IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2018. Technical Report

IEA's International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) 2018 investigated how well students are prepared for study, work, and life in a digital world. ICILS 2018 measured international differences in students' computer and information literacy (CIL): their ability to use computers to investigate, create, participate, and communicate at home, at school, in the workplace, and in the community. Participating countries had an additional option for their students to complete an assessment of computational thinking (CT): their ability to recognize aspects of real-world problems appropriate for computational formulation, and to evaluate and develop algorithmic solutions to those problems, so that the solutions could be operationalized with a computer. This technical report follows the publication of several international and regional reports that presented the results of ICILS 2018. It provides a comprehensive account of the conceptual, methodological, and analytical implementation of the study. It includes detailed information on the development of the data-collection instruments used, including their translation and translation verification, on sampling design and implementation, sampling weights and participation rates, survey operation procedures, quality control of data collection, data management and creation of the international database, scaling procedures, and analysis of ICILS 2018 data. The technical report enables researchers to evaluate published reports and articles based on data from this study and, used in conjunction with the ICILS 2018 User Guide for the International Database, will provide guidance for their own analyses. [Contributors to this report include: John Ainley, Sebastian Meyer, Ralph Carstens, Ekaterina Mikheeva, Alex Daraganov, Lauren Musu, Lauren Musu, Louise Ockwell, David Ebbs, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon, Sabine Tieck, and Tim Friedman. For "IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2018. User Guide for the International Database," see ED610700.]