10th International Congress on Information and Communication Technology

Authors - Abigail Gonzalez-Arriagada, Ruben Lopez-Leiva, Connie Cofre-Morales, Eduardo Puraivan
Abstract - The rapid advancement of information and communication technologies (ICT) has created a significant digital divide between older adults and younger generations. This divide affects the autonomy of older adults in a digitalized world. To address this issue, various initiatives have attempted to promote their digital skills, which requires reliable tools to measure them. However, assessing these competencies in this age group presents complex challenges, such as developing scales that accurately reflect the dimensions involved. In this study, we present empirical evidence on the reliability and adaptation of the Assessment of Computer-Related Skills (ACRS) scale. We translated the instrument into Spanish and added descriptors to optimize its application. The evaluation included 54 older adults in Chile (39 women and 15 men, aged 55 to 80) in an environment designed for individualized observation during the performance of specific digital tasks. The analyses revealed that the five dimensions of the instrument have high reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha values between 0.959 and 0.968. Six items were identified whose removal could slightly improve this indicator. Overall, the scale shows excellent internal consistency, with a G6 coefficient of 0.9994. These results confirm that, both at the level of each dimension and as a whole, the instrument demonstrates strong internal consistency, reinforcing its utility for assessing the intended competencies. An additional contribution of this work is the public availability of the data obtained, with the aim of encouraging future research in this area. Given the nature of the scale, which allows for the assessment of skills across various computer-related tasks, evidence of its high internal reliability constitutes a valuable resource for designing more inclusive educational programs specifically tailored to the needs of older adults in digital environments.