Primary pupils' use of information and communication technologies at school and home

Abstract

Based on survey data from 612 pupils in five English primary schools, this paper investigates children's engagement with information and communication technologies (ICTs) inside and outside the school context. Analysis of the data shows pupils' engagements with ICTs to be often perfunctory and unspectacular, especially within the school setting, where the influence of year group and school attended are prominent. Whilst the majority of children felt that ICT use led to gains in learning, the paper discusses how there was a strong sense of educational uses of ICTs being constrained by the nature of the schools within which 'educational' use was largely framed and often situated. The paper concludes by suggesting possible changes to ICT provision in primary schools, most notably relaxing school restrictions regarding Internet access and developing meaningful dialogues with pupils about future forms of educational ICT use.

Is School a Better Environment Than Home for Digital Game-Based Learning? The Case of GraphoGame

“…Earlier studies suggest that home computers typically are used for entertainment, especially for playing games (Harris, Straker, & Pollock, 2013;Hofferth, 2010;Kerawalla & Crook, 2002;Lewin, 2004;Selwyn, Potter, & Cranmer, 2009;Valentine, Marsh, & Pattie, 2005;Vekiri, 2010) or for Internet access, email correspondence, and social media use (Harris et al, 2013;Selwyn et al, 2009;Valentine et al, 2005). School computers, on the other hand, commonly are used for writing and word processing (Harris et al, 2013;Kent & Facer, 2004;Selwyn et al, 2009), learning via educational software (Harris et al, 2013;Kent & Facer, 2004), or looking for information on the Internet (Kent & Facer, 2004).…”

“…School computers, on the other hand, commonly are used for writing and word processing (Harris et al, 2013;Kent & Facer, 2004;Selwyn et al, 2009), learning via educational software (Harris et al, 2013;Kent & Facer, 2004), or looking for information on the Internet (Kent & Facer, 2004).…”

ICT use among 13‐year‐old Swedish children

“…It is worth mentioning that socialising seems to be the most common reason for Swedish daily users to use computers during school, not school related issues, as is the case for the weekly and occasional users. The findings could also be compared to Selwyn, Potter and Cranmer's (2009) study of English primary school pupils, which shows increased seriousness about ICT use as the children progress through the school years. Even though the children in the present study are older than the children in the Selwyn et al study, they show a less serious use of ICT in school and at home.…”

Using the Interactive Whiteboards to Teach Picture Books the Case of Taiwan

“…Students hold positive attitudes toward the interactive whiteboard, while teachers can use it to create a lively learning environment and make learning activities more exciting (Gatlin, 2004). Therefore, students find that the interactive whiteboard helps them to comprehend the concepts that the teacher explains; it also motivates teachers to be more enthusiastic and creative in their teaching (Selwyn, Potter, & Cranmer, 2009;Wood & Ashfield, 2008).…”