Digital literacy skills of university students with visual impairment: A mixed-methods analysis

Abstract

Both for new higher education students and especially for individuals with visual impairment (VI), becoming digitally literate is a necessity in order to be able to fully participate in society and to overcome certain educational barriers. This study explores the digital literacy (DL) skills of university students in Turkey with VI, along with the factors that can affect DL levels. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 60 participants during the first phase of the study through an online survey consisting of demographic questions and the DL Scale. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews held with eight participants as the second phase. The study found quite high levels for several self-reported technical and cognitive sub-factors of DL skills, and lower levels for the social sub-factor. Comparative analysis revealed no significant difference between gender, level of VI, and type of school. The results showed that daily use of the Internet had a significant positive effect on DL scores, and that there was a negative correlation between DL and age of starting to use technology. The qualitative findings suggested that the participants already possessed basic DL skills such as accessing information and creating files; however, they lacked skills in information management, effective collaboration, communication, and in digital content creation. The study sheds light on factors affecting DL of VI students and discusses implications for both researchers and practitioners.