Abstract:
21st century has seen the emergence of digital skills as a crucial ability with profound effects on
employment, education, and social relationships, among other facets of life. The best talents to
teach are the subject of study by those who establish educational policies. The goal of this study
is to examine the relationship between information and communication technology competency
(ICTC) and digital abilities. It focuses on which of the digital skills sub-dimensions has a greater
impact on ICTC and how this impact varies by country, age, and gender. This study employed a
quantitative research design to evaluate the association between ICTC and various digital skills.
The sample group consisted of 620 university students from Russia and Kazakhstan. Digital skills
were measured using a scale adapted for the Russian context, while ICTC scale was first adapted
for the Russian context following language validity steps. The study also conducted path analysis
to determine the impact of ICTC on digital skill dimensions and multigroup path analysis to
assess effects according to different independent variables. The study found that certain
dimensions of digital skills, specifically “use of digital tools”, “communication of digital content”,
and “creation of digital content”, significantly influence ICTC. However, “management of digital
content”, “digital security”, and “digital empathy” dimensions did not show a significant effect.
The impact of these dimensions varied significantly across different demographic groups,
suggesting that digital skills and ICTC development may differ among these groups. The findings
highlight the need for tailored strategies to develop and promote digital skills and ICTC,
considering these demographic differences.
