From Learning Loss to Digital Readiness: Evidence from PISA 2018–2022

This paper examines the relationship between learning environments and changes in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)-related career aspirations across education systems in the context of ongoing digital transformation. The analysis uses country-level data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 and 2022, combining indicators of student autonomy, digital skills and teacher support. Digital readiness is operationalized as a latent country-level construct combining digital skills, student autonomy and perceived teacher support. The study uses regression analysis as the primary associational approach, complemented by clustering and latent-representation techniques used for exploratory profiling and visualization. Unlike prior research that treats learning loss, digital skills and career expectations separately, our analysis integrates them within a comparative longitudinal framework. It shifts the focus from short-term post-pandemic effects toward the broader capacity of education systems to support digital preparedness and future-oriented career expectations. Digital skills were consistently associated with ICT aspiration growth across education systems, while teacher support played a complementary contextual role. Autonomy shows weaker, context-dependent effects. The findings support interpreting digital readiness as a multidimensional construct reflecting combinations of digital skills, autonomy and teacher support.