Teacher and Student Perceptions of Digital Skills: A Qualitative Case Study

The idea that today’s learners possess uniquely advanced digital skills continues to persist in the field of education, yet a significant void may exist between the formal digital literacy skills today’s students possess and the essential skills they need to be digitally competent, lifelong learners. The purpose of this research study was to explore teachers’ and students’ perceptions of students’ digital literacy for learning. These two research questions guided the study: 1) How do teachers perceive their students’ digital literacy skills as effective for learning? and 2) How do students perceive their digital literacy skills as effective for learning? Calvani, Fini, and Ranieri’s (2009) Digital Competence Framework served as the theoretical foundation for the study. Fourteen individuals, seven middle school teachers and seven middle school students, participated in the study. The data sources consisted of questionnaires, individual interviews, and focus groups. Data sources were coded and utilized to determine both teachers’ and students’ perceptions of digital literacy for learning. Results of the study indicated that teachers perceived students’ digital literacy skills both positively and negatively. Conversely, students’ perceptions of their digital literacy skills were generally positive. The findings of this study indicated that the students perceived their digital literacy skills much more confidently than teachers perceived those skills. Also, the researcher identified specific negative perceptions of students’ digital literacy skills for learning and provided recommendations for advancing students’ digital competence in the classroom and beyond