View of A STUDY ON DIGITALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION FROM TRIBAL STUDENTS PERSPECTIVE

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VOLUME: 10, Special Issue 01, (IC-IESP-MULTI-2023) Paper id-IJIERM-X-I, January 2023 8

A STUDY ON DIGITALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION FROM TRIBAL STUDENTS PERSPECTIVE

Dr. Sapna Kasliwal

Assistant Professor Commerce, Shri Rajendra Suri Govt. College, Sardarpur- Rajgarh Dr. Sachin Sharma

Principal, Annie Besant College, Indore

Abstract - Tribal communities make up a significant portion of the social structure in India. Due to their seclusion from mainstream society and the economy for a long time, tribal people experienced slower growth, and a different pattern of socioeconomic and cultural development, and are thus, socially and economically backward. And with their limited access and reach over resources and economic activity, the situation is even more difficult for tribal students. They continue to trail far behind in a number of areas, including education, employment, and economic empowerment. And in this technology- driven world, in order to combat inequality, prejudice, and exploitation and accomplish their overall development in society, tribal students must be not only literate but digitally literate and economically sound. Even implementation of NEP 2020 demands so. Govt of India and other institutions started many initiatives in this regard. But to find out how much these benefits have been received and what are the levels of digital literacy in tribal students’ community is certainly a matter of research.

1 INTRODUCTION

Scheduled tribes which mark up 8.6% of the total population of India (Census 2011) are considered to be the most vulnerable section of society. Despite several govt. initiatives and reservation policies their social and economic conditions do not seem to improve much.

Specifically tribal students are still much behind the mainstream of society. Since the use of digital technologies has an all-round impact on various domains of education, employment, and environmental sustainability; digital literacy can actually help students to improve their confidence and enable them to improve the quality of their personal, occupational and economic life. In this technology-driven world, being digitally literate is of utmost importance for everyone. The ICT revolution has further given impetus to this movement. India has 120 crore mobile connections, of which, over 75 crores are smartphone users. The reach of Internet has reached about 90 crore users. With the Digital India movement, ICT facilities are reaching even far-flung areas. And in this digitalized movement, the participation of students from vulnerable sections of society. i.e scheduled caste and tribe is still in much doubt. To clear this, it is necessary to check the digital literacy levels of these community students.In addition to examining how much and how the students used their digital literacy skills during the learning process, this study also highlights how crucial it is for students to advance their technological and digital literacy in order to succeed in society and keep up with the rapidly changing demands of work and daily life.

Keywords: Tribal Community, Digital Literacy, Digital Divide, Technology.

1.1 Objectives of the Study:

1. To analyse the digital literacy levels of the tribal community students studying in higher education institutes of Madhya Pradesh.

2. Tofind out if there is any significant difference in the digital literacy levels of male and female students of tribal community.

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This empirical research was conducted among the tribal communitystudents studying in the Govt. colleges of Madhya Pradesh. An online questionnaire on the basis of 5 point Likert scale (where 1= Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Agree and 5= Strongly Disagree) wasprepared and distributed among 150 students in higher education institutes out of which 106have responded and analysed. The analysis tries toanalyse the digital literacy levels of tribal community students. To investigate this properly and measure, digital literacy, we adapted the digital literacy framework based on the variables viz.

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communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship, character, copyright, and connectedness as presented by Chen (2015). The analysis was carried out with mean, percentage and t-test.

Hypotheses:

H0: There is no significant difference between digital literacy levels of female and male students of tribal community with respect to variables viz. communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship, character, copyright, and connectedness.

H1: There is significant difference between digital literacy levels of female and male students of tribal community with respect to variables viz. communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship, character, copyright, and connectedness.

