Adaptation of higher education students’ digital skills survey to Russian universities

Abstract

Digital skills are essential for a technologized society. For younger generations, it has become almost necessary to have such skills. This study focuses on a valid and reliable measurement tool to determine the digital skills of university students. The research was carried out with the participation of a total of 463 university students. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to investigate the validity and reliability of the digital skills survey. Consequently, research on the validity and reliability of the digital skills survey in the Russian environment was conducted. 25 items and six factors (access to and management of digital content, digital empathy, use of digital means, digital safety, communication of digital content, creation of digital content) were identified after the analysis. Future research should employ the adapted survey to assess the level of students’ digital skills. In addition, the survey’s validity may be analyzed in the context of other cultures.