Students in Germany: Digital skills in a descent!

Students in Germany: Digital skills in a descent!

The digital revolution is in full swing, and the question of how well our students can handle it is becoming increasingly urgent! The “International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2023” (ICILS 2023) illuminates the digital skills of eighth graders in Germany and shows alarming trends. For the third time after 2013 and 2018, it will be examined how well our young people are trained in dealing with digital media. The University of Paderborn conducts this important study, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). 230 schools from all 16 federal states are involved and the results are a clear wake -up call!

The results are sobering: Germany is over the international average of 476 points with 502 points in the area of ​​computer and information-related skills, but the trend shows a worrying decline. Over 40 percent of the eighth graders only reach the lower two competence levels, and in non-high school schools it is even more than 55 percent! Prof. Dr. Birgit Eickelmann, scientific director of the study, warns: "We urgently have to support the non-high school forms!" The digital gap is becoming increasingly clear, and the need for targeted teacher training and modern teaching methods is more urgent than ever.

urgent need for action in digital education

The Icils 2023 shows that despite the progress in the technological equipment of the schools there is still a lot to do. 70 percent of the teachers now use digital media in class, but only 25 percent of the students indicate to use them for school tasks every day. Eickelmann emphasizes the discrepancy between the wishes of the students and the reality: "90 percent of the students are motivated to learn with digital media!" It is high time to create students -oriented and meaningful learning arrangements that use the potential of digital media and AI.

Another critical point is the "Computational Thinking" area. Here the study shows that Germany lags behind in international comparison with an average of only 479 points. While other European countries have already firmly anchored this area of ​​competence in the curriculum, Germany remains. However, the University of Paderborn is committed to innovative teacher training to better prepare the next generation of teachers for the digital future.