Digital Literacy Challenges Among Students at The Instituto Superior Dom Bosco, Timor-Leste
Keywords:
Digital Literacy:, Digital Learning, Information Literacy, Timor-Leste, Instituto Superior Dom Bosco.Abstract
This study is an exploratory research project that aims to observe and measure the challenges of digital literacy among philosophy students at the Instituto Superior Dom Bosco in Timor-Leste. The measurement was conducted by examining five dimensions of digital literacy: access to and availability of digital infrastructure, technical skills, information literacy, communication and collaboration, and digital learning. The approach employed was a mixed-methods design that combines quantitative and qualitative studies through a survey administered to a sample of 31 students drawn from a population of 116. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively and through correlation analysis, while qualitative data from open-ended questions provided contextual depth. The results indicate that the participants do not face serious challenges in terms of access, technical skills, and information literacy, with these three dimensions also showing strong positive correlations with one another. However, with regard to digital learning namely the use or application of digital tools in the academic process they experience considerable difficulties, pointing to pedagogical and motivational rather than purely technical barriers. The findings also show that communication and collaboration are two distinct dimensions that should be conceptualized and measured separately.
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