ASSESSING THE DIGITAL LITERACY AMONG FRESHMEN COLLEGE STUDENTS-A DESCRIPTIVE-COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Digital literacy refers to the ability to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information using digital technologies. It involves understanding how to use digital tools and resources effectively and responsibly to achieve a desired outcome. Despite its significance, many individuals, particularly students, were still lagging behind in this aspect due to undeniable constraints on technology accessibility and wide disinformation online. To formulate a basis to augment the digital literacy of students, this descriptive study was conducted with the aim to test the significant difference of digital literacy when grouped according to sex and program. A sample of randomly selected 384 freshmen college students from different programs were involved in online surveys to achieve this purpose. Results showed that the level of digital literacy among the respondents is high which indicates that the variable is oftentimes manifested among the population of freshmen college students. More so, there was an identified significant difference of digital literacy when grouped according to sex and program. This study suggests that school-based programs, organizations, and activities relevant to digital literacy should be reintroduced and once more intensified to hone and harness the digital literacy of the population, particularly in the aspects of connectedness and creativity.