The socio-digital engagement of adolescents and their cognitive—Educational needs a case study: Serbia

Abstract

This paper presents research on the connection and mutual influence between the socio-digital engagement of adolescents and their cognitive needs as well as attitudes towards learning. Within the socio-digital engagement of adolescents, using digital media for searching and processing information and life on social networks were considered. This research was conducted by examining the opinions of 14–19-year-old adolescents regarding their reading habits, using digital media, the Internet and social networks, their needs for cognition and their attitudes to learning. The results were obtained from 599 questionnaires consisting of 60 relevant questions distributed among a representative, focused sample of adolescents. The sample comprised seventh and eighth grade primary, grammar and high school pupils in the Republic of Serbia. The results of the research showed that there are statistically significant relationships between adolescents’ attitudes to their socio-digital engagement and their need for cognition and learning. This, on the one hand, means that the influence of socio-digital engagement among adolescents represents a useful indicator for the necessary changes in the institutionalised educational process in order to preserve the purpose and meaning of education. On the other hand, the types and characteristics of socio-digital engagement indicate those strategies which could be implemented in modern education, with the same goal.