General information
Code: J5-2558
Period: 1.9.2020 - 31.8.2023
Range on year: 0.53 FTE | 2020
Project leader at FDV: izr.prof.dr. Andraž Petrovčič
Research activity: Social sciences
Abstract
The overarching research aim of this project is to deepen our understanding of the notion of PIU on a theoretical and methodological level by integrating the PIU concept within existing theoretical models of digital inequalities and internet skills learning, and developing new frameworks for measuring PIU and for the validation of existing measures of internet skills among older adults. To this end, the project will use a mixedmethod approach to:
a) Systematically examine existing theoretical and empirical elaborations of PIU and develop a comprehensive explanatory model of PIU socio-technical factors and outcomes in terms of different types of internet skills that explains the short- and long-term implications of PIU for digital (dis)engagement;
b) Refine the proposed model based on focus group insights that will result in a typology of the digital (dis)engagement of older adults that could explain the role of PIU in the dynamics of transitions between stages of internet use in later life; and
c) Carry out a large-scale survey in Slovenia that will test the proposed model and validate the developed innovative measure of PIU and internet skills among older adults.
The phases of the project and their realization
- WP1: PROJECT MANAGEMENT (WP1.1: Project setup activities and reporting; wp1.2: project risk management and quality assurance; WP1.3: Data management);
- WP2: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF PIU IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL INEQUALITIES AMONG OLDER ADULTS (WP2.1 A typology of socio-technical factors of digital inequalities among older adults; WP2.2 Systematic review of theoretical models of internet skills and learning strategies among older adults; WP2.3 The implications of PIU for digital (dis)engagement among older adults; WP2.4 Towards an explanatory conceptual model of PIU factors within the context of internet skills learning);
- WP3: QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF PIU AND INTERNET SKILLS AMONG OLDER ADULTS (WP3.1 Development of the research design; WP3.2 Qualitative assessment with focus groups; WP3.3: Typology of digital (dis)engagement of older adults); -
- WP4: LARGE-SCALE EMPIRICAL VALIDATION AND INVESTIGATION OF PIU AND INTERNET SKILLS AMONG OLDER ADULTS (WP4.1 Development of the research design; WP4.2 Systematic analysis of measurement instruments for measuring PIU and internet skills; WP4.3 Development of a new measurement instrument for PIU and the selection of internet skills inventories; WP4.4 Validation and optimization of the developed instruments for measuring PIU and internet skills; WP4.5 Nationwide representative survey study);
- WP5: DISSEMINATION (WP5.1 Development of the project dissemination strategy; WP5.2 Execution of the dissemination and exploitation strategy; WP5.3 Final dissemination activities and expert validation of findings).
Research Organisation
http://www.sicris.si/public/jqm/prj.aspx?lang=eng&opt=2&subopt=403&hits=1&id=18321&search_term=J5-2558
Researchers
http://www.sicris.si/public/jqm/prj.aspx?lang=eng&opt=2&subopt=402&hits=1&id=18321&search_term=J5-2558
Citations for bibliographic records
http://www.sicris.si/public/jqm/prj.aspx?lang=eng&opt=2&subopt=400&hits=1&id=18321&search_term=J5-2558
Results / Key findings
The project focused on understanding the role of digital inequalities in an ageing society where, despite the ubiquity of digitalisation, older adults in particular are at risk of digital exclusion. Despite the growing number of internet users among older adults, they are still characterised by low levels of internet skills and limited online engagement, leading to an increasing proportion of them accessing online services through proxy internet use (PIU).
The main research objective of the project was to advance the understanding of PIU at the theoretical and methodological level by integrating the concept of PIU into existing theoretical models of digital inequalities and internet skills acquisition. The project also aimed to develop a new instrument to measure PIU and to validate existing measurement instruments to assess internet skills among older adults.
The project achieved the following key objectives:
- A systematic review of the literature on PIU and its implications for the acquisition of Internet skills among older adults.
- The development of a socio-technical model of the determinants of PIU, which is a conceptual extension of the model of compound and sequential digital exclusion.
- An advancement of a theoretical framework that explains the mechanisms and conditions that lead to positive and/or negative consequences of PIU for older adults' digital engagement.
- The analysis of data collected with two surveys and ten focus groups with older adults, which allowed statistical and content validation of the survey instrument for measuring Internet skills and PIU and empirical justification of the typology of ageing Internet users in terms of their internet skills, uses, demographic characteristics, social capital, internet access and PIU.
- An implementation of a representative survey based on which a longitudinal comparison with data from the Slovenian Public Opinion Survey 18/1 was carried out to assess potential changes in PIU and internet skills among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The theoretical and empirical results of the project represent an important step in the development of a measurement instrument for a comprehensive analysis of older adults' digital engagement at a global level, as part of the questionnaire developed in the project was included in a specific module of the International Social Science Programme (ISSP).
Key words
digital inclusion, digital inequalities, internet skills, measurement quality, older adults, proxy internet use
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG10 | Reduce inequalities
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