The Degree to Which Digital Literacy Is Included in National Curriculum Standards

(Ahmed Y. Fagehi and Meznah R. Almutairy )

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Abstract

Standards are the backbone of developing curricula and educational systems, as they precisely define what should be learned. Additionally, the integration of skills in curricula ensures that they are targeted in teaching and learning processes and thus acquired by learners. This study aims to analyze the national curriculum standards to reveal their level of inclusion of digital literacy. The descriptive approach was applied using the content analysis method, with a content analysis card used as the data collection tool. The results show that digital literacy is an essential component of the national standards (with a total percentage of 16%), is integrated seamlessly, and covers new trends in technology education, such as digital ethics and cybersecurity. The results also reveal that digital literacy standards are distributed into four categories, targeted in varying proportions, as follows: Using Digital Devices and Tools (54%), Searching for Information (28%), Ethics, Cybersecurity, and Societal Impact (11%), and Digital Communication and Collaboration (7%). The study recommends exploring the readiness of teachers to meet the requirements of digital literacy standards in terms of confidence, knowledge, and ability.
KEYWORDS
digital skills, curriculum standards, digital competencies, content analysis, digital citizenship, technology education

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References

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