Impact of need-based digital literacy training on knowledge and digital skills of rural women

Introduction

Digital technologies have become an integral part of everyday life and are increasingly influencing access to education, communication, healthcare, financial services and livelihood opportunities. In the present digital era, digital literacy is considered an essential skill for meaningful participation in socio-economic activities. Digital literacy refers to the ability to access, understand, evaluate and effectively use digital technologies for communication, information sharing and problem-solving (UNESCO, 2019) [8] . Despite rapid technological advancement, the benefits of digitalization are not equally distributed among all sections of society, particularly among rural women. Rural women often face multiple barriers such as low educational status, lack of technological exposure, poor access to digital resources and limited training opportunities, which restrict their participation in the digital ecosystem. In many rural households, women primarily use mobile phones for basic communication purposes, whereas advanced digital applications such as online payments, internet browsing, e-mail usage and online services remain underutilized. Due to gender disparities and socio-cultural restrictions, women are also less likely to own and independently operate digital devices such as smartphones and computers. Dijk (2005) [2] further emphasized that rural populations experience compounded digital exclusion because of both geographical and social inequalities. Digital literacy is increasingly recognized as a powerful tool for women empowerment because it improves access to information, government schemes, financial services, educational opportunities and social networking platforms. Women possessing digital skills are more likely to participate in household decision-making, access online resources and improve their socio-economic conditions. Previous studies have reported that digital literacy interventions significantly enhance women's confidence, participation and technological competencies (Hilbert, 2011) [3] . Sharma and Sharma (2021) [6] observed that digital literacy contributes positively toward women empowerment and socio-economic participation in rural areas. Similarly, Malakar and Deka (2021) [4] [5] . Need-based training programs are considered highly effective because they are designed according to the specific requirements, interests and socio-economic conditions of the target group. Such programs focus on practical applications that are directly relevant to participants' daily lives, thereby improving learning interest, retention and skill utilization. According to the Digital Empowerment Foundation (2013) [1] , women constituted a major proportion of beneficiaries under digital literacy initiatives, and these programs contributed significantly toward their social and digital empowerment. Thomas and Parayil (2008) [7] also reported that access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can help bridge the social and digital divide in rural communities. Although several studies have examined digital literacy among rural populations, limited research has specifically focused on the impact of need-based digital literacy training programs for rural women in Haryana. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess the impact of a needbased digital literacy training program on the knowledge, digital skills and confidence level of rural women.

Objectives

To assess the knowledge gain of rural women after digital literacy training 2. To evaluate the improvement in digital skills of respondents after training

Methodology Locale of the Study

The study was conducted in Hisar district of Haryana state. Two blocks, namely Agroha and Barwala were selected purposively for conducting the study. From these blocks, four villages were selected for implementation of the digital literacy training program.

Selection of Respondents

A purposive sample of 50 rural women was selected for the study, comprising 25 respondents from each selected block. Women possessing smartphones but having limited digital literacy skills were included as respondents. The respondents belonged to different age groups and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Research Design

An experimental one-group pre-test and post-test research design was adopted to assess the impact of the training program. Pre-training assessment was conducted to evaluate the existing knowledge and digital skills of respondents.

After completion of the training program, post-training assessment was carried out using the same schedule to measure changes in knowledge, practical skills and confidence levels.

Development and Implementation of Training Program

The digital literacy training program was developed on the basis of identified needs and existing knowledge gaps among rural women. The training included both theoretical and practical sessions related to smartphone operations, internet browsing, social media usage, online payments, online shopping, video calling, downloading media files and digital participation activities. Demonstrations, hands-on practice sessions and repeated exercises were conducted to improve practical understanding and confidence among respondents.

Data Collection

Data were collected through a structured interview schedule developed for assessing knowledge, digital skills and confidence levels of respondents regarding various smartphone and digital activities. Knowledge, skill and confidence levels were measured using a five-point rating scale. The interview schedule was administered before and after the training program.

Statistical Analysis

The collected data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean scores and paired t-test to determine the significance of gain in knowledge, digital skills and confidence levels among respondents after the training intervention.

Plate 1: Practical learning session on smartphone applications among rural women www.extensionjournal.com The impact of the training programme on respondents' knowledge regarding smartphone activities is presented in Table 1. It depicts the gain in knowledge of rural women regarding various smartphone activities after the implementation of the training program. The findings clearly indicate a substantial improvement in respondents' knowledge. The highest gain in knowledge was observed in online shopping (2.96) followed by making online payments (2.90) and using e-mail (2.84). These activities had relatively low pre-training knowledge scores, indicating that respondents had limited familiarity with advanced smartphone functions before the training. However, the post-knowledge scores increased remarkably, reflecting the effectiveness of the digital literacy intervention. High tvalues further reveal that the improvement was statistically significant. In contrast, very low gains were observed in basic smartphone functions such as turning the phone on/off (0.12), making/receiving calls (0.28), and adjusting volume and brightness (0.46). This may be due to respondents already being familiar with these basic smartphone operations before the training program, resulting in higher pre-knowledge scores and comparatively lower scope for improvement. The findings demonstrate that practical and need-based training effectively enhanced respondents' understanding and use of smartphone applications.

Results and Discussion

References

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