Digital literacy practices in a Senegalese community

The thesis will explore what it means to be 'digitally literate'. I will concentrate on Senegal, an emerging digital environment where initiatives and the will to promote Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in adult literacy, in particular among girls and women, have inspired other countries like Kenya and Nigeria. The empirical data I will collect could provide a critical perspective on the context of intervention and insights regarding implications for pedagogy in the area of digital literacy.

Digital literacy is of growing importance in all areas of the world. It is not only a question of mastering the digital devices themselves but crucially, to know how to engage with meaning in the digital environment. Therefore, in this digital age, the major concern has become the gap between those who are digitally literate and those who are not. Indeed, UNESCO has highlighted that mastering higher-order literacy skills is a key element in the development of knowledge societies.

In the educational arena, the adoption of ICTs has been at the core of the debates for the past twenty years. Many questions on pedagogical implications have been raised, education policies reviewed and financial investments made in schools and home; however, the outcomes do not seem to meet the promise to address the digital needs of 21st century education. Much research on ICTs and education has underpinned the continuity of traditional methods in teaching and learning practices. Educational researchers pinpoint that the curricula do not encompass the features of the information and communication media used by 21st century learners in their everyday practices nor reflect the speed with which these are evolving.

Most studies on adult learning and technology seem to be conducted in the North. The few studies in the Global South, seem to mainly look at quantitative aspects. At the policy level, these studies are limited in how far they can provide in depth insights into the uses and meanings of literacy practices with ICTs. To fill this gap, my study attempts to answer the following question: What are the individual aspirations and experiences of community members in Malika with regard to digital literacy?

I will approach community members of a selected town in the large suburb of Dakar, some of them may be engaged in an adult literacy programme using ICTs. The analysis of digital practices in Senegal will be multilevel and aimed at contextually defining digital literacy and analysing the ethnographic data within the promotion of ICTs at policy and adult literacy programme levels.

1) At the community level, I will use the concepts of literacy as a social practice and adopt an ethnographic approach, to observe and analyse the literacy events and practices of the women using ICTs in their everyday lives.
2) At the policy level, I will attempt to identify the relationships between social development goals and individual aspirations. I will look, with a gender lens, at ICT in sectors such as health, agriculture and financial inclusion to identify the adult learning component and how digital needs are addressed.
3) At the literacy programme level, I will analyse curriculum of the national adult literacy programme and may observe some classes.