As an important indicator in predicting digital divide, the level of digital skills has been discussed and well enough studied by many western scholars. A variety of instruments have been theoretically and empirically developed to measure digital skills of netizens or adults in western countries, such as Internet Skills Scale (van Deursen et al., 2016), Digital Literacy and Safety Scale (Sonck et al., 2011), Digital Literacy Model (Ng., 2012), etc. However, there are still few concerns on digital skills scale for children, esp. in developing countries, like China.
This paper aims to develop a reliable and valid digital skills scale for Chinese school children based on solid theoretical ground and conceptual framework. The definition and construct of digital skills, as well as the validity and reliability assessment of the scale, are all targeted in this study. A cross-sectional investigation was conducted in Shanghai, which is a typical metropolitan city in China, among urban-rural school children by random cluster sampling (N
= 3217).
Four steps were designed to achieve the research goal. The first step was a literature review to develop the initial framework and instrument of DSS-SC. Then, thirty in-depth interviews (half pupils and half middle school students) were held to improve the DSS-SC items. Next, an exploratory factor analysis with a random sample of 1636 primary and middle school students was executed, to refine the latent scale constructs and the related items. Finally, a random sample of 1581 primary and middle school students was used for confirmatory factor analysis to examine the consistency of the factor structure and refine the items to improve the validity and model fit. Four types of invariance (configural, metric, scalar and uniqueness) were tested, which indicated excellent invariance for comparisons for CFI, RMSEA and SRMR indicators. The test validated that the DSS-SC can be used across different children groups.
The findings are theoretical and empirically consistent instruments consisting of 22 items in 5 dimensions of digital skills, which are Operational Skills, Mobile Skills, Creative Skills, Social Skills, and Safety Skills. Among these dimensions, Safety Skills are quite indispensable for children as it can help them realize online risks properly and attain positive outcomes of digital uses. Moreover, this survey indicated that children were least confident in their creative skills. It implied that Chinese schools should put more emphasis on teaching creative skills to school-age children.
Digital skills are must-have competencies for children to fully participate in educational, social, and cultural life in future. This study proposed and consolidated a reliable and valid DSS-SC in Chinese contexts, which filled the gap in digital divide research. Also, the DSS-SC is potentially promising in other countries if it could be validated in future studies. It provided theoretical and practical significance in future digital education, practice, and policy evaluation.