DIGITAL COMPETENCIES BY GENDER IN RURAL SCHOOLS OF PIURA

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to analyze gender differences in digital competencies among secondary school students in rural schools of Piura. The methodology involved administering a validated questionnaire to 100 students, of which 70 responses were considered after a data screening process. Digital competencies were assessed in five dimensions: operational skills, formality, information retrieval, online communication, and content creation. The results revealed a statistically significant difference only in operational skills, where male students scored higher (T = –2.057, p = 0.044, d = –0.4991), while no significant gender differences were found in the other dimensions. These findings suggest that the digital gender gap in the studied context is minimal and mainly concentrated in basic technological handling skills. The study concludes that digital competencies have developed equitably between genders in this environment, though opportunities for improvement remain, particularly in enhancing operational skills training for female students. As a recommendation, the study proposes implementing targeted digital training programs to balance the development of operational competencies and promote equitable access to technology from an early age.