How computer-savvy are Swedish students really?

CAREER

Swedish teenagers live a large part of their lives online. At school, they must learn digital skills. But how computer-savvy are the students really?

For the first time, the IT competence among Swedish students has been widely tested, in a large international measurement.

Sweden was early in building up the IT infrastructure and the Swedish tech industry has grown to such an extent that it cracked. There have also been major investments in IT in the school and the curriculum states that all subjects must contribute to developing the students’ digital competence.

But only now is there an announcement about the digital competence Swedish students have. On Tuesday, November 12, the results will be published in the international study Icils, where eighth graders in 34 countries have been tested. Icils 2023 is the third measurement, but for Sweden it is the first.

Neighboring country at the top

Other countries in the survey include the Nordic neighbors Denmark, Finland and Norway. Incidentally, Denmark had the best result the second time Icils was conducted in 2018, followed by South Korea and Finland. It should be added that fewer countries participated then.

The overall result from Icils 2018 was otherwise that students of junior high school age have certainly grown up with toads, mobile phones and computers, but that many cannot work independently with the computer as a work tool. Almost one in five students did not even reach a basic level. Access is not enough, education is also needed, stated the research organization IEA.

The upcoming report can therefore provide interesting answers to whether there has been an improvement – and how Swedish students compare to their peers in other school systems.

General education

But what kind of knowledge are the students expected to have?

Icil’s central part examines the extent to which students can search for relevant information online and compile and present it digitally. The test also examines students’ knowledge of source criticism and awareness of digital risks such as scam emails and fake accounts.

– You can say that it is general education in a digitized society with a multitude of information but also misinformation, says Fredrik Aspling, Education Council at the Swedish National Agency for Education.

The study also examines how good the students are at the basics of programming. Sweden also participates in this part, which is nationally optional.

– It is also important in view of Sweden’s competitiveness. These are skills that are highly sought after on the job market, says Fredrik Aspling.

Furthermore, programming has been part of the mathematics and technology subjects in primary school since 2018.

In addition to the tests, principals, teachers and students have also answered questionnaires.