Development of a model for assessment of digital gap: A case of high schools in Sakarya

In this day and age when the information and communication technologies (ICTs) are rapidly becoming widespread it can be concluded that the development level of a particular society is highly correlated with the prevalence of ICTs and what extent they are used. Digital gap at first was examined in the societies in terms of ownership levels and then it was started to be analyzed based on people's capabilities in using ICTs and their ICT literacy levels. Nowadays, in addition to these digital gap is also investigated in terms of acquiring and producing information by means of those technologies. By the time while a kind of gap is eliminating, a different kind of gap is occurring. In Turkey, although the gap between people which is associated with the ICT ownership levels is decreasing, gap associated with the ICT usage capabilities and ICT literacy levels still exist. For this study, a model was developed in order to assess the ICT ownership of people and their ICT literacy, capability of getting, producing and sharing information by means of ICTs. A questionnaire was applied to the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th classroom students and their parents from five different types of schools encompassing Sakarya Anatolian High School, Science and Technology High School, Occupational and Technical High School, Private Anatolian High School and Sports High School in Sakarya. Among 1000 students' and 2000 parents' questionnaires, 477 questionnaires of students and 883 questionnaires of parents were analyzed. For the students, type of the school, gender, level of study and average success scores are considered as digital gap variables whereas type of the school of the student, gender, sector of working, occupation and income levels were taken into account in analysing the variables associated with students' parents. Depending on findings; in terms of smart phone ownership, ICT literacy, skills for information acquisition, information production and information share there is gap between students and their parents. There is a positive but weak relationship among purposes for internet usage and parameters of ICT literacy, skills for information acquisition, information production and information share. In the case of comparison of students and parents again a weak relationship is discovered. Keywords: Digital divide, IT, ICT literacy, information Technologies, education