Seoul, South Korea – South Korean students have once again demonstrated their proficiency in technology, securing top rankings in an international assessment of computer and information literacy.

The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) released the results of the 2023 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) on Tuesday, revealing that South Korean students achieved the highest scores in both computer and information literacy (CIL) and computational thinking (CT).

South Korean students ranked first in CIL with a score of 540 and second in CT with a score of 537. Moreover, the proportion of South Korean students achieving the highest level of proficiency in both CIL and CT was the highest among all participating countries, at 6% and 15%, respectively. Conversely, the percentage of South Korean students at the lowest proficiency level was the lowest among participating countries for CIL (27%) and the third lowest for CT (21%).

While the international average for CIL showed a decline in proficiency, with a 43% to 51% increase in students at the lowest level and a decrease from 57% to 49% at the proficient level or above, South Korea experienced an opposite trend. The proportion of South Korean students at the lowest level decreased from 28% to 27%, while those at the proficient level or above increased from 72% to 73%.

However, a separate survey conducted as part of the study revealed that South Korean students reported lower levels of ICT use across most subjects and lower self-efficacy in using ICT compared to the international average. Additionally, the survey found that South Korean students faced fewer restrictions on their use of digital devices outside of school. This has raised concerns about potential excessive use of digital devices.

Go Young-jong, Director General of the Ministry of Education’s Policy Planning Office, stated, "With the implementation of the 2022 Revised Curriculum, which emphasizes digital literacy, and the introduction of AI-powered digital textbooks tailored to individual students, we will actively support students in developing the skills to use digital devices correctly and safely, enabling them to grow as digital citizens."

The ICILS, conducted every five years since 2013 for 12-year-old students, aims to compare students' computer and information literacy skills internationally and examine the relationship between these skills and educational contexts. The CIL domain assesses students' ability to judge the credibility of information presented on websites and provide evidence, while the CT domain evaluates their ability to use coding principles to solve given tasks.

The 2023 cycle involved 132,998 students from 5,299 schools in 34 countries and one region. In South Korea, 3,723 students from 152 schools participated.