T e a c h e r C h a l l e n g e s i n D e v e l o p i n g D i g i t a l L i t e r a c y i n S c h o o l s during

the Pandemic Era

Mite Setiansah, Wiwik Novianti and Nana Sutikna

Department of Communication Science, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, Indonesia

Keywords: Pandemic, School, Teacher, Digital Literacy.

Abstract: The pandemic era has accelerated the need for mastery of digital literacy very quickly. The government is

currently also aggressively conducting a National Digital Literacy Movement campaign, which includes

targeting three basic environments, namely schools, families and communities. To support the creation of

literate schools, literate teachers are one of the prerequisites. With the aim of knowing the involvement of

teachers as facilitators of literacy education in schools, this research was conducted using a qualitative

descriptive method. Initial data collection was carried out by distributing questionnaires to informants which

were then deepened through focus group discussions. This study involved Guidance and Counseling teachers

from public and private junior high schools in the City of Purwokerto. The results of the study show that

teachers still face many challenges and obstacles in developing digital literacy in schools, especially during

the pandemic. The digital literacy movement in schools has not involved all teachers in it. Teachers are also

still more focused on efforts to improve self-competence in order to keep pace with changes in digital

technology in learning and ensure students are able to access digital technology to support learning. Teachers

have not directed digital literacy education much to improve students' critical skills.

INTRODUCTION

The pandemic has brought massive disruption to

various sectors of people's lives, including the

education sector. All levels of education including

junior high school (SMP) were 'forced' to transform

to adapt suddenly to learning from home through

online media (Basar, 2021). Various obstacles arise in

the field, ranging from the problem of the availability

of internet access devices, to the level of digital

literacy of students and teachers. Students and

teachers are required to improve their digital

competence quickly. Based on research conducted by

Setiansah, Novianti, Rahmawati & Agustina (2021) it

is known that children (students) are more

comfortable doing knowledge sharing related to

internet use with their peers. Friends are seen as able

to provide answers and solutions related to technical

difficulties encountered when accessing the internet.

Besides their friends, they also choose the teacher as

a place to ask questions compared to their parents.

Asking the teacher is felt to provide more solutions

than asking the parents. The teacher becomes a place

to ask questions when students experience learning

difficulties and also technical difficulties when

accessing digital technology, especially with ICT

teachers.

On the other hand, the study also revealed the fact

that the students were not too familiar with the terms

and concepts of media literacy and digital literacy.

The literacy movement in schools is mostly

understood as the ability to read books and is

programmed through corners or hours of reading

books at school. Even though the Ministry of

Education and Culture (Kementerian Pendidikan dan

Kebudayaan, 2017) has issued a book of materials

supporting the National Digital Literacy Movement

which states that digital literacy is as important as

reading, writing, arithmetic, and other disciplines.

The generation that grew up with unlimited access to

digital technology has a different mindset from the

previous generation. Everyone should be responsible

for how to use technology to interact with the

surrounding environment. Being digitally literate

means being able to process a variety of information,

be able to understand messages and communicate

effectively with others in various forms. In this case,

the form in question includes creating, collaborating,

communicating, and working according to ethical

rules, and understanding when and how technology

Setiansah, M., Novianti, W. and Sutikna, N.

Teacher Challenges in Developing Digital Literacy in Schools during the Pandemic Era.

DOI: 10.5220/0010804700003348

In Proceedings of the 3rd Annual International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (AICOSH 2021), pages 75-80

ISBN: 978-989-758-603-3; ISSN: 2685-273X

must be used to be effective in achieving goals. This

includes awareness and critical thinking about the

various positive and negative impacts that may occur

due to the use of technology in everyday life.

Silverblatt (in Baran, 2010) mentions that there

are seven basic elements of media literacy. Baran

(2010) added one more characteristic to make it eight.

