Digital natives: Where is the evidence?

Abstract

Generational differences are seen as the cause of wide shifts in our ability to engage with technologies and the concept of the digital native has gained popularity in certain areas of policy and practice. This paper provides evidence, through the analysis of a nationally representative survey in the UK, that generation is only one of the predictors of advanced interaction with the Internet. Breadth of use, experience, gender and educational levels are also important, indeed in some cases more important than generational differences, in explaining the extent to which people can be defined as a digital native. The evidence provided suggests that it is possible for adults to become digital natives, especially in the area of learning, by acquiring skills and experience in interacting with information and communication technologies. This paper argues that we often erroneously presume a gap between educators and students and that if such a gap does exist, it is definitely possible to close it.

Digital Literacy in Higher Education: The Rhetoric and the Reality

“…Many have debated Prensky's (2001) central premise that being born in a particular time period reliably predicts digital literacy (Burdick & Wills, 2011;Helsper & Eynon, 2010). Such critics argue that digital natives can better be classified by what one can do with technology rather than when one is born.…”

“…Such critics argue that digital natives can better be classified by what one can do with technology rather than when one is born. These researchers suggest that breadth of use, experience, gender and educational levels are more important predictors of internet and technology savvy than a birth date (Burdick & Wills, 2011;Helsper & Eynon, 2010). Researchers have also noted that even though digital natives have grown up immersed in technology, using this technology for learning requires different skills and strategies than just using the technology for socialising or for routine tasks (Aziz, 2010;Margaryan, Littlejohn, & Vojt, 2011;Ng, 2012).…”

“…This view is supported by evidence from learning based on computer games, which require their users to deal with multiple sources of information simultaneously within a constantly changing context (Apperley & Walsh, 2012). While this ability to multitask appears to be more comfortable for young people, the effectiveness of multitasking in a learning environment has been questioned as it may result in cognitive overload and loss of concentration (Helsper & Eynon, 2010). Additionally, while there is a wealth of information available online, it is uncertain whether digital natives have the skills or tools to critically assess the quality of the information they access, an essential skill in higher education (Helsper & Eynon, 2010).…”

“…While this ability to multitask appears to be more comfortable for young people, the effectiveness of multitasking in a learning environment has been questioned as it may result in cognitive overload and loss of concentration (Helsper & Eynon, 2010). Additionally, while there is a wealth of information available online, it is uncertain whether digital natives have the skills or tools to critically assess the quality of the information they access, an essential skill in higher education (Helsper & Eynon, 2010). Commencing students' ability to use the internet varies according to their ability to locate, evaluate, and use online information with many possessing low self-reported perceptions of skills in this area.…”

Students in higher education: Social and academic uses of digital technology

“…However, the assumption that there is a generation of young people -born between 1980 and 1994 -who are characterized by their familiarity and confidence with digital technologies, and who have different learning styles and behavioural characteristics, has been called into question internationally on the basis of rigorous studies by Bennett, Maton and Kervin (2008), Pedró (2009), Brown and Czerniewicz (2010), Corrin, Lockyer and Bennett (2010), Helsper and Eynon (2010), Kennedy, Judd, Dalgarno and Waycott (2010), Bullen, Morgan and Qayyum (2011), Rapetti (2012), and Romero, Guitert, Sangrà and Bullen (2013). Indeed, some of these studies suggest that students of the same age vary greatly in the way they use technology.…”