An Evaluative Study on the Degree of Inclusion of National and International Standards in the Digital Skills Curriculum for the Sixth Grade

The study aimed to identify the standards that should be included in the Digital Skills curriculum for sixth grade, assess the extent to which these standards are incorporated in the current curriculum, and evaluate its suitability for the targeted age group. The study followed the descriptive method using content analysis, where an analysis sheet was developed based on international standards for teaching digital skills to children aged 8-11 years and the Saudi national standards for grades 4-6. The 2023 edition of the Digital Skills curriculum for the three academic terms was analyzed. The results showed that the curriculum included 55% of the standards, indicating a moderate level of incorporation. Seven out of 18 main standards were fully included, with Computational Thinking and Programming being the most integrated area at 89%. On the other hand, five main standards related to Digital Citizenship were not included. The rest of the standards were partially incorporated, with only some sub-indicators of the main standards covered. The study recommended reviewing the curriculum and including the necessary standards, particularly those related to Digital Citizenship. It also suggested utilizing the researcher’s proposals to improve the quality of incorporation by adding new topics and applications.