Assessment of primary education students' digital competence in Catalonia

Digital competence (DC) is of fundamental value for active citizenship. However, given the lack of diagnostic tools to assess children's acquisition of DC during primary education and due to the difficulty of measuring this variable at an early age, this article presents a test that objectively and comprehensively assesses the DC of students in the last cycle of primary education. The design and piloting of this tool is presented in four phases: literature review, expert opinion, pilot testing and user survey. Two resulting products are presented: the evaluation instrument and an application protocol for teachers. The data obtained indicate a low level of DC, although it is higher among students who work systematically on this competence in their school. In conclusion, we highlight the importance of objective DC assessment processes that, in addition to measuring students' knowledge, can highlight which measures should be adopted to close the digital divide and improve digital skills from an early age.