In May, new data revealed Australian students’ ICT literacy has dropped to its lowest point since testing began in 2005 — despite young people being more digitally immersed than any generation before them.
The data, from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), found that just half (50%) of Year 6 students attained the proficient standard – a decline from 55% in 2022 and is also lower than the national percentages observed in 2011. For Year 10 students, a mere 37% attained the proficient standard, which is the lowest percentage observed since the assessment's inception.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has tasked the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) with investigating the results. In an interview with The Educator, AERO CEO, Dr Jenny Donovan, said the last two decades have shown that access to technology does not translate into capability.
“Students can become familiar with digital tools very quickly, but without deliberate instruction, that familiarity doesn’t develop into the skills needed to evaluate information, think critically, or solve problems,” Dr Donovan told The Educator.
“While encouraging more purposeful use of technology is important, the underlying issue is how these skills are taught.”
Dr Donovan pointed out that learning doesn’t occur through exposure alone — it requires explicit, structured teaching that builds knowledge step by step, with practice and feedback.
“For example, showing a student how to search online is different from teaching them how to assess the credibility of what they find,” she explained.
“Those higher order capabilities need to be taught deliberately if students are to move beyond passive use, and they also rely upon students having access to a knowledge-rich curriculum that equips them with the information on which to base their thinking or reasoning.”
Dr Donovan said the challenge now for schools is not just shifting students from passive to active digital use but ensuring that this shift is grounded in what educators know about how young people learn.
“Without that, new technologies — including AI — risk reinforcing superficial engagement rather than enhancing knowledge, skills and learning.”
“AERO welcomes the opportunity to conduct further research into what is driving these results and attempt to answer some of the questions about what tools work, for which students, and under what conditions.”
When asked what might AERO’s investigation process look like in terms of the scale and scope of the research it will be undertaking, Dr Donovan said the work will draw on existing evidence while exploring where AI can deliver meaningful impact.
“This project will build upon some of AERO’s previous work, such as our ‘Strengthening the evidence on how GenAI can improve teaching and learning’ discussion paper released in 2024,” she said.
“The potential is real, but so are the gaps in what we know. Any tool that genuinely improves outcomes must build on what we already understand about effective teaching, fit practically into how schools work, and reach the students who need it most.”