Exploring Digital Proficiency Among Mothers of School-going Children in Kerala A Comprehensive Analysis
Main Article Content
Keywords
Digital Technology Adoption, Digital Parenting, Digital Competence, Proficiency Level, Discriminant Analysis
Abstract
Early exposure to social and digital media in this digital age greatly influences children’s lives, leading to an increasing number of parents and educators becoming concerned about the potential negative effects of excessive screen time. By investigating mothers’ digital competencies as informal educators, this study fills a significant research gap. The paper emphasises women as mentors, highlighting their responsibility to supervise and guide their children’s use of digital devices in an era of pervasive connectedness. Using a modified version of the DigCompEdu framework, the study focuses on two essential elements: empowering children; and fostering their understanding of digital competence areas. A thousand homemakers from two wards of the Kochi Corporation area in the Ernakulam district, Kerala, India are included in the study. Discriminant analysis is used to identify four important skill areas that demonstrate significant group differences – between Novice, Basic, Independent, and Proficient user groups. Results imply that tailoring digital literacy programs to mothers’ varying proficiency levels can enhance their ability to navigate digital parenting effectively. Additionally, integrating sociodemographic factors into interventions can ensure relevance and efficacy in addressing digital competence disparities among mothers.
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References
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Juhász, T., Kálmán, B. G., Tóth, A., & Horvath, A. (2022). Digital competence development in a few countries of the European Union. Management & Marketing. Challenges for the Knowledge Society, 17, 178–192. https://doi.org/10.2478/mmcks-2022-0010
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Kallas, K., & Pedaste, M. (2022). How to Improve the Digital Competence for E-Learning? Applied Sciences, 12(13), 6582. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136582
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Martínez-Domínguez, M., & Mora-Rivera, J. (2020). Internet adoption and usage patterns in rural Mexico. Technology in Society, 60, 101226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101226.
Mascheroni, G., & Ólafsson, K. (2014). Net Children Go Mobile: risks and opportunities. Second Edition. Milano: Educatt. https://netchildrengomobile.eu/ncgm/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DEF_NCGM_SecondEdition_Report.pdf
Modecki, K. L., Goldberg, R. E., Wisniewski, P., & Orben, A. (2022). What Is Digital Parenting? A Systematic Review of Past Measurement and Blueprint for the Future. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(6), 1673–1691. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211072458
Mohan, D., Bashingwa, J. J. H., Tiffin, N., Dhar, D., Mulder, N., George, A., & LeFevre, A. E. (2020). Does having a mobile phone matter? Linking phone access among women to health in India: An exploratory analysis of the National Family Health Survey. PLoS ONE, 15(7), e0236078. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236078
Mrisho, D. H. & Dominic, N. A. (2023). Media Literacy: Concept, Theoretical Explanation, and its Importance in the Digital Age. East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 6(1), 78–85. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajass.6.1.1087
Nagy, B., Czigler, I., Csizmadia, P., File, D., Fáy, N., & Gaál, Z. A. (2023). Investigating the involvement of cognitive control processes in innovative and adaptive creativity and their age-related changes. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1033508
Nair, M. K. C., Sumaraj, L., Padmamohan, L., Radhakrishnan, R., Nair, V. R., George, B., & Kumar, G. S. (2007). Parenting practices in Kerala: A cross-sectional study. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 2(1), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450120601122646
Obudho, M. G., Orwa, G. O., Otieno, R. O., & Were, F. A. (2022). Robust Classification through a Nonparametric Kernel Discriminant Analysis. Open Journal of Statistics, 12, 443–455. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojs.2022.124028
Ozerbas, M. A., & Ocal, F. N. (2019). Digital Literacy Competence Perceptions of Classroom Teachers and Parents Regarding Themselves and Parents’ Own Children. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7(5), 1255–1264. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070511
Padilla-Walker, L. M., Carlo, G., & Memmott-Elison, M. K. (2018). Longitudinal change in adolescents’ prosocial behaviour toward strangers, friends, and family. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 28(3), 698–710. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12362.
