A Qualitative Study on Digital Citizenship Education in Primary Schools

In recent years, the number of studies related to digital citizenship has increased amidst the intense use of digital media. The literature, rich in theoretical and empirical examples related to this topic, provides a clear picture of contemporary society. There is little empirical research on digital citizenship education in the early school years. Thus, through this investigation, we aimed to collect qualitative data on the development of specific digital competencies and digital citizenship in primary school students. Therefore, the authors considered it appropriate to use the observation method in its participatory version. Over a year, a group of 29 pupils, aged between 6 and 7, formed the sample to identify how they would develop digital competencies and digital citizenship in the context of formal and non-formal learning experiences. To collect the necessary information, we used the observation protocol, conducted in the form of open-ended questions described by Gay, Mills & Airasian (2006). The results of the study showed that parental educational attainment, family structure, time spent online, and the type of device have an important impact on the development of digital competencies and digital citizenship in young learners.