ANALYZING THE FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ DIGITAL LITERACY SKILLS DURING COVID-19 PERIOD

Abstract

Digital literacy of primary school pupils is a much-debated issue. Some argue that it enhances the development of children at an early stage of primary education; however, others are rather skeptical. The aim of this paper is to emphasize selected factors that affect the level of digital literacy of pupils in primary education. The presented study is conceived as qualitative research with the usage of the case study method in its center. The research was conducted during the Covid-19 period in 2020. All respondents were born between 2009 and 2010. Families were deliberately chosen to copy the level of education attained by the distribution of this parameter in the Czech Republic. First, we provide the theoretical background to support our approach towards the research. A total of five children attending the fifth grade of primary school were included in the research. Subsequently, based on our results from qualitative research, we discuss factors that affect pupils' digital literacy. Findings of conducted case studies show that the way in which households are equipped with information technology devices influences the final digital literacy of pupils in the first stage of primary schools and, conversely, socio-demographic factors do not have an impact on pupils' level of knowledge and skills in the use of ICT.