Basic Education Students’ Digital Competence in the Area of Communication: The Influence of Online Communication and the Use of Social Networks

Abstract

The global public health crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that digital competence in education is no longer an option, but a necessity. Online communication with friends using social networks is an activity in which young people very frequently and at increasingly early ages engage. This article presents the results of a study analyses digital-competence levels in the area of communication of Spanish basic-education students (aged 12–16) and establishes whether online communication with friends and the use of social media impact it. A quantitative methodology with a descriptive and cross-sectional design was used. The sample comprised 807 students, and data collection was based on a problem-solving test. Findings show that students who use online communication with their friends very often and that those who use social networks a lot have lower levels of digital competence. Education centres should reflect on this in order to implement curricular programs that may strengthen this type of competence.

Framework for using online social networks for sustainability awareness

“…Through content analysis, this study proposes a framework composed of four research categories that show different ways of contributing to the current knowledge on the topic. Awareness of public policies toward sustainable development Vargas et al (2019), Kurland (2011), Purcell (2019, Winkler et al (2022), Albanesi et al (2014), Evans and Powell (2007), Jiang et al (2019), Reeves (2019), Hurajova et al (2022), Cabezas-Gonzalez et al (2021, Srebotnjak and Norgaard (2017) Implementation of sustainable development concepts in higher education institutions Kolleck et al (2011), Goritz et al (2019), Kolleck (2019) Maruyama et al (2021), Akhtar et al (2018), Cui and Wang (2022) Encourage people to change their attitudes and behavior to avoid climate change Kolleck et al (2017), Kolleck and Yemini (2020) To promote sustainability awareness and sustainable behavior by intergovernmental organizations Bellantuono et al (2022), Franquesa-Soler and Sandoval-Rivera (2019), Hays et al (2020) Awareness about the 17 sustainable development goals Abid et al (2017), Delgadillo et al (2020Delgadillo et al ( ), (2018, Chiffoleau (2005), Furman et al (2014) To promote sustainable agriculture Gossling (2021), Schubert et al (2021), Song et al (2021), Kim et al (2020) To promote sustainable consumption Kolleck and Bormann (2014) To promote innovation Zhang and Zhang (2018) To promote sustainable tourism Tan et al (2017) To promote sustainable urbanization in China Westoby and Lyons (2017) To use transformative social learning to foster a more sustainable society Source(s): Author's own, 202...…”

Design and Validation of a Novel Tool to Assess Citizens’ Netiquette and Information and Data Literacy Using Interactive Simulations

“…Thus, a new scenery emerges for understanding human relations, from how interpersonal skills are exercised online to how social behaviours are exhibited in groups and online communities [61]. Cabezas-González et al found that individuals who communicate online frequently and make use of social networks very frequently tend to show lower levels of DC, contrary to expectations [62]. So, it is of great importance to investigate the current education of individuals in communication and collaboration and in netiquette too [63].…”