dissertation vandeursen

8/8/2019 Dissertation VanDeursen

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INTERNET SKILLSV I TA L A S S E T S I N A N I N F O R M AT I O N S O C I E T Y

Alexander J.A.M. van Deursen


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Thesis, University of TwenteISBN: 978-90-365-3086-6

Van Deursen, A.J.A.M. (2010). Internet skills. Vital assets in an information society . Enschede, theNetherlands: University of Twente

Printed by Gildeprint Drukkerijen, Enschede, the NetherlandsPeople on the cover all granted permission for usage and are actual participants of the studiesdiscussed in this dissertation.

Some of the studies presented in the dissertation were supported by the Ministry of the Interior andKingdom Relations, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, ECP-EPN, or the IBR Research Institute for

Social Sciences and Technology.


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INTERNET SKILLSV I TA L A S S E T S I N A N I N F O R M AT I O N S O C I E T Y

PROEFSCHRIFT

ter verkrijging vande graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Twente,

op gezag van de rector magnificus,prof. dr. H. Brinksma,

volgens besluit van het College voor Promotiesin het openbaar te verdedigen

op vrijdag 17 december 2010 om 16:45

door

Alexander Johannes Aloisius Maria van Deursen

geboren op 20 december 1977te Geldrop


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Dit proefschrift is goedgekeurd door de promotor prof. dr. J.A.G.M. van Dijk enassistent -promotor dr. O. Peters .


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Samenstelling promotiecommissie

Promotor: Prof. Dr. J.A.G.M. van Dijk

Assistent-promotor: Dr. O. Peters

Leden: Prof. Dr. J. de Haan Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau / Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam

Dr. E. Hargittai Northwestern UniversityProf. Dr. E. Loos Universiteit van AmsterdamProf. Dr. M.J. Steehouder Universiteit TwenteProf. Dr. Scheerens Universiteit Twente


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Happiness is only real when shared Chris McCandles


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Con t en t s

1. Introducing Internet Skills 91.1 Increasing demands, higher stakes 101.2 Literacies in contemporary society 141.3 Research questions and contents 161.4 Scope of the dissertation 20

2. Internet Skills and Social Inequality 21

2.1 Introduction 222.2 The Internet and social inequality 232.3 The digital divide 282.4 Internet skills and social inequality 322.5 Inequality among whom? 382.6 Conclusions 43

3. Defining Internet Skills 45

3.1 Introduction 463.2 The term Internet skills 473.3 Overview of related concepts 483.4 Proposing an Internet skills definition 583.5 Traditional media skills and digital media skills 70

4. Internet Skills Performance Tests 79

4.1 Introduction 80

4.2 Method 814.3 Results of performance test 1: government information 884.4 Results of performance test 2: leisure information 924.5 Results of performance test 3: health information 954.6 Modeling Internet skills determinants 984.7 Evaluating the Internet skills definition 1064.8 Conclusions 111


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5. Internet Skills-Related Problems 1135.1 Introduction 1145.2 Coding Internet skills-related problems 1145.3 Identifying Internet skills-related problems 1175.4 Conclusions 124

6. Internet Skills Survey questions 127

6.1 Introduction 1286.2 Step 1: Correlations between items and observed skills 1296.3 Step 2: Discriminant validity of the Internet skills items 1336.4 Step 3: Internet skills items in a first-order confirmatory

factor analysis137

6.5 Conclusions 140

7. General Conclusions and Discussion 143

7.1 Introduction 1447.2 Level of Internet skills 1457.3 Differences in Internet skills 1497.4 Internet skills, vital assets in an information society 1527.5 Limitations and future research 155

8. Overcoming Internet Skills Divides 159

8.1 Introduction 1608.2 Improving new media development 1618.3 Improving Internet skills 167

References 181Appendices 203List of Publications 211Samenvatting (summary) 215Dankwoord (acknowledgements) 225


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1

IntroducingInternet Skills


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1 . 1 I n c r e a s i n g d e m a n d s , h i g h e r s t a k e s


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1 . 2 L i t e r a c i e s i n c o n t e m p o r a r y s o c i e t y


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1 . 3 R e s e a r c h q u e s t i o n s a n d c o n t e n t s


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1 . 4 S c o p e o f t h e d i s s e r t a t i o n


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2

Internet Skillsand Social Inequality


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2 . 1 I n t r o d u c t i o n

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!


