Warum können Jugendliche ihre eigenen computerbezogenen Kompetenzen nicht realistisch einschätzen?

Due to the lack of a curricular implementation of computer-related skills in Germany and the resulting lack of feedback, adolescents tend to overestimate their own abilities in this area. For this finding we created an explanatory model stating that computer-related skills can be predicted primarily by the family’s instructional support and cultural capital, while the corresponding self-assessments are mainly related to the intensity of self-regulated computer experience. The model is formulated as a structural equation model and tested empirically. The expected parameters are shown. The school is barely perceived as an intermediary. Adolescents acquire computer-related skills mainly through the help of parents and only subordinately through self-regulated experiences, while a positive self-assessment largely depends on the frequency of computer use. There are no gender differences in computer-related skills, but boys value their own skills higher than girls do. Schools have little success compensating for social disparities in the acquisition of computer-related skills. At the same time, acquisition is also dependent on the support of the parents and on the motivation of the young people for further competence acquisition; it depends very little on their actual abilities. Through the interaction of these factors, there is a risk that social disparities in computer-related competencies are constantly increasing.