Older adults in the digital age: Strengthening digital literacy through Education : A pre-experimental design

This study aimed to examine changes in digital literacy levels following a structured digital literacy intervention among older adults. Additionally, it aimed to determine whether the magnitude of change observed after the training varied across demographic characteristics. The study employed a pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design. A total of 58 individuals aged 60 years and older who voluntarily agreed to participate were included in the study. The relevant information was obtained through a Participant Information Form (PIF) and the Digital Literacy Scale (DLS). The participants received an eight-week structured digital literacy training program consisting of one session per week, delivered in a hands-on format. A statistically significant increase was observed in the total score of the Digital Literacy Scale as well as in all of its subdimensions following the intervention (p < .001). The mean total score increased from 3.68 ± 0.66 at pretest to 4.50 ± 0.38 at posttest. Change scores were not significantly correlated with age (r = −0.074, p = .582) and did not differ significantly according to marital status, educational level, income status, employment status, living arrangement, smoking status, or the presence of an internet connection at home (p > .05). A statistically significant increase in digital literacy scores was observed following participation in the eight-week digital training program. The findings suggest that practice-oriented training delivered within lifelong learning settings may support the development of digital literacy among older adults.