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2 . 2 T h e I n t e r n e t a n d s o c i a l i n e q u a l i t y


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2 . 3 T h e d i g i t a l d i v i d e


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2 . 4 I n t e r n e t s k i l l s a n d s o c i a l i n e q u a l i t y


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2 . 4 . 1 E c o n o m i c i n e q u a l i t y


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2 . 4 . 2 S o c i a l i n e q u a l i t y


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2 . 4 . 3 H e a l t h i n e q u a l i t y


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2 . 4 . 4 P o l i t i c a l i n e q u a l i t y


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2 . 4 . 5 C u l t u r a l i n e q u a l i t y

2 . 5 I n e q u a l i t y a m o n g w h o m ?


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Figure 2.1 Individuals Lacking Internet SkillsSource: Eurostat Community Survey on ICT Usage by Households and by Individuals between 16- 74 Years Old (2007). EU27 without Malta.

50%

60%

70%

10%

20%

30%

40%

80%

90%

A l l i n d i v i

d u a l s ,

E U 2 7

1 6 -

2 4

2 5 -

3 4

3 5 -

4 4

4 5 -

5 4

5 5 -

6 4

6 5 -

7 4

w o m e n

m e n l o

w

m e d

i u m

h i g h

d e n s e l y p o p u

l a t e

d

i n t e r m e d

i a t e

t h i n l y p o p u

l a t e

d

o t h e r r e g

i o n s

s t u d e n t s

( s e l

f - ) e m p l o y e d

u n e m p l o y e d

r e t i r e d

/ i n a c t

i v e

m a n u a

l

n o n - m a n u a

l

age gender education location employment


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2 . 6 C o n c l u s i o n s

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!


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3

DefiningInternet Skills


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3 . 2 T h e t e r m I n t e r n e t S k i l l s


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3 . 3 O v e r v i e w o f r e l a t e d c o n c e p t s

3 . 3 . 1 M e d i a l i t e r a c y


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3 . 3 . 2 I n f o r m a t i o n l i t e r a c y


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!


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3 . 3 . 3 C o m p u t e r , I T , a n d I C T l i t e r a c y


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3 . 3 . 4 D i g i t a l l i t e r a c y

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3 . 3 . 5 N e t w o r k l i t e r a c y

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!

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!

3 . 3 . 6 M u l t i d i s c i p l i n a r y d e f i n i t i o n s


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3 . 4 P r o p o s i n g a n I n t e r n e t s k i l l s d e f i n i t i o n


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3 . 4 . 1 O p e r a t i o n a l I n t e r n e t s k i l l s

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!

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Table 3.1 Measurements of Operational Internet SkillsECDL(2009)

Valencia(2000)

Bunz(2004)

Larsson(2002)

Revere(2005)

CBS(2009)

Understandconcepts

Use abrowser

Know what abrowser is

Use abrowser

Browser use

Follow links Surf theInternet

Navigation

Use a searchengine

Use searchengines

Knowdifferencesbetweensearch tools

Use searchengines

Search engine use

BookmarkWeb site

BookmarkWeb site

BookmarkWeb site

BookmarkWeb site

BookmarkWeb site

Adding bookmarks

Move forwardand back

Use backand forward

MovebetweenWeb sites

Navigation

Downloadaudio files

Move files todesktop

Move filesonto the

desktop orfolder

Downloadfiles from the

Internet

Downloading files

Save a Website

Save a Webpage

Saving files

Print Webpages

Print Webpages

Printing

Navigate / completeforms

Using forms

Changebrowserpreferences

Customizebrowser

Browser preferences

Empty disk

and cache

Empty disk

and cacheRead variousfile formatson the Web

Use different file formats

View,decompress,and opendocuments

Identify hostserver

Considersecurity

Security considerations

Create

Web site

Create Web

page


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3 . 4 . 2 F o r m a l I n t e r n e t s k i l l s


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3 . 4 . 3 I n f o r m a t i o n I n t e r n e t s k i l l s


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3 . 4 . 4 S t r a t e g i c I n t e r n e t s k i l l s


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3 . 4 . 5 P r o p o s i n g a n I n t e r n e t s k i l l s d e f i n i t i o n

3 . 5 T r a d i t i o n a l m e d i a s k i l l s a n d n e w m ed i a s k i l l s


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Table 3.2 Four Types of Internet Skills

Operational Internet skills! Operating an Internet browser:

o

Opening Web sites by entering the URL in thebrowsers location bar;o Navigating forward and backward between pages

using the browser buttons;o Saving files on the hard disk;o Opening various common file formats (e.g., PDFs);o Bookmarking Web sites.

