Power, perceptions and the social contexts of low-income adolescents' technology use.

摘要

In U.S. society, there are strong beliefs about the benefits of technology to both learning and social progress (Selfe, 1999; Brown-L'Bahy, 2002). This, in combination with the assertion that technology use is now "a prerequisite for the most desirable jobs, and access to the new technology is every child's democratic right," has precipitated the virtual saturation of computer technologies in U.S. public schools (Marx, 1999). There exists great optimism that technology use does or will enhance academic achievement as well as the future socioeconomic success of youth, particularly those from marginalized groups (i.e. poor people and people of color) (Mossberger, Tolbert et al., 2003; Warschauer, 2003).;Young people continue to use new technologies in growing numbers, in multiple facets of their lives, but knowledge about the effects of that use is relatively thin. The majority of studies on their use focus on specific, school-based activities. Beyond the findings of these relatively isolated interventions, little is known about the impact of new technologies on the lives of youth. This is due to the dearth of research on youth's every day experiences of technology use, both inside and outside of school, as well as a neglect of youth's own perspectives. As pointed out by Buckingham (2000), research on youth's technology use "has been conducted over the heads of the children themselves" and thus, "we know very little about how children perceive, interpret and use these new media" (Buckingham, 2000, p. 7). Addressing these gaps in knowledge is vital in order to better understand the present and future significance of young people's technology use.;This study investigated how new technologies were used in an urban public high school. It largely focuses on students' uses, how they understand significance of those uses for themselves and others, as well as the relationships between their uses and understandings and the contexts in which they use ICT. The questions guiding this research were: (1) In what ways do students and staff at an urban, public high school use ICT in school, and-out of-school contexts, such as classrooms, computer labs, libraries, workplaces, after school programs, and home? (2) How do participants understand the significance of ICT use for themselves and others? and (3) In what ways do participants' understandings relate to the contexts in which they use ICT?;Data for this study was gathered primarily through questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Data analysis was informed by a conceptual framework focusing on the uses, understandings, and multiple social contexts of participants' technology use. This study highlights the everyday experiences and perceptions of participants, from their own perspectives, in order to understand how contextual factors shape the ways in which they use and understand ICT. Ultimately, this study sought better understandings of how new technologies can be used, both inside and outside of school, to enhance adolescents' educational experiences as well as the quality of their lives.;Though findings are not generalizable to other schools, nor to high school seniors in general, given the dearth of data on this topic, this study has the potential to make a significant contribution to understandings of the ways in which students develop technological literacy. Better conceptualizations of how and why young people use ICT and the significance of those uses, across contexts and from students' own perspectives, can help to inform school practices of technology use.