Here are eight basic elements of media literacy:

1. A critical thinking skill enabling audience

members to develop independent judgments about

media content

2. An understanding of the process of mass

communication

3. An awareness of the impact of the media o the

individual and society

4. Strategies for analyzing and discussing media

messages

5. An understanding of media content as a text that

provides insight into our culture and our lives.

6. The ability to enjoy, understand, and appreciate

media content

7. Development of effective and responsible

production skills

8. An understanding of the ethical and moral

obligations of media practitioners.

The eight characteristics of media literacy above

seem quite comprehensive and are still relevant to be

applied in today's digital era. Especially during the

pandemic, various hoax news also experienced a very

significant increase. Digital literacy is needed that

does not only focus on skills in accessing media but

also understands the process, production and also the

ethics and morals of media actors so that users are

able to be aware of the risks hidden behind various

digital content.

When students' understanding of media literacy is

still limited, the question that arises then is what about

the teachers? Siyamitri (2015) research entitled

"Internet Media Literacy Among Vocational High

School Teachers in Medan City" reveals the fact that

some teacher informants have never heard of the term

media literacy, in other words they do not know the

definition of media literacy [(Siyamitri, 2015). The

informants also did not have knowledge of the

internet media industry, the names of the owners of

websites on the internet or the rules related to the

internet except the ITE Law and the press, but could

not explain the contents of the law (Siyamitri, 2015)

Siyamitri's research which reveals the fact that

teachers do not understand media literacy is

contradictory to the research of Setiansah, Novianti,

Rahmawati and Agustina (2021) which states that the

teacher is the main place for students to ask questions.

This is where this research becomes interesting and

important to do. Teachers are one of the keys to

developing digital literacy in schools. Especially

when the pandemic continues, mastery of digital

literacy is a prerequisite for teachers and students to

be able to carry out learning. Digital literacy is also

needed to protect students from the overflow of

various information and the use of media which has

increased sharply during the pandemic.

Based on the description of the background of the

problem, this research was conducted to find out how

the involvement and challenges of teachers in

developing digital literacy in schools during the

pandemic period is?

METHODS

This research was conducted using descriptive

method. The informants are 22 (twenty-two)

Guidance and Counseling teachers at public and

private junior high schools (SMP) in Purwokerto.

Initial data was collected through asurvey using a

google form. Further data mining is carried out

through focus group discussions (FGD) as a form of

data triangulation. The data analysis technique used is

descriptive data analysis technique. Arikunto (1993)

states that descriptive data analysis can be done by

grouping the data into two, namely qualitative data in

the form of words or sentences and quantitative data

in the form of numbers. Qualitative data analysis was

carried out by coding based on the FGD transcripts,

then based on the coding results, categorization and

themes were made as research findings. While the

analysis of quantitative data is carried out by non-

inferential calculations and presented in the form of

tables or diagrams/graphs.

RESULTS

3.1

Teacher Involvement in School

Digital Literacy

The teachers who were invited as research informants

were Guidance and Counseling (BK) teachers. BK

teachers were chosen with the consideration that

media and digital literacy problems are not only about

mastering information and communication

technology (ICT) but are also often related to cultural,

psychological, motivational, critical thinking skills

and so on. So far, in society, including schools in

general, when it comes to computers and internet

AICOSH 2021 - The Annual International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (AICOSH) “Life After Pandemic: Perspectives,

Changes, and Challenges”

technology, it is immediately the business of ICT

teachers. The limited involvement of non-ICT

teachers in digital literacy issues was also stated by an

informant who is a BK teacher at SMP Diponegoro 1

Purwokerto who admitted that he was surprised to

receive an invitation to the Digital Literacy FGD

because usually things related to digital technology

are always part of the ICT teacher.

