills of eighth graders in Germany have declined significantly compared to previous studies from 2013 and 2018. Around 40 percent of eighth graders only have very “rudimentary (…) skills in competent use” of computers. According to the authors, this is a worryingly high proportion.

“These 40 percent of young people who we think are digital natives can basically only click and switch,” said study director Birgit Eickelmann during a press conference at the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs in Berlin. The term digital natives refers to people who grew up with digital media and devices and were exposed to them from an early age.

Everyday tests on the computer

For example, it was tested whether the students know which programs they can use to open certain files, whether they know file endings or whether they recognize how credible the researched information is. More difficult tasks require students to create a digital presentation explaining to younger students how human breathing works or to design an information sheet for a museum tour.

The result: Only a negligible proportion of young people are really good at using computers and are able to independently determine information, evaluate it reliably and create sophisticated information products. Only 1.1 percent of eighth graders reach this highest level of competence. Five years ago it was 1.9 percent.

I am international Comparison above midfield

The representative sample involved around 5,000 students and around 2,300 teachers at 230 schools in Germany. Accordingly, in an international comparison, German students, with 502 points achieved, are currently still above the average of all 35 countries involved in the study (476) and the average of the 22 participating EU countries (493). Students in Germany achieved a significantly higher level of competence at high schools with 559 points than at other types of schools (472 points).

For the study, around 5,000 eighth grade students in all federal states were tested on computers in the spring and early summer of 2023. In addition, young people from more than 30 countries, including 22 EU countries, took part in the survey. In an international comparison, Germany ranks in the upper midfield. The participants in South Korea performed significantly better. In Europe, Czech eighth graders were the fittest on the PC.

Minister will use funds differently

The new Federal Education Minister Cem Özdemir said that the results of the study financed by his institution show that a holistic concept for digital education is needed. “He was worried that digital skills were also linked to social and future-specific factors,” said the Green politician. Schools need good equipment, but teachers must also be able to teach children how to use digital media safely and independently.

He is therefore counting on the talks on the so-called Digital Pact 2.0 with the countries to be successful, said Özdemir. The negotiations between the federal and state governments to continue the digital pact were among his official activities. Ms. Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) came to no conclusion. With the digital pact that expired in May, the federal government had supported IT equipment in schools with around 6.5 billion euros since 2019. In the future, federal funds should also be used for the development of pedagogy and media didactics, said Özdemir.

According to the ICILS study, the first digital pact has had an impact: in 2018, an average of almost ten students in Germany had to share a school digital device, but in 2023 there were only five. The proportion of teachers who use digital media in class every day rose from 9.1 percent in 2013 to 69.9 percent most recently. Here too, Germany is above the international comparative value (61.2 percent).

Researchers are calling for more support in schools

Researchers at the University of Paderborn, who coordinated the study’s representation in Germany, are calling for more support, especially for types of school beyond high schools. This is “targeted, continuous and contemporary teacher training”. School management should become “digital learning leaders”, i.e. promote the topic.