In the current contribution, we investigated how (1) the levels of operational, formal, information, and strategic internet skills changed between 2010 and 2013, and how (2) the observed skill ...patterns differ across gender, age, and education. All internet skills are measured among representative samples of the Dutch population in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Cross-sectional data are repeated to consider patterns of change at the aggregate level. The levels of operational and formal internet skills increased most. Information internet skill remained more or less consistent, and strategic internet skills only revealed a very small increase. Policies related to internet skills are largely aimed at improving basic skills among specific target groups. Future policies should shift towards improving information and strategic skills, which will be a more difficult challenge. Gender, age, and educational background are all important variables related to skill inequalities. As age increases, internet skill levels decrease. Information internet skills only increased for people aged over 65 years between 2010 and 2013. It seems that the gain in operational and formal internet skills among older people results in a better performance on information internet skills. The higher educated, the higher the levels of all four internet skills. The skills gap between the higher educated, on the one hand, and lower and middle educated, on the other hand, increased, while the gap between low and middle educated decreased. We expect that a particular share of inequality concerning information and strategic internet skills will remain and that these inequalities are long lasting.
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•Internet skills are conditional for obtaining Internet-of-Things (IoT) skills.•People’s IoT skill assessments are important for accepting the IoT.•IoT attitude does not affect actual use.•IoT use ...derives from pragmatic considerations: it seems useful.
The present study investigates whether skills associated with operating the Internet-of-Things (IoT) contribute to the acceptance and (intended) usage of IoT technology and investigates to what extent these IoT skills are influenced by Internet skills. Extending the technology acceptance model (TAM), we conducted an online survey among 1356 respondents, a sample representative of the Dutch population. The results revealed that IoT skills directly contribute to IoT use and testify to the relevance of the TAM for predicting IoT acceptance and usage. However, people’s attitudes towards the IoT did not influence its acceptance, suggesting that users are not yet fully aware of how IoT use affects their privacy and quality of life in general. Furthermore, the results revealed that several Internet skills are an important precedent for IoT acceptance and usage. Mobile, information navigation, social, and creative Internet skills directly or indirectly contributed to the level of IoT skills. It can be concluded that people’s assessments of their IoT skills and that pragmatic considerations are important for its acceptance and that being skilled in using the IoT requires sufficient Internet skills.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Proxy internet use has been identified as a viable strategy for achieving tangible internet outcomes and overcoming digital exclusion. In this study, we distinguish between proxy users who perform ...online activities for others and users-by-proxy, for whom activities are performed. We present a conceptual extension of the model of compound and sequential digital exclusion. We propose 18 hypotheses to understand how proxy use and use-by-proxy mediate the effects of internet skills on internet uses and outcomes. The model was tested using a path analysis based on data from a nationally representative sample of 535 internet users in Slovenia (males: 48.6%; age range: 18–84 years; M = 42.0 years). The results showed positive pathways between operational and creative skills, proxy use, internet uses, and outcomes. Internet users with high operational and creative skills, who were proxy users, expanded their online engagement and increased their tangible outcomes. Conversely, creative skills were negatively associated with use-by-proxy, which had no significant effects on internet uses and outcomes. Overall, our findings reveal a multidimensional aspect of indirect internet use and its importance in achieving digital equality, highlighting the importance of framing proxy internet use within established models of digital exclusion.
•Proxy use and use-by-proxy were studied in a sequential model of digital inclusion.•Operational and creative skills were positive predictors of proxy use.•Proxy use had a positive effect on use-by-proxy, internet uses and outcomes.•Creative skills were negatively associated with use-by-proxy among internet users.•Use-by-proxy had a limited potential for fostering inclusive digital engagement.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
24.
