Introduction to the IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2018

Abstract

IEA's International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) was developed in response to the increasing use of ICT in modern society and the need for people to have the capabilities necessary to participate effectively in a digital world. This report presents results from the ICILS survey in 2018 and provides an international perspective on students' computer and information literacy (CIL) across 12 countries: Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Portugal, the United States, and Uruguay. In addition, the city of Moscow (Russian Federation) and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) participated as benchmarking entities. Eight countries completed computational thinking (CT) assessment: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Korea, Luxembourg, Portugal, and the United States. The CT assessment was also completed by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) as a benchmarking participant. ICILS 2018 is based on a series of research questions addressing variations in CIL and CT and how student characteristics and learning contexts relate to CIL and CT. The CIL framework, comprised four strands: understanding computer use, gathering information, producing information, and digital communication. The CT framework comprised two strands (conceptualizing problems and operationalizing solutions). ICILS 2018 also collected contextual information to inform a better understanding variations in CIL and CT, including information about the pedagogical use of ICT at schools and the general use of ICT by students in and outside school. The report provides observations and interpretations that may stimulate further investigation into the computer and information literacy of school students.