Digital Literacy Skills of Prachinburi Technical College Students for Improving Learning Quality

Abstract

Background and Aims: Thai education must prepare students for digital literacy skills, which will enable Thais in the nation to support the advancement into the digital economy and create the national workforce. What is important is that Thais must live happily in the new world that uses the digital world. This research therefore has the following objectives: 1) To study the level of digital literacy of Prachinburi Technical College students; 2) To study the guidelines for developing digital literacy skills of Prachinburi Technical College students.

Methodology: This research is a survey study. The sample group consisted of a total of 157 students at the Higher Vocational Certificate (Diploma) level. The sample size was determined based on the table of Krejcie and Morgan and selected using stratified random sampling. The research instrument was a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale, with a content validity index ranging from 0.60 to 1.00 and an overall reliability coefficient of 0.83. Data analysis was conducted using statistical methods, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation.

Results: The implementation of digital literacy development guidelines for students at Prachinburi Technical College across all three components has increased the average digital literacy level of students. Overall, most students have a high level of digital literacy (\bar{x} = 3.97). The component with the highest level of digital literacy and the highest average score is Component 4: Awareness Skills (\bar{x} = 4.08), followed by Component 2: Thinking Skills, which is also at a high level (\bar{x} = 4.07). Component 3: Collaboration Skills is at a high level (\bar{x} = 3.79), while Component 1: Practical Skills is at a moderate level (\bar{x} = 3.28). It is recommended to further develop and enhance components that are at a moderate level to reach a higher level in all aspects. Educational institutions should actively participate in developing students’ digital literacy by continuously implementing development guidelines. Institutions should establish a structured system and mechanism to enhance students' digital capabilities, accelerating the process of stimulating and promoting effective digital technology usage skills. Increasing the effectiveness of the learning process in educational institutions should be carried out simultaneously across all three components to ensure students achieve a general level of digital literacy. This includes the ability to use digital tools for daily life benefits such as information searching, transactions, entertainment, and communication, while also applying digital knowledge appropriately to different situations and contexts, as well as problem-solving in various forms. At a deeper level, digital literacy should also encompass digital skills for professional work and creativity, enabling students to innovate and drive significant change by applying digital knowledge to enhance their professional practices.

Conclusion: Digital literacy readiness. Educational institutions are key in promoting, developing, and educating youth about living in the digital world safely and wisely so that society can achieve balance amidst the rapidly changing globalization. Digital literacy should therefore involve knowing how to use digital media to benefit both oneself and the community as much as possible.