! Operating Internet-based search engines:o Entering keywords in the proper field;o Executing the search operation;o Opening search results in the search result lists.

! Operating Internet-based forms:o Using the different types of fields and buttons;o Submitting a form.

Formal Internet Skills! Navigating on the Internet by doing the following:

o Using hyperlinks embedded in different formats suchas texts, images, or menus.

! Maintaining a sense of location while navigating on the Internet,meaning:

o Not becoming disoriented when navigating within aWeb site;

o Not becoming disoriented when navigating betweenWeb sites;

o Not becoming disoriented when opening andbrowsing through search results.

Information Internet Skills! Locating required information, by:

o Choosing a Web site or a search system toseek information;

o Defining search options or queries;o Selecting information (on Web sites or in

search results);o Evaluating information sources.

Strategic Internet skills! Taking advantage of the Internet by doing the following:

o Developing an orientation toward a particulargoal;

o Taking the right action to reach this goal;o Making the right decision to reach this goal;o Gaining the benefits resulting from this goal.

Medium-related Internet skills

Content-related Internet skills


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3 . 5 . 1 T r a d i t i o n a l m e d i a s k i l l s


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T a

b l e 3

. 3 F o u r T y p e s o f

S k i l l s f o r D

i f f e r e n t M e d

i a ( e x t e n

d e d f r o m

V a n

D i j k

, 2 0 0 5 , p .

7 5 )

O r i e n t

, a c t

, a n d

d e c i d e u p o n

o n l i n e

i n f o r m a t

i o n t o

i m p r o v e

o n e s p o s i t i o n

i n s o c i e t y .

A u

d i o

- v i s u a

l

m e

d i a

P r i n t m e

d i a

C o m p u t e r s

I n t e r n e t

C o n t e n t - r e

l a t e

d s k

i l l s

M e d

i u m - r

e l a t e d s k

i l l

R e a

d a n

d w r i t e t e x t s ;

U n d e r s t a n

d n u m

b e r s ;

W a t c h

, l i s t e n , r e c o r d

, a n d

e d i t a u

d i o - v i s u a

l s , p

o s s i

b l y

g u i d e d

b y t e x t o r i c o n s ;

O p e r a t e

I n t e r n e t b r o w s e r .

R e a

d a n


U n d e r s t a n

d n u m

b e r s ;

W a t c h


, a n d

e d i t a u

d i o - v i s u a

l s , p

o s s i

b l y

g u i d e d

b y t e x t o r i c o n s ;

O p e r a t e

h a r d w a r e ;

O p e r a t e s o

f t w a r e .

S t r a t e g

i c s k

i l l s

F o r m a

l s k i l l s

O r i e n t

, a c t

, a n d

d e c i d e u p o n

i n f o r m a t

i o n

i n c o m p u t e r s t o

i m p r o v e o n e s p o s i t i o n

i n

s o c i e t y .

S e a r c

h , s e

l e c t

, p r o c e s s , a n

d

e v a l u a t e

i n f o r m a t

i o n f r o m t e x t

,

n u m

b e r s

, i m a g e s

, s o u n

d s ,

n a r r a t

i v e s

, a n d v i

d e o

i n

c o m p u t e r f

i l e s a n

d s o f t w a r e .

O p e r a t i o n a

l s

k i l l s

I n f o r m a t i o n s

k i l l s

R e a

d a n


U n d e r s t a n

d n u m

b e r s

.

R e a

d a n


U n d e r s t a n

d n u m

b e r s ;

W a t c h


, a n d e d

i t

a u d i o - v i s u a l s , p o s s i

b l y g u

i d e d

b y t e x t o r

i c o n s .

U n d e r s t a n

d a n

d p o s s

i b l y e d

i t

t h e s t r u c t u r e s o f t e x t s :

C h a p t e r s , p a r a g r a p

h s ,

r e f e r e n c e s

, i n d e x e s

, a n d t a

b l e s

o f c o n t e n t

U n d e r s t a n

d a n

d p o s s

i b l y e d

i t t h e

s t r u c t u r e s o f a u

d i o - v i s u a l s :

S c e n e s , s h o t s , s e q u e n c e s

,

s c e n a r

i o s , s t a r t s

, a n d e n

d i n g s .