The involvement of teachers in digital literacy

programs in schools is also not only related to the

ability of access (technical skills) of teachers. But also

on the involvement of teachers in ensuring that

students can use digital media according to their

designation. As stated by an informant from SMP

Negeri 2 Purwokerto who admitted that his skills in

accessing technology were sometimes inferior to his

students. But that didn't make him careless. The

behavior of students in using digital media then

became the main concern. Differences in the family

background of students have brought different media

behavior to students. It is not uncommon for students

to provide comments or opinions when participating

in online learning in an inappropriate way, so it is

their duty as a BK teacher to remind and direct

students to improve their media behavior.

Slightly different from the conditions in other

schools which generally have not made digital media

literacy education part of the school curriculum, at

SMPIT Al Irsyad Purwokerto, as stated by the BK

teacher who attended the FGD, already has a media

education program. Media education programs are

included in halaqah activities which are carried out

regularly every week. In this halaqah, various

information and knowledge about media wisdom was

conveyed, including dealing with hoax news,

information containing elements of SARA, as well as

controlling the use of media for online games.

3.2

Teacher Challenges in School

Digital Literacy Development

Schools are one of the targets of the National Digital

Literacy Movement. When schools are able to

become drivers of literacy education for students, it is

hoped that later it can cause a multiplier effect on

families and communities. However, based on the

research conducted, it is known that there are a

number of obstacles for teachers to be able to be more

fully involved in the development of digital literacy

in schools. The main obstacle that arises is related to

the uneven technical skills of teachers. Young

teachers generally claim to have no problems

accessing and using digital technology, while

teachers over the age of 40 admit that they still

experience stuttering in using digital technology,

especially for learning.

Based on the results of this study, it was found that

81.8% of informants said they had never received

training related to digital literacy. Only 18.2% stated

that they had received digital literacy training from

schools. Data about the limited digital literacy

training that teachers receive at school was also

revealed by an informant from SMP Negeri 1

Purwokerto who said that he had learned to make

digital learning media by himself. Meanwhile, an

informant from SMP Negeri 2 Purwokerto stated that

when teachers had to carry out online learning, ICT

teachers in schools provided training to teachers on

the use of digital technology for online learning.

Because of the urgent need, inevitably all teachers

have to learn and adapt, although not all of them can

follow quickly. In addition to participating in training

from schools, teachers also learn from parties outside

the school who offer various trainings, one of which

is from an online learning provider, Ruang Guru.

Another obstacle faced by teachers in developing

digital literacy in schools is the diverse condition of

students. Both in terms of family background,

economy, and their behavior. One informant stated

that the change in the status and admission system of

the International Standard School Design (RSBI) to

the Zoning system also had a significant influence on

the condition of students who became very diverse,

both in terms of academic and socio-economic

abilities. When they were still in RSBI status,

teachers did not experience any difficulties because

as a favorite school, the majority of students were

students with good academic and socio-economic

abilities. However, after the zoning system was

implemented, student conditions could vary with a

fairly large gap.

The very diverse conditions of students require

teachers to adapt to the conditions of students. The

teacher's priority is to ensure that all students can

follow online learning well. As one informant said,

when a student is unable to participate in online

learning, the teacher must come to the student's

house. In such conditions, teachers are often unable

to convey information or other materials outside of

lessons such as the Information and Electronic

Transactions Law (ITE), how to report hoax news,

and so on. On the other hand, in schools that have the

majority of students with good economic abilities, so

that they are not constrained by internet access, the

obstacle faced by teachers is the number of students

who are excessively attached to smartphones or other

digital devices, especially to play online games. At

this point, the difference in the pattern of regulating

Teacher Challenges in Developing Digital Literacy in Schools during the Pandemic Era

the use of digital devices at school and at home is also

seen as a separate obstacle for teachers in developing

digital literacy in schools.

DISCUSSION

The low involvement of teachers outside of ICT

teachers in digital literacy programs in schools cannot

be separated from the understanding that digital

literacy is only limited to mastering digital

technology. This is not surprising because most

people still understand digital literacy in a narrow

sense just as the ability to operate a computer, access

information from the internet or in other words the

ability to master hardware and software from digital

technology. In fact, if you refer to the statement from

the initiator, namely Paul Gilster (in Shopova, 2014)

he states that one should not consider digital literacy

simply as "a book about how to get around the

Internet". Moreover, the ability to evaluate and

interpret the information is essential. What matters is

that through digital literacy one acquires basic

thinking skills and core competences without which

he could not orientate and perform tasks in an

interactive environment.

