13
The use of ICTs in the completion of homework and assignments has become intrinsic to the approach to learning pursued by many schools in the wake of the
pandemic 1. This has created a burden on students who struggle with consistent access to ICTs, as it can potentially impact their educational outcomes, engagement in
classwork and digital ability when compared against their peers.
DIGITAL LITERACY ACROSS RESPONDENTS
Student self-assessment of confidence level on a 1 to 5 scale
IMPACT OF LIMITED COMPUTER ACCESS ON CLASSWORK
% of students who have trouble finishing class work and assignments
•
Across all 6 schools, 84% of surveyed students indicated that a lack of adequate
access to a computer meant that they either frequently, often or occasionally had
trouble finishing class work and assignments.
•
Limited access impacted the sample of students beyond their required homework and
assignments, with 85% of surveyed students indicating they either frequently, often or
occasionally had trouble finding information they would like to learn about due to lack
of access.
•
At the conclusion of the survey students were invited to self-rank their confidence in their
digital ability on a scale from 1 to 5. 94% of students indicating they are confident
using a computer, with the average of all responses at 4.4.
•
While students have self-ranked themselves as highly competent, research suggests that
Australian secondary students have limited knowledge about how to troubleshoot issues
or maintain the functionality of computers. This is supported by the National Assessment
of Information and Communication Skills (NAP-ICT) finding that only 50% of Year 6 and
Year 10 students achieved a proficient standard in ICT in 2017 2.
1.
Gonski Institute for Education UNSW, 2021, Growing Up Digital Australia: Phase 2 technical report, Growing Up Digital (unsw.edu.au)
2.
National Assessment Program, 2017, NAP Samples Assessment in ICT Literacy, https://www.nap.edu.au/results-and-reports/national-reports
St Johns Park
High School
Swan View
Senior High
School
79%
VIC University
Secondary
School
Wirreanda
Secondary
School
Woodridge
State High
School
Loganlea State
High School
88%
95%
65%
100%
86%
4.6
4.1
4.0
4.6
3.7
5.0
St Johns Park
High School
Swan View
Senior High
School
Loganlea State
High School
Woodridge
State High
School
Wirreanda
Secondary
School
Vic University
Secondary
School
Legend
Survey 1 Data
Students indicated that restricted access has affected their ability to complete
school work, however, this did not affect their confidence in using computers