2.1 Reliability Analysis:

The Cronbach’s coefficient alpha is used to measure the reliability of numerous statements in the present study. The value of the Cronbach’s Alpha is between 0 and 1 and the proposed threshold value above 0.7 is considered good representing high internal consistency (Hair & Black, 2013). Further, the alpha coefficient for the twenty eight items is .972 given below in table, suggesting that the items have relatively high internal consistency. (Note that a reliability coefficient of .70 or higher is considered ―acceptable‖ in most social science research situations (Cronbach 1951).

Table: 1.1 Case Processing Summary and Reliability Statistics

N %

Cases Valid 106 100.0

Excluded 0 .0

Total 106 100.0

a. Listwise deletion based on all variables in the procedure.

Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha No of Items

.972 28

Table 1.2 Demographic Analysis

Table 1.2: Demographic Characteristics of the Data Collected ( 106 Responses)

Catgegory Frequency Percentage

Gender

Male 59 55.66

Female 47 44.34

Class

I Year 49 46.23

II 57 53.77

Category

SC 58 54.72

ST 48 45.28

From the table above we can see that the male respondents were 55.66 % and female were 44.34%. Regarding class, 46.23% students were of I year and 53.77 % students were of IIyear, out of them54.72 % belonged SC category and 45.28 % belonged to ST Category.

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Table 1.3 Analysis: Assessing Digital Literacy with respect to Communication Comprises questions related to online reading, writing, speaking and listening skills

Inferred from the analysis of the components' mean scores on a 5-point Likert scale is that, in terms of communication, it is startling to discover that male students in tribal communities have more trouble communicating online than female students do. As in case of female students, as long as the mean is above 3, which means that most of them either agree or strongly agree, to easily find and read online content, know how to write formal emails, and engage in online audio-video calls, though theyfound online listening through headphones and speakers to be problematic. While in case of male students as mean score is below 3 in all the cases mentioned in above table, it means communicating online is troublesome for them. Considering t-statistics,as P value is smaller than 0.05 it means null hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the digital levels of male and female students with respect to communication variable is false and rejected.

Table 1.4 Analysis: Assessing Digital Literacy with respect to Copyright Understanding and following online and digital copyright laws.

t-Test Statistics:

Female Students Male Students

Mean 2.521 2.305

Variance 0.100 0.113

Observations 2.000 2.000

Hypothesized Mean Difference 0.000

Df 2.000

t Stat 0.663

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.575

t Critical two-tail 4.303

It may be concluded from the analysis of the components' mean scores on a 5-point Likert scale that all of the students appeared to be less knowledgeable about online and digital

Female Male

Communication: Comprises questions related to online reading,

writing, speaking and listening skills Mean Standard

Deviation Mean Standard Deviation I am able to find the particular information that I want on the

internet. 3.277 1.378 2.847 1.529

I can easily read online contents from screen. 3.128 1.296 2.864 1.420

I know how to write formal e-mails. 3.191 1.329 2.763 1.406

Online listening through headphone and speakers is troublesome for

me. 2.681 1.218 2.356 1.214

Interacting through online audio-video call is comfortable for me. 3.106 1.306 2.695 1.453

Count 47 59

t-test

Mean 3.077 2.705

Variance 0.053 0.043

Observations 5.000 5.000

Hypothesized Mean Difference 0.000

Df 8.000

t Stat 2.680

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.028

t Critical two-tail 2.306

Female Male

Copyright: Understanding and following online

and digital copyright laws. Mean Standard

deviation Mean Standard deviation I know the consequences of using copyright work

online without permission. 2.745 1.359 2.542 1.430

I give acknowledgement/ reference in my online work while using collusion (copying from fellow students).

2.298 1.214 2.068 1.187

Count 47.000 59.000

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copyright regulations. Regarding t-statistics, a P value larger than 0.05 indicates that the null hypothesis—that there is no discernible difference between male and female students' digital literacy levels with regard to the copyright variable—is true and accepted.

