Non-cognitive skills and social gaps in digital skills: Evidence from ICILS 2018

Using data from the 2018 round of the International Computer and Literacy Survey (ICILS), this study looks at the effect of non-cognitive skills (e.g., motivation, ambition, and conscientiousness) on digital competences as measured by the Computer and Information Literacy (CIL) test score. Non-cognitive skills may be especially important in low-stakes tests such as ICILS, where students face no consequences — positive or negative — as a result of their performance. The empirical results show that several non-self-reported measures acting as proxies for non-cognitive skills are significant determinants of CIL test scores. Furthermore, the findings point at differences in non-cognitive skills across gender, immigrant background, and socioeconomic status. This suggests that one should be cautious when inferring about inequality in digital competences along these dimensions using low-stakes test scores, and underscores the importance of controlling for non-cognitive skills.

KARPINSKI Zbigniew;  DI PIETRO Giorgio;  BIAGI Federico; 

2023-02-21

ELSEVIER

JRC126809

1041-6080 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1041608022001418,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC126809,   

10.1016/j.lindif.2022.102254 (online),