Digital literacy and ICT use: key predictors of mathematics achievement in schoolchildren

Abstract Despite the widespread integration of ICT into education, research linking students’ everyday ICT use to mathematics performance has yielded inconsistent results. A key gap in the existing literature is the limited attention to factors such as actual digital literacy and the specific purposes for which ICT is used. This study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between students’ performance in the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) and their results in the national mathematics assessment. The analysis is based on data from 2309 students who participated in the national mathematics assessment in fifth grade and again took both the ICILS and the national mathematics assessment in eighth grade. A structural equation model incorporating the study variables explained 43% of the variance in students’ mathematics scores. After controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and prior mathematics achievement, the findings indicate that digital literacy significantly contributes to mathematics performance. Specifically, students with higher ICILS scores at the beginning of the school year achieved better mathematics outcomes by the end. In contrast, the frequency of ICT use for study or social communication was not linked to digital literacy or improved mathematics performance. These findings suggest that enhancing students’ ICT skills is a promising strategy for improving mathematics performance. The study highlights that growing up with digital devices does not automatically equate to sophisticated digital skills. It supports the argument that the focus of the “digital divide” should shift toward differences in the development of digital skills, rather than merely access to technology.