Views of Student Teachers at a University in Lesotho about their Digital Literacy and Online Safety: Building Sustainable Digital Practices

Abstract Digital literacy has become crucial for functionality and productivity in academics, work, and everyday community lives. However, easy access to digital technologies, accompanied by limited digital literacy, can expose users to the dangers that lurk in the digital world. Young people, who are frequent users of these technologies yet have less experience and wisdom, could quickly become victims of such dangers. This is why there has been a call for learning institutions to ensure that young people graduate with digital knowledge and skills. This study explored the level of digital literacy among 61 student teachers majoring in Literature in English at a university in Lesotho. The study was framed through the theoretical lens of connectivism. Data was collected using classroom discussions, focusing on the student teachers’ views about the status of their digital literacy and its influence on their lives. A thematic approach was used to analyse this data. The findings of this study indicate that many student teachers viewed digital literacy in a very simplistic way that excluded issues of online safety and security. They described digital literacy as a limited ability to use digital devices to complete tasks, suggesting that they did not think much about digital safety and security in their descriptions. This could suggest that even in their everyday interactions with these technologies, they do not consider safety and security issues. It is recommended that learning institutions make efforts to address the digital literacy needs of their students, particularly student teachers who are future classroom teachers who will be responsible for guiding young people in the classroom on digital use, safety, and security.