Potter, W. J. (2004). Argument for the need for a cognitive theory of media literacy. American Behavioural Scientist, 48(2), 266–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764204267274
Rahayu, N. W., & Haningsih, S. (2021, September). Digital parenting competence of mother as informal educator is not inline with Internet access. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 29, 100291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100291
Sela, Y., Zach, M., Amichay-Hamburger, Y., Mishali, M., & Omer, H. (2020). Family environment and problematic Internet use among adolescents: The mediating roles of depression and Fear of Missing Out. Computers in Human Behaviour, 106, 106226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106226
Soldatova, G., & Rasskazova, E. (2014). Assessment of the digital competence in Russian adolescents and parents: Digital Competence Index. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 7(4), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2014.0406
Sulistyo, P. B. (2022). Digital Literacy Competence of Parents in Supervising Their Children Using Digital Media. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 05(02). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v5-i2-32
Tennakoon, H., Saridakis, G., & Mohammed, A.-M. (2018). Child online safety and parental intervention: a study of Sri Lankan Internet users. Information Technology & People, 31, 770–790. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ITP-09-2016-0213
Tomczyk, U. (2018). Digital competences of parents in the matter of electronic threats. SHS Web of Conferences, 48, 01004. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184801004
Vale, A., Pereira, F., Gonçalves, M., & Matos, M. (2018). Cyber-aggression in adolescence and Internet parenting styles: A study with victims, perpetrators and victim-perpetrators. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 88–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.06.021
Wagner, M., & Growe, A. (2022). Patterns of knowledge bases in large city regions in Germany: comparison of cores and their surrounding areas. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 105(3), 284–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/04353684.2022.2141131
Walde, J. (2014). Discriminant Analysis. In Lecture Notes. Department of Statistics. University of Innsbruck. Available at: https://www.uibk.ac.at/statistics/personal/janettewalde/lehre/phd_biology/diskriminanzanalyse.pdf
Yazon, A. D., Ang-Manaig, K., Buama, C. A. C., & Tesoro, J. F. B. (2019). Digital literacy, digital competence and research productivity of Educators. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7, 1734–1743. https://dx.doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070812
Balleys, C. (2022). Familial digital mediation as a gendered issue between parents. Media Culture & Society, 44(8), 1559–1575. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221119020
Benedetto, L., & Ingrassia, M. (2020). Digital parenting: Raising and protecting Children in Media World. In Parent. [Working Title]. IntechOpen. https://www.intechopen.com/online-first/digital-parenting-raisingand-protecting-children-in-media-world.
Biswas, S., & Narendranath. (2015). Kudumbashree-PRI Collaboration in Kerala: An Approach to Poverty Alleviation. In NewsReach. Wileys.
Brande, L., Carretero, S., Vuorikari, R., & Punie, Y. (2018). DigComp 2.0 – The digital competence framework for citizens. European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Publications Office. https://doi.org/10.2791/11517
Brito, A. D., Jacon, A., Queiroz, J., & Valeriano, D. (2017). Mapping the main vegetation types of Cerrado biome in the year 2000, link to GIS files [Dataset]. PANGAEA. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.882605
Carvalho, J., Francisco, R., & Relvas, A. P. (2015). Family functioning and information and communication technologies: How do they relate? A literature review. Computers in Human Behaviour, 45, 99–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.037
Chacko, E. (2003). Marriage, development, and the status of women in Kerala, India. Gender & Development, 11, 52–59.