U n d e r s t a n

d a n

d p o s s

i b l y e d

i t t h e

s t r u c t u r e s o f c o m p u t e r s : D r i v e s

,

f o l d e r s ,

f i l e s ;

K e e p a s e n s e o f o r

i e n t a t

i o n

i n a

n o n -

l i n e a r e n v i r o n m e n t .

S e a r c

h , s e

l e c t


d

e v a l u a t e

i n f o r m a t

i o n f r o m t e x t s

a n d n u m

b e r s

.

S e a r c

h , s e

l e c t


d

e v a l u a t e

i n f o r m a t

i o n f r o m

t e x t

, n u m

b e r s

, i m a g e s

,

s o u n

d s , n

a r r a t i v e s

, a n d

v i d e o .

O r i e n t

, a c t

, a n d

d e c i d e u p o n

i n f o r m a t

i o n

i n t e x t s a n d

n u m

b e r s a s a m e a n s t o


i n

s o c i e t y .

O r i e n t

, a c t

, a n d

d e c i d e u p o n

a u d i o - v i s u a l

i n f o r m a t

i o n t o


i n

s o c i e t y .

S e a r c

h , s e

l e c t


d

e v a l u a t e

i n f o r m a t

i o n f r o m t e x t

,

n u m

b e r s

, i m a g e s

, s o u n

d s ,

n a r r a t

i v e s

, a n d v i

d e o

o n t h e

I n t e r n e t

.

U n d e r s t a n

d t h e s t r u c t u r e s o f t h e

I n t e r n e t : p o r t a

l s , s i t

e s , p

a g e s ;

K e e p a s e n s e o f o r

i e n t a t

i o n

i n a

n o n -

l i n e a r e n v i r o n m e n t ;

U s e

d i f f e r e n t

W e b s

i t e a n

d

m e n u

l a y o u t s .


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3 . 5 . 2 D i g i t a l m e d i a s k i l l s


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3 . 5 . 3 D i f f e r e n c e s b e t w e e n t r a d i t i o n a l a n d d i g i t a lm e d i a s k i l l s

!

!

!


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4

Internet SkillsPerformance Tests


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4 . 2 M e t h o d

4 . 2 . 1 C h o o s i n g a m e a s u r e m e n t m et h o d


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4 . 2 . 2 S a m p l e


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Table 4.1 Subjects over Gender, Education, Age, Location of Internet Use, Assistance Requirements,Socio-economic Status, and Participation in an Internet Course

Study 1 Study 2 Study 3n % n % n %

GenderMale 51 47 57 52 45 51Female 58 53 52 48 43 49

Age18-29 25 23 27 25 24 27

30-39 27 25 24 22 18 2140-54 27 25 28 26 23 2655-80 30 28 30 28 23 26

EducationLow (e.g., Primary school) 32 29 34 31 25 28Middle (e.g., High school) 37 34 34 31 32 36High (e.g., College and University) 40 37 41 38 31 35

Primary location of Internet useAt home 95 87 104 95 75 85At work 13 12 5 5 1 1At school 1 1 0 0 8 9At a friends or family members home 0 0 0 0 3 3At a library 0 0 0 0 1 1

Assistance required when using the InternetNo 51 47 45 41 49 56Yes, from family 32 29 29 26 18 21Yes, from friends 18 17 27 25 17 19Yes, from colleagues 5 5 5 5 4 5Yes, from a helpdesk 2 2 3 3 0 0

Socio-economic statusEmployee 54 50 52 47 30 34

Retired 18 17 19 18 14 16Student 14 13 16 15 21 24Homemaker 10 9 11 10 3 3Employer 7 6 5 5 6 7Disabled 5 5 3 3 4 5Unemployed 1 1 2 2 9 10

Participation in an Internet courseNo 84 77 81 74 63 72Yes 25 23 28 26 25 28


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4 . 2 . 3 D a t a c o l l e c t i o n a n d p r o c e d u r e


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4 . 2 . 4 A s s i g n m e n t s


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4 . 2 . 5 O p e r a t i o n a l i z a t i o n o f v a r i a b l e s


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4 . 2 . 6 M i s s i n g d a t a

