Investigating University Students’ Conception and Perception of ‘Digital Citizenship’: ENSC Pre-service Teachers as a Case Study

Abstract

         We live in an era where the Internet occupies a major part in our lives. It is common knowledge nowadays that the world has turned to a small village and we are indeed  its digital citizens. Similar to any society, net citizens exchange information, share  responsibilities, and engage in different forms of interaction guided by certain social, cultural, and religious norms.

         Algerian university students, like all other students, use the internet for study and leisure activities. The aim of this paper is to investigate Algerian university students, more specifically Ecole Normale Supérieure of  Constantine (ENSC) pre-service teachers’ understanding of the concept ‘Digital Citizenship’ as well as their perceptions, practices, and the degree of their awareness of their rights and duties as digital citizens. Qualitative and quantitative data were  collected through an online questionnaire administered to students of the English department at l’ENSC and answered by 102 students representing different grade levels. Results of the survey indicate that all participants in the study have easy access  to digital tools primarily smart phones and personal computers. These two devices are respectively used for entertainment and study purposes. Though the majority of  students indicated that the term ‘Digital Citizenship’ is new for them, they have shown an acceptable degree of awareness about appropriate and inappropriate
behaviors in relation to internet and technology use. The study recommends that  universities have to assume more responsibility of providing explicit instruction and training in technology use in order to increase students’ digital literacy and at the same time raise their awareness about positive and negative consequences of such use.