Distance Learning as a Means of Digital Skills Development in High School and University Students

Abstract

The present research featured the readiness of university and high school students for distance learning as a means of improving their digital skills. The survey was conducted in October 2020 and involved 807 students from schools and universities of Nizhny Novgorod aged 14–24 (M=18, SD=2.22; 62.6 % female, 37.4 % male). Six focus groups included 63 students aged 17–24 (M=18, SD=1.83; 65 % female, 35 % male). The study showed that the readiness of young people for distance learning depended on their awareness of how digital technologies changed human life during the pandemic. The research revealed four types of young people with different attitudes to distance learning. Awareness of the impact of digitalization appeared to be a powerful motivator for the use of distance learning to develop digital competencies. The constraining factors included emotional and volitional immaturity, orientation to hedonistic values, confidence in one’s own digital competence, and skepticism regarding the ability of distance education to promote professional development.