Being Media Literate in Croatia Brajdić Vuković, Marija; Bilić, Paško
Revija za sociologiju,
2023, Volume:
53, Issue:
2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
This paper combines social practice theory, new literacy studies, and critical media literacy. Media literacy allows citizens to participate in society through traditional and digital media. Using ...existing survey instruments such as the News Literacy Scale and the Internet Skills Survey with originally developed items, we observe media literacy as a social practice encompassing the dimensions of critical thinking, content production, and technical skills. The three dimensions were further operationalised into additive scales of the Critical perception of traditional news media (CPTNMS), Critical perception of digital tools (CPODTS), Media and social justice issues (MSJIS), Content production (CPSS), and Internet information search skills (IISSS). The results from a stratified survey conducted on a sample of adult Croatian citizens (n=1033), representative of gender, age, region, and education, show that age is the main predictor for all scales. The relation between scales shows a positive correlation between CPTNMS, CPODTS, and MSJIS. At the same time, CPTNMS, CPODTS, and MSJIS correlate negatively with the IISS. Those less skilled in internet search are less critical of traditional media and digital tools and are less convinced that media should cover social justice issues. Additionally, being more skilled in content production does not imply any other attitudinal relationship except for a negative association with the lack of IISSS. This paper contributes to the operationalisation of media literacy for sociological research and a better understanding of media literacy in the general population of Croatia.
U ovom se radu koriste teorije društvene prakse, nove studije pismenosti i kritike medijske pismenosti. Medijska pismenost omogućuje građanima sudjelovanje u društvu putem tradicionalnih i digitalnih medija. Primjenom odabranih dimenzija postojećih instrumenata kao što su News media literacy scale i Internet skills survey te originalno razvijenih čestica, medijsku pismenost promatramo kao društvenu praksu kritičkog mišljenja, proizvodnje sadržaja i dimenzije tehničkih vještina. Tri su dimenzije dalje operacionalizirane u aditivne ljestvice kritičke percepcije tradicionalnih medija (KPTM), kritičke percepcije digitalnih alata (KPDA), društvene uključivosti u medijima (DUM), proizvodnje sadržaja (PS) i vještina pretraživanja internetskih informacija (PII). Rezultati istraživanja provedenog na uzorku odraslih hrvatskih građana (n=1033) reprezentativnih za spol, dob, regiju i obrazovanje pokazuju da je dob glavni prediktor za sve ljestvice. Odnos između ljestvica pokazuje pozitivnu korelaciju između KPTM-a, KPDA-a i DUM-a. U isto vrijeme, KPTM, KPDA i DUM u negativnoj su korelaciji s PII-jem. Oni manje vješti u internetskom pretraživanju manje su kritični prema tradicionalnim medijima i digitalnim alatima i manje su uvjereni da mediji trebaju pokrivati pitanja društvene uključivosti. Također, biti vještiji u proizvodnji sadržaja ne podrazumijeva nikakav drugi odnos, samo onaj koji se odnosi na negativnu povezanost s nedostatkom PII-ja. Ovaj rad pridonosi operacionalizaciji medijske pismenosti za sociološka istraživanja i boljem razumijevanju medijske pismenosti u općoj populaciji u Hrvatskoj.
Background
Online and blended learning need an appropriate assessment strategy which ensures academic integrity. During the pandemic, many universities have chosen for online proctoring. Although ...some earlier examples suggest that online proctoring may reduce cheating, the potential side‐effects of proctoring are largely unknown.
Objectives
Therefore, this study aims to identify the effects of proctoring on students' self‐reported temptation to cheat and potentially undesirable side‐effects, including test anxiety, perceived exam difficulty, and performance. In addition, we examine which contextual and student characteristics affect test anxiety during online exams.
Methods
For this, we collected four waves of survey data throughout a year of teaching during the pandemic at one faculty of a Dutch university, resulting in a total sample of 1760 students within 105 courses.