On the other hand, based on research results, it is

known that teachers have not been able to involve and

develop digital literacy which is not just technical

mastery. Eshet in Yustika & Iswati (2020)

emphasizes that digital literacy should be more than

the ability to utilize various digital sources effectively,

but rather a broader concept. Digital literacy is also

described as a form of certain ways of thinking (multi

construct hypothesis) in utilizing the digital world.

Thus, interaction in digital media does not only

require technical ability to access technology but also

understands the content, active and interactive

functions of producing messages (Yustika & Iswati,

2020).

As stated by the informants, the development of

digital literacy in schools cannot be carried out until

the stage of digital literacy in a broad sense, until it

meets the eight criteria as stated by Baran (2010) that

digital literacy should include:

1. A critical thinking skill enabling audience

members to develop independent judgments about

media content

2. An understanding of the process of mass

communication

3. An awareness of the impact of the media o the

individual and society

4. Strategies for analyzing and discussing media

messages

5. An understanding of media content as a text that

provides insight into our culture and our lives.

6. The ability to enjoy, understand, and appreciate

media content

7. Development of effective and responsible

production skills

8. An understanding of the ethical and moral

obligations of media practitioners.

However, even though it is not perfect, and has

not called it a form of implementing digital literacy

education, teachers have actually tried to implement

the digital literacy criteria through various efforts. In

addition to trying to learn to use digital technology

and producing digital content, especially for learning,

the teacher also always reminds students of the

negative impact of media content, conveys that

students are not easily believed by various mass

media shows, invites students to discuss through

halaqah activities at school so that students can

control and regulate the use of their gadgets. In

schools that have students with high access to digital

media, such as at SMPIT Al Irsyad and SMP Kristen,

teachers have also begun to invite students to develop

awareness of the impact of the media to the individual

and society. If it is elaborated, then one of the few

aspects that are still not mastered by the teacher so

that the transfer of knowledge to students has not been

carried out is the teacher's understanding of the

production process in mass media and the

understanding of the ethical and moral aspects of

media workers.

Although there are a small number of teachers

who have started to develop digital literacy which is

in line with Silverblat and Baran's concept of digital

literacy, the pandemic conditions that force digital

transformation in schools very quickly, have made

most teachers, especially those from the age group

over 40 years old, still experience stuttering in their

classrooms adapt to these very fast changes. Digital

technology replaces the entire learning process at a

time when teachers and students are not really ready

to migrate. As a result, in most schools, the focus of

attention on developing digital literacy in schools is

still more focused on efforts to master technology and

its use to support the learning process in the

classroom.

The attention of teachers in schools who are more

preoccupied with trying to get students to access

learning through digital media, actually doesn't just

happen during the pandemic. Previous research

(Setiansah & Novianti, et.al., 2021) which revealed

the fact that students are not familiar with the concept

of digital literacy in a broad sense shows that the

AICOSH 2021 - The Annual International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (AICOSH) “Life After Pandemic: Perspectives,

Changes, and Challenges”

priority of teachers in schools is more aimed at

encouraging students to be digitally literate in the

context of mastering technology. Related to this,

Borthwick and Hansen (in Falloon, 2020) say that

traditional approaches to developing digital

capabilities in teacher education have focused on

promoting students' 'digital literacy'. Digital literacy

is a set of skills to access the internet, find, manage and

edit digital information; join in communications, and

otherwise engage with an online information and

communication network.

