Digital Skills Formation in Gendered Peer Networks: Exploring advice giving and taking in classrooms

TL;DR

This study examines how digital skills are shared among students through peer advice networks across three countries, highlighting gender differences and suggesting peer learning as a tool for digital skills education.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on the role of peer advice networks in digital skill dissemination and highlights gendered patterns in advice-giving and seeking behaviors.

Findings

Higher-skilled students are more likely to be sought for advice.

Girls seek and give more advice than boys.

Gender homophily influences advice interactions.

Abstract

The digitalisation of childhood underscores the importance of early digital skill development. To understand how peer relationships shape this process, we draw on unique sociocentric network data from students in classrooms across three countries, focusing on peer-to-peer advice-giving and advice-seeking networks related to digital skills. Using exponential random graph models, we find that digital skills systematically spread through peer interactions: higher-skilled students are more likely to be sought for advice while less likely to seek it themselves. Students perceived as highly skilled are more likely to seek and offer advice, but it has limited influence on being sought out by others. Gender plays a significant role: girls both seek and give more advice, with strong gender homophily shaping these interactions. We suggest that digital skills education should leverage the potential of peer learning within formal education and consider how such approaches can address persistent divides.