Digital Literacy Education for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Lingran Xu, Yu Yan Lam, Davy Tsz Kit Ng, Pei Peng, Wing Lam Suen, Cameron Shum Yi Lee, Samuel Kai Wah Chu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

In the context of global aging, digital technologies are increasingly recognized as a means to address the challenges associated with aging. Although many studies have explored the relationship between older adults and digital literacy, there is a gap identifying their necessary skills, challenges, and learning motivations. This review identified 30 articles from 2014 to 2024 and delineated five areas of digital literacy skills that older adults acquire, the hurdles they face in this process, and what drives their learning efforts. The difficulties faced by older adults in learning digital literacy include unfamiliarity with technology, cognitive decline, emotional barriers, limited access to digital resources, and physical and health issues. These challenges may lead to frustration in their use of devices and apps, which may affect their willingness to learn. This study, despite a small sampling size, paves the way for future research, including evaluating online fake information and addressing safety risks.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)691-696
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology
Volume61
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2024

Keywords

  • Digital divide
  • digital learning
  • digital literacy
  • intergenerational learning
  • older adults

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