How does ICT literacy influence reading literacy score in Indonesia: first attempt using spatial analysis approach

PurposeThe aims of this research include (1) to identify the scores of reading literacy in 34 provinces and (2) to determine the impact of ICT literacy with other variables on reading literacy in Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThematic maps and Spatial Autoregressive Regression were applied to 2019 AKSI Survey data.FindingsThe results showed that only D.I. Yogyakarta, DKI Jakarta and Kepulauan Riau have a high percentage of reading literacy scores in the excellent category. The ICT literacy and teachers' competency scores significantly affect the percentage of reading literacy. Meanwhile, the percentage of lack of learning materials and GRDP per capita has no significant effect.Originality/valuePreviously, the national exam has been used to determine the quality of education in Indonesia, but it is ineffective because it only measures cognitive aspects. In 2015, the Ministry of Education initiated the AKSI survey, which measures cognitive (reading, math and science literacy) and non-cognitive aspects, as an effort to improve the quality of education in Indonesia. Some literature states that reading literacy is the most basic indicator for determining the quality of education, but in Indonesia, it is the lowest achievement. To improve reading literacy scores, the government has to utilize technological advances through School Digitization. However, this should be supported by the ICT literacy of students. Presently, there is no study to evaluate the impact of ICT literacy on reading literacy, which is also affected by regional value differences.