Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Education
Volume 9 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2024.1524636
This article is part of the Research Topic Patterns of technology-enhanced digital literacy of older adults View all articles

Impact of active methodologies on the digital competencies of elderly

Provisionally accepted
Claudia Isabel Martínez Alcalá Claudia Isabel Martínez Alcalá 1,2*Julio Cabero Almenara Julio Cabero Almenara 3Verónica Martínez Lazcano Verónica Martínez Lazcano 4Lizbeth Aguilar Lira Lizbeth Aguilar Lira 5Cinthia N González Vera Cinthia N González Vera 5
  • 1 Dirección Adjunta de Investigación Humanística y Científica, Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT), Mexico City, Mexico
  • 2 Dirección de Servicios Clínicos, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría "Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz", Mexico City, Mexico
  • 3 Departamento de Didáctica y Organización Educativa, Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
  • 4 Área Académica de Computación y Electrónica, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Hidalgo, Mexico
  • 5 Universidad Tecnológica Latinoamericana en Línea, UTEL, Mexico City, Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    It is essential to develop digital skills in the demographic group represented by elderly once digital exclusion becomes a growing concern in an increasingly technological world. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of flipped classrooms and microlearning on the digital literacy of adults over 50 years through a virtual course. With the implementation of a descriptive, correlational, and longitudinal approach, the research considered six consecutive two-month periods, ranging from elemental to advanced levels of expanding their digital skills. The final sample included 112 Mexican participants (93 women and 19 men) with a mean age of 64.30 years and an average schooling of 13.6 years. The results reveal that participants' satisfaction with the pedagogical approaches is positively associated with developing their digital skills and increasing their confidence to apply them. Altogether, these findings highlight how a structured learning environment, combined with emotional support and active practice, not only facilitates the acquisition of technology skills but also empowers older people, enabling them to approach the digital world with confidence. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of implementing pedagogical approaches that address the specific needs of elderly, promoting their digital inclusion and the development of their autonomy in the use of technology.

    Keywords: Digital Inclusion1, elderly2, Flipped classroom3, Digital Skills4, Online education5, Technology confidence6

    Received: 07 Nov 2024; Accepted: 03 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Alcalá, Almenara, Lazcano, Lira and Vera. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Claudia Isabel Martínez Alcalá, Dirección Adjunta de Investigación Humanística y Científica, Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías (CONAHCYT), Mexico City, Mexico

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.