A survey of how 4th and 5th grade students read online finds that girls significantly outperform boys on a test of digital skills such as searching for and communicating information. That’s despite the fact that boys seem to engage in more digital activities than girls, and that they have more confidence in their online skills than girls do.
About 1,300 students from five schools in a suburban school district took the survey in the fall of 2014. Students answered questions designed to measure their ability to do an Internet search, evaluate sources, and communicate online, among other skills.
The average digital skills score for all students was 13.61 out of a possible 27 composite score.
The survey also found, in contrast to previous research with older students, that students are doing more of their digital activities in school than out of school.