4 . 3 R e s u l t s o f p e r f o r m a n c e t es t 1 : G o v e r n m en ti n f o r m a t i o n

4 . 3 . 1 G e n e r a l r e s u l t s

Table 4.2 Overview of Successful Task Completion and Time SpentIndependent variables Task completion Time spent (seconds)

M (SD) % M (SD) Min. Max.Operational tasks (8) 6.26 (1.89) 78 553 (254) 167 1200*Formal tasks (4) 2.86 (1.04) 72 616 (255) 242 1200*Information tasks (3) 1.86 (0.84) 62 939 (449) 257 2157Strategic tasks (2) 0.44 (0.65) 22 1466 (575) 437 2719

*maximum time allowed


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Table 4.3 Number of Tasks the Subjects Failed to Complete Successfully# of failed tasks % of subjects

Operational Internet skills 0 391 172 10

3 114 125 56 57 18 0

Formal Internet skills 0 331 322 223 114 1

Information Internet skills 0 211 522 183 8

Strategic Internet skills 0 111 282 62

4 . 3 . 2 I n t e r n e t s k i l l s d e t e r m i n a n t s


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Table 4.4 Linear Regression on Number of Operational Tasks Completed Successfully and Time Spent

Independent variables Task completion Time spent t t Gender (M/F) -0.82 -.06 -1.30 -.08 Age -3.13 -.30*** 5.11 .43*** Education (low-medium-high) 3.86 .32*** -2.75 -.27*** Years online 1.90 .15* -2.56 -.18** Hours online weekly 0.55 .04 -1.44 -.10 Internet class (no / yes) 0.45 .03 -0.14 -.01 Assistance required (no / yes) -1.47 -.12 1.83 .13 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) 1.15 .08 -1.15 -.07 Working situation (inactive / active) 1.62 -.15 -1.97 -.16* R 2 .52 .64 F 14.02 *** 22.34 ***

*p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001

Table 4.5 Linear Regression on Number of Formal Tasks Completed Successfully and Time SpentIndependent variables Task completion Time spent

t t Gender (M/F) 1.06 .08 -2.17 -.15 Age -2.58 -.25** 5.01 .46*** Education (low-medium-high) 2.94 .26* -1.98 -.16*

Years online 1.56 .13 -1.68 -.13 Hours online weekly -0.30 -.02 -1.66 -.13 Internet class (no / yes) 1.00 .07 -0.24 -.02 Assistance required (no / yes) -3.08 -.26 1.65 .13 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) -2.40 -.18** -0.76 -.05 Working situation (inactive / active) 1.26 .12* -1.07 -.09 R 2 .49 .57 F 12.39 *** 16.46 ***

*p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001


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Table 4.6 Linear Regression on Number of Information Tasks Completed Successfully and Time SpentIndependent variables Task completion Time spent

t t Gender (M/F) -1.35 -.13 -2.17 -.15 Age -0.89 -.12 5.01 .46*** Education (low-medium-high) 3.12 .36*** -1.98 -.16* Years online 0.60 .07 -1.68 -.13

Hours online weekly -1.02 -.11 -1.66 -.13 Internet class (no / yes) 0.27 .02 -0.24 -.02 Assistance required (no / yes) -0.00 .00 1.65 .13 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) 1.12 .11 -0.76 -.05 Working situation (inactive / active) -0.31 -.04 -1.07 -.09 R 2 .13 .23 F 2.82 *** 4.67 ***

*p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001

Table 4.7 Linear Regression on Number of Strategic Tasks Completed Successfully and Time SpentIndependent variables Task completion Time spent

t t Gender (M/F) -0.72 -.06 -1.11 -.11 Age -1.42 -.17 -0.19 -.03 Education (low-medium-high) 4.24 .42*** 1.06 .13 Years online 0.21 .02 0.54 .06 Hours online weekly -1.60 -.15 -1.23 -.14 Internet class (no / yes) 0.31 .03 0.47 .05 Assistance required (no / yes) -1.61 -.16 1.20 .14 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) -0.61 -.05 -0.26 -.03 Working situation (inactive / active) 1.29 .14 -0.62 -.08 R 2 .30 .01F 6.09 *** .84

***p< .001


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4 . 4 R e s u l t s o f p e r f o r m a n c e t e s t 2 : l e i s u r ei n f o r m a t i o n

