The use of digital technology is becoming more and more prevalent in education systems, including primary school. It is important for student success that they have a good knowledge and understanding of digital technology, as more and more online learning materials are being used in the classroom. In this study, we therefore focused on how the digital literacy of pupils in Years 4 and 5 influences the acquisition of new knowledge in computing using the online learning material Mastering Computing. A quantitative research method was used to obtain and analyse the data. The data were analysed using statistical methods to answer the research questions. We found that there were statistically significant differences between 4th and 5th graders in both prior knowledge and final knowledge of computer architecture, but no differences in knowledge of how digital devices work. We also found that, when using online learning materials, students' digital competences did not generally have an impact on the knowledge acquired. However, the impact of digital competences was evident in the boys' acquisition of knowledge about the functioning of digital devices, where boys with higher levels of digital competences had higher achievement in the acquisition of knowledge on this topic. In this master thesis we describe how teachers can effectively use digital technology to teach computing topics. Understanding computing topics is also important for the quality development of students' digital competences.
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