Table 1.5 Analysis: Assessing Digital Literacy with respect to Critical Thinking To Solve Problems, analyse, deeply, and question frequently through digital media

Female Male

Critical Thinking:To Solve Problems, analyze, deeply, and

question frequently through digital media Mean Standard

deviation Mean Standard deviation I am able to find different pieces of information online, and put

them together to solve a problem. 2.957 1.334 2.712 1.475

I can decide if the information that I find on the internet is

honest, relevant and useful. 3.043 1.301 2.864 1.432

Count 47 59

t-Test: Statistics

Female Students Male Students

Mean 3.000 2.788

Variance 0.004 0.012

df 2

t Stat 2.426

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.136

It may be concluded from an analysis of the components' mean scores on a 5-point Likert scale that, in terms of critical thinking, here also it is surprising that female tribal community students are better able to assess the validity of online content than their male counterparts. In terms of t-statistics, a P value larger than 0.05 indicates that the null hypothesis—that there is no discernible difference between male and female students' digital levels with regard to the critical thinking variable—is true and accepted.

Table 1.6 Analysis: Assessing Digital Literacy with respect toCharacter To be active advocates of online ethical practices even if not legally required.

Female Male

Character

To be active advocates of online ethical practices even if not legally required.

Mean Standard

deviation Mean Standard deviation I avoid posting negative online comments comments and

poking in others’ discussion and chatting 3.043 1.429 2.678 1.547 In online world, I do not use and share others’ personal

information, pictures, conversation etc. without their consent. 3.213 1.444 2.864 1.444 I remain tolerant during online discussions 3.191 1.377 2.780 1.340 I can use ICT appropriately and responsibly 3.064 1.451 2.695 1.355

Count 47.000 59.000

t-Test Statistics

Mean 3.12766 2.754237

Variance 0.007545 0.007373

Observations 4 4

Hypothesized Mean Difference 0

Df 6

t Stat 6.114645

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.000873

On analysing the mean score of the factors on the basis of 5point Likert scale, it can be inferred that with respect to character, female students are the active advocates of online ethical practices and are remain tolerant during online discussions and can use ICT appropriately and responsiblyin comparison to their male counterparts. With reference to t- statistics, as P value is smaller than 0.05 it means null hypothesis that there is no

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significant difference in the digital levels of male and female students with respect to character variable is false and rejected.

Table 1.7 Analysis: Assessing Digital Literacy with respect to Citizenship to use technology responsibly and legally

Female Male

Citizenship to use technology responsibly and legally Mean Standard

deviation Mean Standard deviation I know the consequences for violating cyber laws in

digital world. 2.915 1.427 2.695 1.489

I accept and follow the terms and conditions for accessing

any information. 3.319 1.400 2.678 1.444

I respect the cultural differences in online world, and

respond accordingly. 3.000 1.399 2.847 1.375

I communicate with others in a respectable way while

using technology 2.936 1.451 2.627 1.496

Count 47 59

Mean 3.042553 2.711864

Variance 0.03531 0.009001

Observations 4 4

Hypothesized Mean Difference 0

Df 4

t Stat 3.141898

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.034784

By analysing the variables' average scores using a 5-point Likert scale, it is possible to conclude that, in terms of citizenship, here also female students use technology responsibly and legally and are aware of the repercussions of breaking the law online. Additionally, they recognise the cultural variations in the online world and accept and adhere to the terms and conditions for accessing any material. While in case of male students as the mean score fall below the median, it means using technology responsibly and legally is difficult for them. The null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between the digital proficiency levels of male and female students with regard to the citizenship variable is false and rejected since the P value is less than 0.05.

