The current state and influential factors in the development of digital literacy in Thailand’s higher education
| Pages | 235-251 |
| Published date | 08 May 2017 |
| Date | 08 May 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-11-2016-0076 |
| Author | Kulthida Tuamsuk,Mega Subramaniam |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library & information services |
The current state and inuential
factors in the development of
digital literacy in Thailand’s
higher education
Kulthida Tuamsuk
Department of Information and Communication, Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, and
Mega Subramaniam
College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, College Park,
Maryland, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to investigate the current state and inuential factors in the development of
digital literacy of the students in Thailand’s higher education institutions.
Design/methodology/approach –The quantitative research method was applied with a survey
conducted to collect information from the target group that consisted of administrators, lecturers and students
of 116 Thai universities. Respondents included 81 administrators, 500 lecturers and 1,000 students.
Findings –The ndings revealed that 61.73 per cent of the universities set digital literacy as an
undergraduate program policy, 30.86 per cent set it as a student development policy, while 12.35 per cent do
not have any policy in this regard. In total, 40.74 per cent of the universities establish digital literacy as the
required graduates’ trait, and 22.22 per cent establish it as a graduate’s identity. The study of factors related
to digital literacy development showed that the respondents see that all of the factors affect students’ digital
literacy development at a high level, including infrastructures, human resources, students’ awareness,
external environments, development process, university’s policy and academic management.
Originality/value –In Thailand, universities have seen the importance of information literacy
development for students at a certain level. However, the concepts of information literacy and digital literacy
differ. While information literacy mainly comprises technical skill and information management skill, digital
literacy is composed of technical skill, cognitive skill and emotional-social skills. This paper presents the rst
research on digital literacy development in Thai higher education.
Keywords Thailand, Digital literacy, Thai universities, Digital literacy development, Factors for
digital literacy development, Higher educational institutions
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Approximately two-thirds of Thailand’s population currently has access to mobile
broadband networks and information and communication technology services. There is also
a huge increase in the use of internet – from 2.3 million people (3.7 per cent of the country’s
population) in 2000 to 41 million people (60.1 per cent of the country’s population) in 2016
(International Telecommunications Union, 2016). Along with the growth in the use of
inexpensive mobile devices, which allow continuous and easy access to the internet, Thai
This research is supported by Khon Kaen University, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Research Fund.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2398-5348.htm
Development
of digital
literacy
235
Received 4 November 2016
Revised 7 March 2017
6 May 2017
Accepted 6 May 2017
Informationand Learning Science
Vol.118 No. 5/6, 2017
pp.235-251
©Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-11-2016-0076
people now have the ability to create, use, manage, share and store information in digital
formats. It is timely to begin thinking about educating the Thai population more
systematically and coherently on digital literacy to ensure that the society is headed toward
a healthy and successful integration of digital technologies.
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand (MICT, 2016)
launched the National Social and Economic Digital Development Plan 2016 with an
expanded view that digital technology is no longer a tool that only support work and
businesses, but is truly immersed in the everyday life activities of Thai people, subsequently
changing the structure of economic activity, trading, services, social processes and personal
interactions. Such realization impels Thailand to expedite the use of digital technology to
propel national development. Digital technologies will likely be the solutions to challenging
problems faced by the country at present. Hence, appropriate digital literacy instruction and
facilitation is absolutely warranted and should be integrated seamlessly into primary,
secondary, and tertiary education. Being “digital literate” is considered as crucial as being
able to read and write. The Thai Government is invested in preparing the Thai people in this
path of acquiring digital literacy to ensure advancement in economic participation,
educational attainment and civic engagement.
Digital literacy encompasses the knowledge, skills and behaviors in the use of digital
technologies for communication, learning, working and leading life. The American Library
Association (ALA) Digital Literacy Taskforce (2011) dened digital literacy as a skill that
allows one to use information and communication technology to nd, create, interpret,
evaluate and communicate information, and requires cognitive and technical skills. Karpati
(2011) stated that digital literacy as published in the UNESCO Institute for Information
Technologies in Education is the modern life skill consisting of knowledge, skills, abilities
and motivational factors developed from individual’s needs in each domain. An individual
should understand the impact of information sharing on privacy. Similarly, the benets of
digital technologies in ensuring life-long learning must also be realized by the society.
Digital literacy is important to be incorporated into education at all levels, especially at
the tertiary level, which is responsible for educating citizens who will actively participate in
the economic advancement of the country. Hence, it is critical for universities to ensure the
incorporation of digital literacy development in their courses for the benets of their students
and the country. Students are not the only ones who in need of digital literacy skill
development; administrators and lecturers need it as well. All educational circles must
understand the term digital pedagogy and determine the pedagogical methods to use when
preparing graduates with digital literacy.
The European Union established “A Framework for Digital Literacy Development” with
the ultimate goal of advancing digital literacy in the same direction within all the European
countries. This will hopefully allow an international movement of students and workers
among countries in Europe. This framework aspired to ensure that all Europeans are ready
to work anywhere in Europe as their acquired digital skill sets are expected to be equivalent
throughout Europe. This is an excellent example whereby universities in a country or region
can stipulate similar educational targets by proposing a nationwide digital literacy
framework that can be woven into existing curricular components in programs and courses.
Such frameworks are best realized through a mandate or a policy at the university or higher
education administration level that details the digital literacy integration process
adequately, including how it will be incorporated in curricular and extra-curricular activities
(Martin and Grudziecki, 2006;Rosado and Bellsle, 2006;European Commission, The Joint
Research Centre, 2014). In the USA, while there is no mandate or ofcial policy on digital
literacy development, ALA has taken the leadership in developing the Digital Literacy
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