National Assessment Program--ICT Literacy Years 6 &amp; 10 Report, 2005
Author: Ainley, John
Date: 2007-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Familiarity,Computer Software,Information Technology,Information Sources,Educational Technology,Information Literacy,Program Validation,Achievement Gains,Achievement Rating,Technological Literacy,Mass Media Effects,Mass Media Use,National Surveys,Educational Assessment,Educational Indicators,Elementary School Students,Evaluation Methods,Questionnaires,Individual Differences,Knowledge Level,Computer Attitudes,Performance Factors,Measures (Individuals),Psychometrics,Foreign Countries

This report is based on the assessment of ICT (information and communication technology) literacy conducted in October 2005. It describes the development of a computer-based tool for assessing ICT literacy among school students and the application of that tool with a nationally representative sample of approximately 7,400 students from Years 6 and 10 in nearly 520 Australian schools. The report describes the development, validation and refinement of a progress map that identifies a progression of ICT literacy. It describes the ICT literacy levels of Australian school students overall and for particular groups of students. Overall, the results indicate that there is variation among students in ICT literacy. One should not assume that students are uniformly becoming adept because they use ICT so widely in their daily lives. The results of the assessment survey suggest that students use ICT in a relatively limited way and this is reflected in the overall level of ICT literacy. Communication with peers and using the internet to look up information are frequent applications but there is much less frequent use of applications that involve creating, analysing or transforming information. Lack of familiarity with these latter types of application appears to be reflected in students' ICT literacy. Overall, 49 per cent of Year 6 students attained the proficient standard for that Year level by being able to: &quot;generate simple general search questions and select the best information source to meet a specific purpose, retrieve information from given electronic sources to answer specific, concrete questions, assemble information in a provided simple linear order to create information products, use conventionally recognised software commands to edit and reformat information products&quot;. Sixty-one per cent of Year 10 students reached or exceeded the proficient standard for Year 10 by indicating that they were able to: &quot;generate well targeted searches for electronic information sources and select relevant information from within sources to meet a specific purpose, create information products with simple linear structures and use software commands to edit and reformat information products in ways that demonstrate some consideration of audience and communicative purpose&quot;. There are substantial differences between Year 6 and Year 10 suggesting that considerable growth in ICT proficiency takes place over these four years. Within each Year level there are differences associated with socioeconomic background, Indigenous status and remote geographic locations (compared to metropolitan locations). Appended are: (1) Survey Design and Sampling Procedures; (2) Sample Characteristics; and (3) Percentage Distributions by Proficiency Level. (Contains 59 tables, 9 figures and 23 footnotes.)