Table 1.8: Analysis: Assessing Digital Literacy with respect toConnectedness to become active participants and contribute to the global community by helping

the people online.

t-Test Statistics

Mean 2.830 2.689

Variance 0.001 0.005

df 3

t Stat 3.129

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.052

With regard to connectedness, female students are nearer to neutral response, meaning they are neither in favour of nor opposed to encouraging and assisting their community to post

Female Male

Connectedness to become active participants and contribute

to the global community by helping the people online. Mean Standard

deviation Mean Standard deviation I encourage and help my community to post their problems

and issues on social media for getting attention. 2.809 1.469 2.763 1.394 I actively take interest in different online campaigns for

community development 2.872 1.296 2.678 1.370

I actively participate in online polls/surveys 2.809 1.209 2.627 1.338

Count 47 59

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their problems and issues on social media in order to garner attention, according to an analysis of the factors' mean scores on a 5-point Likert scale. They also don't actively take part in online polls or surveys, whereas male students disagree with all the questions related to connectedness. As P value is almost equal to 0.05 which indicates that male and female students' levels of digital engagement with regard to the connectivity variable, is equal.

Table 1.9: Analysis: Assessing Digital Literacy with respect toCreativity Creativity to become online content creators, not just consumers of knowledge

Female Male

Creativityto become online content creators, not just consumers

of knowledge Mean Standard

deviation Mean Standard deviation I write online blogs giving new ideas and perspectives 2.532 1.283 2.441 1.164 I like to post new information on my social media account(s) 2.723 1.330 2.644 1.387 I have creative ideas but do not know how to use them online. 2.745 1.276 2.475 1.406 I develop my own videos and post them online 2.298 1.214 2.441 1.317 I can create information products to suit the audience, the

context and the medium 2.617 1.171 2.627 1.388

Count 47 59

Female Students Male Student

Mean 2.583 2.525

Variance 0.033 0.010

df 6.000

t Stat 0.620

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.558

According to an analysis of the elements' mean scores on a 5-point Likert scale, all students find it challenging to write online blogs that offer fresh viewpoints and ideas and are unable to produce information products that are appropriate for the target audience, the context, and the medium. They acknowledged that they have original ideas but lack the knowledge to implement them online. Additionally, because the P value is higher than 0.05, the null hypothesis—that there is no discernible difference between male and female students' digital proficiency levels with regard to the creative variable—is true and accepted.

Table 1.10 Analysis: Assessing Digital Literacy with respect toCollaboration how to work with everyone online, not just with their friends.

Female Male

Collaboration how to work with everyone online, not just with

their friends. Mean Standard

deviation Mean Standard deviation In the online world, I work with others in groups. 2.511 1.177 2.475 1.382 Working in online groups helps me to learn from others. 2.766 1.355 2.593 1.379 I work online with my peers to find solutions to the problems 2.894 1.355 2.576 1.404

Count 47 59

t-Test:

Mean 2.723 2.548

Variance 0.038 0.004

Observations 3.000 3.000

Hypothesized Mean Difference 0.000

Df 2.000

t Stat 1.480

P(T<=t) two-tail 0.277

t Critical two-tail 4.303

When the components' average scores on a 5-point Likert scale are analysed, it becomes clear that both male and female students' mean scores fall below the median, suggesting that all students—male and female—find it challenging to collaborate with others online.

Additionally, since P value is higher than 0.05, the null hypothesis—that there is no

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discernible difference between male and female students' levels of digital literacy with regard to the collaboration variable—is true and accepted.

3 CONCLUSION:

 So, to conclude we can state that Digital Literacy is of utmost importance nowadays.

Inferred from the analysis of the components' mean scores on a 5-point Likert scale in terms of all the variables mentioned above viz. , communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, citizenship, character, copyright, and connectedness, it is startling to discover that male students in tribal communities havemore trouble in all variables mentioned above relating to digital literacy than female students do.

 It may be inferred that there are considerable differences between the digital literacy skills of male and female tribal community students with regard to communication, character, and citizenship, but connectivity is the only variable that is equal between the sexes. In short, this study focused on improving students' technological and digital literacy skills so they can succeed in society without falling behind the constantly changing demands of work and life, in addition to examining the extent and style of use of those skills by students during the learning process.

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