Digital ambitions vs. classroom reality in Norwegian lower secondary schools: What digital competencies are students developing over time?

Abstract

Despite high political ambitions, the increased use of digital technology in lower secondary school has resulted in little indication of the advanced use of digital skills. Drawing on video-recorded lessons (N = 29) from five schools in Norway over time and across two national curricula, this study mapped the opportunities students had to develop digital skills in English classrooms. The findings provide nuanced insight into the instruction of digital skills in highly digitalised schools. Despite a slight increase in digital skills after the 2020 reform, our findings indicate that digital ambitions in the curriculum were not reflected in classroom reality.