Reality vs. perception: exploring the Dunning-Kruger Effect on literacy and numeracy skills in university students

The present research aims to explore the Dunning-Kruger (DKE) eìt on literacy and numeracy skills among university students just enrolled in the (rst year of the Digital Education degree course at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (a.y. 2023/2024). Also called by the authors “unskilled and unaware”, the DKE shows that incompetent individuals have more difficulty recognizing their true level of ability than more competent individuals, generating estimation errors in performance by both. We explore these effects in our study, investigating a sample of students who assessed their ability in literacy and numeracy skills, according to ISFOL de(nition (2014), through an incoming skills assessment tests on basic knowledge to verify that there are no significant deficiencies in particular disciplines. In line with DKE, it has been hypothesized that students with lower performance may show a tendency to overestimate their abilities, while those with higher performance may have a more accurate perception of their skills. Statistical methods of analysis processed the results of a questionnaire on Metacognition Awareness (MAI) and put in relation literacy and numeracy tests results to the student’s perception of performance, expressed through a range of choice from -10 to 30 (literacy test) and 10 e 30 (numeracy test). The results of this research aim to contribute to the lack of research studies on the impact of the Dunning-Kruger effect on literacy and numeracy skills, besides having important implications for the educational practice and skill development of university students.