An Analysis of the Austrian Mother Tongue Textbook in the Context of Digital Competence

Abstract

In today’s increasingly digitalized world, there is a growing need to design education systems in alignment with information technologies and to adapt educational materials to foster digital competencies. Textbooks are widely regarded as one of the most essential tools for developing digitally competent citizens. Within this framework, the present study investigates the fifth-grade German mother tongue textbook used in the Austrian education system, with a focus on digital competence. Employing a qualitative research design, data were collected through document analysis. The findings were organized according to the textbook’s competency domains -speaking and listening, text production, language assessment, spelling, and reading- as well as the text-processing section, and were analyzed descriptively. The results indicate that, from the perspective of digital competence, the textbook incorporates activities and knowledge dissemination across dimensions including basic digital usage, digital content creation, digital security, problem-solving, and digital communication. Furthermore, the textbook appears to be carefully designed to align with the concept of digital competence, both within the language competency domains and the text-processing section.