“Internet? That’s an app you can download”. First-graders use linguistic resources to describe internet and digital information

Brante, Eva Wennås; Walldén, Robert

doi:10.1080/20004508.2021.1950273

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 39 publications

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“…Given our highly digitalized lifeworld, children's conceptions of digital technologiesincluding computers, coding, the Internet, and search engines-have frequently been explored in research (e.g., Babari et al, 2023;Kodama, 2016;Edwards et al, 2018;Eskelä-Haapanen & Kiili, 2019;Mertala, 2019Mertala, , 2020Rubegni et al, 2022;Rucker & Pinkwart, 2016;Wennås Brante & Walldén, 2023). The 2020s have seen an intensive focus on studying children's perceptions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) (e.g., Kim et al, 2023;Kreinsen & Schultz, 2021;Marx et al, 2023;Mertala & Fagerlund, 2024;Mertala et al, 2022;Ottenbreit-Leftwich et al, 2021Oyedoyin et al, 2024;Solyst et al, 2023;Vandenberg & Mott, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finnish primary school students’ conceptions of machine learning

Mertala,

Fagerlund,

Lehtoranta

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background and context Language is a powerful tool in shaping thought about abstract domains, including the realm of computing and digital technologies. Review of research on children's machine learning (ML) conceptions suggests that participating children were often provided with conceptual clues about the principles of ML before being asked about their conceptions (i.e., asking them how one could teach a computer). Since the term ML is not explicit about who is learning and from whom, this procedure has arguably steered their answers: with less nudging instruction, ML could also be understood as a process in which a human uses a machine, a computer, for instance, for learning purposes.ObjectiveThis study investigates what kind of conceptions primary school students have about ML if they are not conceptually "primed" with the idea that in ML, humans teach computers.MethodQualitative survey responses from 197 Finnish primary schoolers were analyzed via an abductive method.FindingsWe identified three partly overlapping ML conception categories, starting from the most accurate one: ML is about teaching machines (34%), ML is about coding (7.6%), and ML is about learning via or about machines (37.1%).ImplicationsThe findings suggest that without conceptual clues, children's conceptions of ML are varied and may include misconceptions such as ML is about learning via or about machines. The findings underline the importance of clear and systematic use of key concepts in computer science education. Besides researchers, this study offers insights for teachers, teacher educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finnish primary school students’ conceptions of machine learning

Mertala,

Fagerlund,

Lehtoranta

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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‘The internet is in the satellites!’: A systematic review of 3–15-year-olds’ conceptions about the internet

et al. 2023

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Children aged 3–15 frequently use internet-enabled technologies for leisure and educational purposes, yet they have limited knowledge about how the internet works. Literature also indicates that children possess varied and often contradictory internet-related ideas, which have not yet been systematized. This systematic review, drawing from 27 mixed-methods and qualitative studies (N = 2,214) from the last two decades (2002 – 2022), organizes these ideas through a thematic analysis with a specific focus on the age when individual child conceptions start to appear at the earliest. The findings are interpreted through the lenses of a Vygotskian framework. The results highlight 60 conceptions concerning general perceptions of the internet, internet infrastructure, and dataflow. Children appear to understand the internet primarily through their personal experiences. Perception of the internet as online activities is dominant in younger children, but also present among older ones. Children in all age groups are confused about what Wi-Fi really is; some equate it to the internet, others to the ‘Wi-Fi box’ (Wi-Fi router). The most knowledgeable older children view the internet as a global network with a complex internal, but only vaguely understood, structure. Typical reasoning among older children about the internet’s structure includes satellites, central computers or central towers. Only expert children know about distributed, server-like storage. These results imply that children at the K-8 level need to be familiarized gradually with how the internet works, but teaching them this topic may prove to be challenging. This review also highlights the limitations of existing literature and presents suggestions for future research and designing technology-based curricula.

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Finnish 5th and 6th graders’ misconceptions about artificial intelligence

Mertala,

Fagerlund

2024

International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction

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“Internet? That’s an app you can download”. First-graders use linguistic resources to describe internet and digital information

Cited by 7 publications

References 39 publications

Finnish primary school students’ conceptions of machine learning

Finnish primary school students’ conceptions of machine learning

‘The internet is in the satellites!’: A systematic review of 3–15-year-olds’ conceptions about the internet

Finnish 5th and 6th graders’ misconceptions about artificial intelligence

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