An exploration of the digital competences of literacy tutors and their use of digital technologies in adult literacy teaching: a case study

The traditional definition of literacy was the ability to read and write, however, over time the meaning of literacy has evolved. It now includes being able to use everyday technologies to communicate and handle information, or “digital literacy”. In order to be able to support learners to become digitally literate, adult literacy tutors need to have digital skills themselves. This research examined the digital competences of literacy tutors, full time, part time staff and unpaid volunteers, and their use of digital technologies in their teaching, in one literacy service in the west of Ireland. The research used a case study methodology and gathered qualitative and quantitative data through a number of data collection methods including questionnaires, observations, interviews and document analysis. The study found almost unanimous agreement about the importance of being digitally competent. The respondents expressed higher confidence levels in their traditional ICT skills, email and basic Internet searches than in using newer technologies such as tablets, social media and other Web 2.0 tools. They also expressed their lack of skills in evaluating online information, privacy online and security and copyright matters. The use of digital technologies in teaching literacy was varied. Some tutors fully integrated the use of digital media and resources into the learning process, while other tutors did not use digital technologies at all. The tools that were predominantly used were literacy software, word processing and the Internet. The study suggests that some tutors need support in order to update their own digital skills so they can integrate the use of digital technologies in their adult literacy tutoring professional practice.