The process of developing digital literacy in

schools which is more focused on increasing students'

access and understanding of learning materials is

certainly a natural thing considering that the school's

core business is in the field of education. So do not be

surprised if various studies on online learning during

the pandemic reveal many obstacles such as the

presence of students who do not have a device,

problems with internet connections, so they have to

borrow their parents' smartphone so that parents can

only accompany them at night because during the day

they must (Anugrahana, 2020).

However, it should be noted that the success of

online learning does not depend solely on the problem

of access or solely because of problems with

ownership of the device or internet connection. A

number of cultural constraints as found in this study

should still be a concern for teachers. The c u l t u r a l

constraint in question is about the behavior of using

digital media. It was revealed from one of the

informants in this study who said that in his school

students relatively did not face obstacles in terms of

internet access. Students receive sufficient facilities

from their parents, both in terms of equipment

ownership and quota. However, this does not

guarantee the formation of good digital literacy in

students. In the condition that all facilities are met, the

challenge arises from the behavior of using online

games by students which is difficult to control. The

pandemic period that limits students' activities outside

the home and also limits students physically and

socially from their friends makes online games and

the use of smartphones in general become students'

escape to connect them with the world outside their

homes. When students forget the time in using their

smartphones, it can be said that they have high access

skills, but do not have adequate digital literacy.

The junior high school students faced by the

teachers who became informants in this study were

teenagers who generally had not been able to control

themselves well. According to Latifa, Setiyawan,

Subchi, Nahartini & Durachman (2018) teenagers are

generally less able to control themselves in playing

online games due to the growing adolescent period,

the search for identity, and the difficulty in

interpersonal relationships. While on the other hand,

teenagers feel that it is easier to develop a close

relationship with others in the virtual world than to

communicate directly in the real world. In these

conditions, the ability to self- control and also

mentoring from parents becomes important as

expected by one of the teachers who face obstacles

like this. Engels, & Finkenaur (in Latifa & Setiyawan,

et.al, 2018) say that the parenting pattern affects the

level of child self-control. Other results show that

families who apply authoritative parenting will make

children have a high level of self-control, while

children who reject authoritarian parenting make the

child has a low level of self-control. Other research

indicates that ineffective parenting will tend to

produce low self-control. In other words, poor

parenting will have an impact on low self- control and

will directly lead to deviations in child behavior,

including game addict.

Therefore, once again, digital literacy in schools,

teachers should no longer only focus on how to

encourage students to be able to access and understand

learning materials directly but also strive for students

to have a broader, creative way of thinking, able to

develop a culture of digital media that is can further

increase the benefits of digital media for themselves

and their environment and understand ethics in the

use of digital media itself.

CONCLUSIONS

The involvement of teachers in the development of

digital literacy in schools during the pandemic still

faces various challenges related to themselves and

aspects from outside themselves. The challenge

related to the teachers themselves is the inequality of

mastery of digital technology they have. This is due

to the availability of training and the ability to follow

changes that teachers do not have equally. Another

challenge is the diversity of conditions students face,

both economically, socially, and culturally using

digital technology, so teachers must take various

ways to ensure students can access and use digital

technology wisely. Apart from the challenges that

arise from within and outside the teacher, the biggest

challenge for teachers in developing digital literacy in

schools is to equalize the perception that digital

literacy is not only about mastering technology but

also concerning emotional, sociological and critical

thinking skills so that students and teachers can

participate as leaders. digital citizens to the fullest.

Teacher Challenges in Developing Digital Literacy in Schools during the Pandemic Era

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to the Head of the Banyumas Regency

Education and Culture Office and his staff who have

assisted in gathering informants and organizing focus

group discussions. Thank you to the Guidance and

Counselling teachers in the City of Purwokerto for

being willing to become informants in this research.

And to the Research Institute and Community

Services (LPPM) of Jenderal Sudirman University

which has provided research facilitation and funding

through the Unsoed Basic Research Scheme in 2021.

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AICOSH 2021 - The Annual International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (AICOSH) “Life After Pandemic: Perspectives,

Changes, and Challenges”