4 . 4 . 1 G e n e r a l r e s u l t s

Table 4.8 Overview of Successful Task completion and Time SpentIndependent variables Task completion Time spent (seconds)

M (SD) % M (SD) Min. Max.Operational tasks (8) 5.9 (1.9) 74 427 (198) 118 980Formal tasks (4) 3.2 (1.0) 80 450 (218) 180 1143Information tasks (3) 1.6 (0.9) 53 960 (336) 343 1717Strategic tasks (2) 0.6 (0.7) 29 1613 (545) 441 2500*

*maximum time allowed

Table 4.9 Number of Tasks Subjects Failed to Complete Successfully# of failed tasks % of subjects

Operational Internet skills 0 251 132 163 184 85 96 67 48 0

Formal Internet skills 0 55

1 222 163 64 0

Information Internet skills 0 161 452 223 17

Strategic Internet skills 0 131 312 56


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Table 4.10 Linear Regression on Number of Operational Tasks Completed Successfully and Time SpentIndependent variables Task completion Time spent

t

t

Gender (M/F) -1.01 -.07 0.87 .05 Age -5.24 -.50*** 6.77 .57*** Education (low-medium-high) 2.77 .20** -0.92 -.06 Years online 0.43 .03 -3.22 -.20** Hours online weekly 1.80 .15 -2.02 -.15* Internet class (no / yes) -0.53 -.04 1.00 .06 Assistance required (no / yes) -0.94 -.07 1.66 .11 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) -2.28 -.16* 0.62 .04 Working situation (inactive / active) -1.23 -.11 1.02 .08 R 2 .55 .65

F 15.46 *** 23.09 *** *p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001


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t t Gender (M/F) 1.22 .09 -0.71 -.05 Age -3.41 -.35*** 5.08 .48*** Education (low-medium-high) 3.49 .27*** -1.50 -.11 Years online 2.66 .21 -2.31 -.17* Hours online weekly -0.23 -.02 -1.58 -.13 Internet class (no / yes) 1.30 .10 -1.63 -.11 Assistance required (no / yes) -0.41 -.03 1.24 .10 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) -3.19 -.24** 2.73 .19** Working situation (inactive / active) -1.79 -.17 1.02 .09 R 2 .51 .55 F 11.36 *** 15.64 ***

*p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001


t t Gender (M/F) -1.05 -.10 1.58 .15 Age -0.42 -.05 2.45 .31* Education (low-medium-high) 2.95 .28*** 1.60 .16 Years online 1.36 .13 -2.55 -.25 Hours online weekly 0.28 .03 0.17 .02 Internet class (no / yes) -0.17 -.02 1.78 .17 Assistance required (no / yes) -2.07 -.21* 1.04 .11 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) -0.90 -.08 0.52 -.05 Working situation (inactive / active) -0.50 -.06 0.28 .03 R 2 .27 .18 F 3.99 *** 3.55 ***

*p< .05, ***p< .001


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t t Gender (M/F) -1.06 -.10 1.35 .14 Age 0.15 .02 0.14 .02 Education (low-medium-high) 4.31 .42*** 1.26 .14 Years online 0.64 .06 0.96 .10 Hours online weekly -0.48 -.06 0.26 .03 Internet class (no / yes) -0.11 -.01 2.02 .21 Assistance required (no / yes) -1.14 -.12 0.57 .07 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) -0.94 -.09 -0.58 -.06 Working situation (inactive / active) -0.58 -.07 -0.15 -.02 R 2 .25 .09 F 3.75 *** 1.07

*p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001

4 . 5 R e s u l t s o f p e r f o r m a n c e t e s t 3 : H e a l t hi n f o r m a t i o n

4 . 5 . 1 G e n e r a l r e s u l t s

Table 4.14 Overview of Successful Task Completion and Time SpentIndependent variables Task completion Time spent (seconds)

M (SD) % M (SD) Min. Max.Operational tasks (8) 5.8 (2.1) 73 427 (198) 118 980Formal tasks (4) 2.9 (1.2) 73 450 (218) 180 1143Information tasks (3) 1.5 (0.9) 50 960 (336) 343 1717Strategic tasks (2) 0.7 (0.8) 35 1613 (545) 441 2500


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Table 4.15 Number of Tasks the Subjects Failed to Complete Successfully# of failed tasks % of subjects

