Digital practices at home and school: a case study approach

The study illustrates children's digital practices in the Malaysian context. The 21 stcentury has witnessed an unprecedented expansion of and access to information forpeople who can use technology. Nowadays, information can be reached in the blinkof an eye and is accessible at our fingertips. S...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Haslinda Hashim
Format: thesis
Language:eng
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ir.upsi.edu.my/detailsg.php?det=5679
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Summary:The study illustrates children's digital practices in the Malaysian context. The 21 stcentury has witnessed an unprecedented expansion of and access to information forpeople who can use technology. Nowadays, information can be reached in the blinkof an eye and is accessible at our fingertips. Since the 1990s, the internet revolutionhas helped people to search for information through their networked computers, andmobile gadgets have more recently made this even easier as people can carryinformation in their own pockets. However, this steady increase in internet usageand mobile device ownership, particularly among schoolchildren in Malaysia overthe last few years, has been creating fear, anxiety and frustration. Due to a moralpanic in Malaysia regarding children's online safety, to date the majority of theextant studies carried out in Malaysia are focusing on E-Safety instead of seeking adeeper understanding of the current digital practices among Malaysian children.Little research has been conducted to specifically investigate and understand theonline experience dimensions of Malaysian children's lives and social worlds. Thisdescriptive case-study based research explores a small group of Malaysian'children's digital practices and their management in the school (computer lab) andat home, and in both the communal area and personal spaces of the latter. Thisresearch examines five 16 year olds' engagements with online technology acrossformal and informal settings at school and at home using a mixed methodsapproach, specifically questionnaires, interviews, observations and focus groupdiscussion. The findings reveal that participating children enjoy online benefitsthrough a range of online activities with the usage of several digital devices. Thisstudy also provides insights into the roles and influences of parental, teacher, oldersiblings and peer mediation in developing children's digital literacy skills.Furthermore, children's perceptions of online opportunities and risks, and whatkind of learning is involved through their online activities are also analysed anddiscussed.