Faculty of Education - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 1 of 1
-
ItemComputers, toys or tools? : changes in computing experiences of Australian boys and girls( 1988)Data were collected, between November 1986 and March 1987, about Australian students' access to and use of computers. Two values on which this study is based are: 1) that it is possible to use computers in ways that enhance students' cognitive and social development. and 2) that students should have equal opportunity to use computers to enhance their development. Three issues were the foci of the study, and the information collected was examined in terms of these three concerns. The first issue was whether use of computers had increased since 1983. The second issue was whether the differences that existed in 1983, between proportions of boys and girls who had access to and used computers, had been reduced. These first two issues are related to the value that all students should have equal opportunity to use computers. The third issue was to examine the applications students reported using, to see if there were any indications that students might be using computers in ways that enhanced their cognitive, affective, and social development. The results of this study indicated that use of computers among Australian students has been increasing. Differences among girls and boys in the use of computers at school have started to grow smaller. More students have computers in their homes than in 1983, but there has been no reduction in the differences between boys and girls in terms of ownership, and frequency of use. The differences in percentages of boys and girls with a computer in their home are greatest between girls from families with all female siblings and boys from families with all male siblings. The applications used by students on computers were consistent with uses described in the literature for enhancement of cognitive and social development.