Results and Conclusions
Multi‐level analyses showed that while proctoring had no effect on the temptation to cheat, exam difficulty or performance, students reported higher levels of test anxiety. Some learning strategies, internet literacy, access to a reliable technology and a dedicated study space as well as gender and financial stress affect their test anxiety. To conclude, the decision to use online proctoring needs to consider the undesirable side‐effect on test anxiety. We discuss practical implications for university administrators, educational designers and teachers to reduce test anxiety.
Lay Description
What is already known about this topic
Proctoring is often used to ensure academic integrity in online exams.
Some evidence shows that proctoring reduces cheating.
Little is known about the potential negative side‐effects of proctoring.
What this paper adds
The use of proctoring has no effect on the temptation to cheat.
The use of proctoring results in increased test anxiety.
Several student characteristics and contextual factors reduce text anxiety.
Implications for practice
Consider potential negative side‐effects when choosing for proctoring.
Time management and internet literacy training might reduce test anxiety.
Simulating the exam environment might be used to reduce test anxiety.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The emergence of social network sites and online communities has offered new possibilities for older adults to stay socially connected and older adults comprise a growing user group of social media. ...This paper examines the relationship between older adults' online social engagement and social capital based on a national survey of adults aged 60 and over. Findings show that older adults who engage more often in specific online social activities (i.e., asking questions on social media, looking at photos of family members/others) enjoy greater bridging social capital (both in offline and online contexts) than those who do so less often. Furthermore, Internet skills moderate the relationship between online social engagement and social capital. Specifically, older adults with greater Internet skills benefit relatively more from engaging in specific online social activities more often with respect to online bridging. The paper discusses the implications for digital inequality scholarship.
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Although Sweden is one of the most digitalized countries and the Swedish population’s use of the internet is among the most studied in the world, little is known about how Swedes with disabilities ...use internet. The purpose of this study is to describe use of and perceived difficulties in use of the internet among people with disabilities and to explore digital divides in-between and within disability groups, and in comparison with the general population. This is a cross-sectional survey targeting the same issues as other nationwide surveys but adapted for people with cognitive disabilities. Participants were recruited from May to October 2017 by adaptive snowball sampling. The survey comprised questions on access to and use of devices, and use of and perceived difficulties in use of internet. A total of 771 people responded to the survey, representing 35 diagnoses/impairments. Larger proportions of people with autism, ADHD and bipolar disorder reported using internet than other disability groups. Women with autism used the internet more than any other disability group, and women with aphasia used the internet the least. People with disabilities related to language and understanding reported more difficulties using internet than other disability groups. Larger proportions of participants than the general Swedish population reported not feeling digitally included. In many but not all disability groups, larger proportions of men than women reported not feeling digitally included. Our findings show that there are differences in digital inclusion between sub-groups of diagnoses/impairments. Thus, disability digital divides are preferably investigated by sub-grouping disabilities, rather than studied as one homogeneous group.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
An increasing number of older adults integrate the Internet in their daily life. Although undertaking a greater range of online activities offers enhanced opportunities to live a self-determined and ...socially connected life, understanding of the breadth of Internet use is still limited. We address this gap by examining how individual factors representing inequalities between groups of older adults in society are associated with the breadth of their Internet use. The study analyzed survey data collected in 2017 from older adults living in a city in Germany (N = 1,136, age 65-90 years). The group of Internet users comprised of 69.0% (784) of participants, exhibited high levels of autonomy in outdoor activities (87.8%), and reported, on average, 4.92 online activities (SD = 2.31, range 1-8). Linear regression analysis showed positive associations for perceiving higher levels of behavioral control (PBC) in using digital technologies, being male and younger, and holding an academic degree. No associations were found for having medium level of education, living together with someone, and reporting better health. These findings highlight that despite the increased percentage of users, digital inequality regarding the range of online activities prevails. This inequality impedes subgroups of older adults to prepare for future situations in which online activities could substitute outdoor activities that might not be possible anymore. Interventions for these subgroups should emphasize digital skills that facilitate engagement in diverse online activities covering various purposes and life domains.
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