Operational Internet skills 0 281 212 163 104 105 96 47 38 0

Formal Internet skills 0 391 282 173 114 5

Information Internet skills 0 131 40

2 343 14Strategic Internet skills 0 20

1 352 44


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Table 4.16 Linear Regression on Number of Operational Tasks Completed Successfully and Time SpentIndependent variables Task completion Time spent

t t Gender (M/F) -1.21 -.10 -0.31 -.02 Age -6.99 -.71*** 4.89 .51*** Education (low-medium-high) 2.04 .18* -2.94 -.27** Years online 1.39 .12 -1.71 -.15 Hours online weekly 0.18 .02 0.42 -.04 Internet class (no / yes) 0.27 .02 1.22 .10 Assistance required (no / yes) 0.34 .03 0.92 .08 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) 0.17 .01 -1.06 -.09 Working situation (inactive / active) -1.11 -.11 -0.53 -.06 R 2 .55 .54 F 10.11*** 10.11***

*p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001


t t Gender (M/F) -1.19 -.09 -0.07 .00 Age -6.69 -.62*** 7.10 .61*** Education (low-medium-high) 4.85 .40*** -4.54 -.34***

Years online 2.12 .17* -2.10 -.15* Hours online weekly -1.40 -.11 0.01 .00 Internet class (no / yes) -0.63 -.05 0.99 .07 Assistance required (no / yes) -0.81 -.06 0.36 .03 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) 0.97 .07 -0.54 -.04 Working situation (inactive / active) -1.37 -.13 -0.20 -.02 R 2 .61 .68 F 13.60 *** 18.20 ***

*p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001


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t t Gender (M/F) 1.00 .09 -1.19 -.13 Age 0.46 -.06 0.59 .08 Education (low-medium-high) 5.29 .56*** -0.69 -.08 Years online 0.65 .01 -0.67 -.08 Hours online weekly -0.07 -.01 0.02 .00 Internet class (no / yes) -2.50 -.24* -0.04 -.00 Assistance required (no / yes) -0.40 -.04 2.43 .28* Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) -0.89 -.09 -0.49 -.05 Working situation (inactive / active) -0.37 -.00 -0.30 -.04 R 2 .34 .09 F 4.48 *** 1.70

*p< .05, ***p< .001


t t Gender (M/F) 1.31 .11 0.93 .11 Age 0.06 .01 1.13 .17 Education (low-medium-high) 5.99 .58*** 0.87 .11 Years online 0.76 .07 -1.15 -.14 Hours online weekly 0.31 .03 0.16 .02 Internet class (no / yes) -0.58 -.05 -0.52 -.06 Assistance required (no / yes) -0.01 -.00 -0.27 -.03 Primary location of Internet use (at home / elsewhere) 0.26 .02 -1.08 -.13 Working situation (inactive / active) 1.06 .12 0.66 .10 R 2 .45 .07 F 7.10 *** 0.62

*p< .05, **p< .01, ***p< .001


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4 . 6 M o d e l i n g I n t e r n e t s k i l l s d e t e r m i n a n t s

Table 4.20 Significant Contributors (s) to the number of assignments completed successfully (#tasks) andthe time spent (Time) for all Four Internet Skills in Studies 1, 2, and 3

Study 1 Study 2 Study 3# tasks Time # tasks Time # tasks Time

Operational Internet skillsGender - - - - - -Age s s s s s sEducation s s s - s sYears online s s - s - -Hours online weekly - - - s - -Internet class - - - - - -Assistance required - - - - - -Primary location of Internet use - - s - - -

Working situation - s - - - -Formal Internet skillsGender - - - - - -Age s s s s s sEducation s s s - s sYears online - - - s s sHours online weekly - - - - - -Internet class - - - - - -Assistance required s - - - - -Primary location of Internet use s - s s - -Working situation - - - - - -Information Internet skillsGender - - - - - -Age - s - s - -Education s s s - s -Years online - - - - - -Hours online weekly - - - - - -Internet class - - - - - -Assistance required - - s - - sPrimary location of Internet use - - - - - -Working situation - - - - - -Strategic Internet skillsGender - - - - - -

Age - - - - - -Education s - s - s -Years online - - - - - -Hours online weekly - - - - - -Internet class - - - - - -Assistance required - - - - - -Primary location of Internet use - - - - - -Working situation - - - - - -


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