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Title:
Entering e-Society: Young Children's Development of e-Literacies, 2005

Subject Categories:
Information technology - Media, communication and language
Science and technology
Social attitudes and behaviour - Society and culture
Child development and child rearing - Social stratification and groupings

Depositor(s):
Gibb, E., University of Stirling

Principal Investigator(s):
McPake, J., University of Stirling. Institute of Education
Plowman, L., University of Stirling. Institute of Education
Christine, S., University of Stirling. Institute of Education

Sponsor(s):
Economic and Social Research Council

Grant Number:
RES-341-25-0034

Other Acknowledgements:
Dr. Dina Martzoukou was research assistant to the project at the time these data were collected and was responsible for input of the data and initial analysis.

Abstract:
Today's preschool children are growing up in an 'e-society', where digital connectivity to the internet, mobile phones and other forms of electronic interaction is an essential feature of daily life. To maximise the benefits that digital connectivity offers, avoid disadvantage or marginalisation, and become confident, discriminating and effective members of e-society, children need to become competent users of these new technologies. Despite increasing attention to the ways in which school-aged children learn to exploit them, there has been little research so far into the early experiences of preschool children (aged three to five), or the implications for subsequent educational development.

The study of children's entry into e-society aims to address this gap by investigating children's development of early 'e-literacy' in the home. For this project, the concept 'e-literacy' was defined as a set of technical and socio-cultural competences needed to make effective and creative use of digital connectivity opportunities. Use of the term 'e-literacy' implies parallels with print literacy and one of the features of this study was a comparison between young children's developing e-literacy and their early print literacy, about which there is a well-established body of research. The impact of socio-economic disadvantage on the early development of e-literacy was also examined, an aspect of the 'digital divide' which has hitherto received limited attention.

This research addressed three interrelated themes: the nature of children's experiences as they enter e-society; factors supporting or hindering the development of early e-literacy; and the emergence of a digital divide between children with extensive and varied experiences of digital connectivity at home and in the community, and those who have not had such opportunities. The role of the survey was to contextualise the case-study data on which the project is principally based.

Further information on the project may be found on the University of Stirling Institute of Education's Entering e-Society: Young Children's Development of e-Literacies project web page.


Main Topics:
The data cover children's access to information technology such as mobile phones, methods of internet access, email, web cameras (webcams), interactive television, independent and supervised use of these technologies, parents' use of the same technologies, and demographic characteristics of the household.

Coverage:
Dates of Fieldwork: June 2005-September 2005
Country: Scotland
Spatial Units: Nursery Authorities (Scotland)
Observation Units: Individuals; Families/households
Kind of Data: Numeric data; Individual (micro) level

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:Subnational
Population:Parents of children attending ten preschool education settings in central and western Scotland, during 2005.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
The survey was conducted once in June 2005 and again in September 2005, in order to pick up sufficient numbers of children within the appropriate age range.
Sampling Procedures: No sampling (total universe)
Number of Units: 346 cases
Method of Data Collection: Postal survey
Weighting: No weighting used.

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: ESDS Access and Preservation, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: help@esds.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 14 September 2007

Copyright:
Copyright University of Stirling

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