Chandrasekaran, N., & Purushothaman, R. (2022). Bridgital Nation: Solving Technology’s People Problem. Penguin Books Limited. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=yTbKDwAAQBAJ
Chassiakos, Y. R., Radesky, J., Dimitri, C., Moreno, M. A., & Cross, C. (2016). Children and adolescents and digital media. In American Academy of Pediatrics eBooks (pp. 567–584). https://doi.org/10.1542/9781610020190-part05-children03
Cingel, D. P., & Krcmar, M. (2013). Predicting Media Use in Very Young Children: The Role of Demographics and Parent Attitudes. Communication Studies, 64(4), 374–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2013.770408
Gómez, P., Harris, S. K., Barreiro, C., Isorna, M., & Rial, A. (2017). Profiles of Internet use and parental involvement, and rates of online risks and problematic Internet use among Spanish adolescents. Computers in Human Behaviour, 75, 826–833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.06.027
Gür, D., & Türel, Y. K. (2022). Parenting in the digital age: Attitudes, controls and limitations regarding children’s use of ICT. Computers & Education, 183, 104504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104504
Huang, G., Xiaoqian, L., Chen, W., & Straubhaar, J. D. (2018). Fall-behind parents? The influential factors on digital parenting self-efficacy in disadvantaged communities. American Behavioural Scientist, 62, 1186–1206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0002764218773820.
Ilomäki, L., Paavola, S., Lakkala, M., & Kantosalo, A. (2014). Digital competence – an emergent boundary concept for policy and educational research. Education and Information Technologies, 21, 655–679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-014-9346-4
İnan-Kaya, G., Mutlu-Bayraktar, D., & Yılmaz, Z. (2018). Digital Parenting: Perceptions on Digital Risks. Kalem Uluslararasi Egitim Ve Insan Bilimleri Dergisi, 14(1), 137–163. https://doi.org/10.23863/kalem.2018.96
Juhász, T., Kálmán, B. G., Tóth, A., & Horvath, A. (2022). Digital competence development in a few countries of the European Union. Management & Marketing. Challenges for the Knowledge Society, 17, 178–192. https://doi.org/10.2478/mmcks-2022-0010
Kallarakal, A., & Gonsalvez, J. (2021). Perception of Parents and Children on Parenting in Mala, Kerala, India. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 17(33), 81. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2021.v17n33p81
Kallas, K., & Pedaste, M. (2022). How to Improve the Digital Competence for E-Learning? Applied Sciences, 12(13), 6582. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136582
Law, N., Woo, D., De La Torre, J., & Wong, K. (2018). A Global Framework of Reference on Digital Literacy Skills for Indicator 4.4.2. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Information Paper No.51. https://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/262055/1/Content.pdf
Lin, T.-B., Li, J.-Y., Deng, F., & Lee, L. (2013). Understanding new media literacy: An explorative theoretical framework. Educational Technology and Society, 16(4), 160–170. Available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.16.4.160
Livingstone, S., & Byrne, J. (2018). Parenting in the Digital Age. In Digital Parenting. The Challenges for Families in the Digital Age (pp. 19–30). Nordicom. https://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1535895/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Martínez-Domínguez, M., & Mora-Rivera, J. (2020). Internet adoption and usage patterns in rural Mexico. Technology in Society, 60, 101226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2019.101226.
Mascheroni, G., & Ólafsson, K. (2014). Net Children Go Mobile: risks and opportunities. Second Edition. Milano: Educatt. https://netchildrengomobile.eu/ncgm/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/DEF_NCGM_SecondEdition_Report.pdf
Modecki, K. L., Goldberg, R. E., Wisniewski, P., & Orben, A. (2022). What Is Digital Parenting? A Systematic Review of Past Measurement and Blueprint for the Future. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(6), 1673–1691. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211072458
Mohan, D., Bashingwa, J. J. H., Tiffin, N., Dhar, D., Mulder, N., George, A., & LeFevre, A. E. (2020). Does having a mobile phone matter? Linking phone access among women to health in India: An exploratory analysis of the National Family Health Survey. PLoS ONE, 15(7), e0236078. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236078
Mrisho, D. H. & Dominic, N. A. (2023). Media Literacy: Concept, Theoretical Explanation, and its Importance in the Digital Age. East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 6(1), 78–85. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajass.6.1.1087
Nagy, B., Czigler, I., Csizmadia, P., File, D., Fáy, N., & Gaál, Z. A. (2023). Investigating the involvement of cognitive control processes in innovative and adaptive creativity and their age-related changes. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1033508
Nair, M. K. C., Sumaraj, L., Padmamohan, L., Radhakrishnan, R., Nair, V. R., George, B., & Kumar, G. S. (2007). Parenting practices in Kerala: A cross-sectional study. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 2(1), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450120601122646
Obudho, M. G., Orwa, G. O., Otieno, R. O., & Were, F. A. (2022). Robust Classification through a Nonparametric Kernel Discriminant Analysis. Open Journal of Statistics, 12, 443–455. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojs.2022.124028
Ozerbas, M. A., & Ocal, F. N. (2019). Digital Literacy Competence Perceptions of Classroom Teachers and Parents Regarding Themselves and Parents’ Own Children. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7(5), 1255–1264. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070511
Padilla-Walker, L. M., Carlo, G., & Memmott-Elison, M. K. (2018). Longitudinal change in adolescents’ prosocial behaviour toward strangers, friends, and family. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 28(3), 698–710. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12362.
