Teaching and Assessment of Digital Literacy in School Education: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Abstract

The integration of digital technologies into general school education, across all curriculum subjects, is a global megatrend. At the same time, researchers highlight the limited research on the concept of digital literacy. This study addresses a research gap arising from the insufficient investigation into the practical aspects of teaching and assessing digital literacy. The aim of this qualitative systematic review is to explore and conceptualise teaching and assessment approaches to digital literacy within general school education, with a focus on ISCED stages 1, 2, and 3, corresponding to students aged 6 to 18. It is guided by two research questions: (1) How is students' digital literacy taught? and (2) How is students' digital literacy assessed? The following databases were used to search for publications: EBSCOhost, Scopus, and Web of Science. Using two search strings, 22 peer-reviewed empirical studies that met the search criteria were selected, analysed, and conceptualised. In response to Research Question 1 on how students' digital literacy is taught, the findings of this study describe two approaches: the natural development approach, which follows an informal, unstructured process, and the constructivist approach, which is academically guided and structured. Regarding Research Question 2 on how students' digital literacy is assessed, the findings of this study present two approaches, reflecting a process-based (formative) and a result-based (summative) perspective. This study contributes to the current dialogue on digital literacy in education, and its findings can help educators in teaching and assessing students' digital literacy across all curriculum subjects.