Potter, W. J. (2004). Argument for the need for a cognitive theory of media literacy. American Behavioural Scientist, 48(2), 266–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764204267274
Rahayu, N. W., & Haningsih, S. (2021, September). Digital parenting competence of mother as informal educator is not inline with Internet access. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 29, 100291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100291
Sela, Y., Zach, M., Amichay-Hamburger, Y., Mishali, M., & Omer, H. (2020). Family environment and problematic Internet use among adolescents: The mediating roles of depression and Fear of Missing Out. Computers in Human Behaviour, 106, 106226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.106226
Soldatova, G., & Rasskazova, E. (2014). Assessment of the digital competence in Russian adolescents and parents: Digital Competence Index. Psychology in Russia: State of the Art, 7(4), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.11621/pir.2014.0406
Sulistyo, P. B. (2022). Digital Literacy Competence of Parents in Supervising Their Children Using Digital Media. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 05(02). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v5-i2-32
Tennakoon, H., Saridakis, G., & Mohammed, A.-M. (2018). Child online safety and parental intervention: a study of Sri Lankan Internet users. Information Technology & People, 31, 770–790. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ITP-09-2016-0213
Tomczyk, U. (2018). Digital competences of parents in the matter of electronic threats. SHS Web of Conferences, 48, 01004. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20184801004
Vale, A., Pereira, F., Gonçalves, M., & Matos, M. (2018). Cyber-aggression in adolescence and Internet parenting styles: A study with victims, perpetrators and victim-perpetrators. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 88–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.06.021
Wagner, M., & Growe, A. (2022). Patterns of knowledge bases in large city regions in Germany: comparison of cores and their surrounding areas. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 105(3), 284–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/04353684.2022.2141131
Walde, J. (2014). Discriminant Analysis. In Lecture Notes. Department of Statistics. University of Innsbruck. Available at: https://www.uibk.ac.at/statistics/personal/janettewalde/lehre/phd_biology/diskriminanzanalyse.pdf
Yazon, A. D., Ang-Manaig, K., Buama, C. A. C., & Tesoro, J. F. B. (2019). Digital literacy, digital competence and research productivity of Educators. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7, 1734–1743. https://dx.doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070812
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Published
Sep 30, 2024
Article Details
How to Cite
Arya, V. S., Sreejith , S., & Rekha, P. (2024). Exploring Digital Proficiency Among Mothers of School-going Children in Kerala: A Comprehensive Analysis. Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy, 12(3), 186–212. https://doi.org/10.18080/jtde.v12n3.969
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Digital Economy & Society
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Author Biographies
V S Arya, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Ernakulam, Kerala, India
VS Arya, Research Scholar, School of Management Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology,
Ernakulam, Kerala, aryavs2020@cusat.ac.in
S Sreejith , School of Legal Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology, India
S Sreejith, Associate Professor, School of Legal Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology,
Ernakulam, Kerala, sreejith@cusat.ac.in
Pillai Rekha, Faculty of Business and Law, British University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
R Pillai, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Business and Law, British University in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, rekha.pillai@buid.ac.ae
