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In 2001 pupils in Years 5,7,10 and 12 of our project schools completed a questionnaire
about their experiences of ICT in and out of school. We followed this up with focus group
interviews with nearly 200 of them. This year pupils in the same years have completed the
same questionnaire.
What the Year 5 Primary School Pupils told us
The facts
Significant changes from 2001
More Using computers in school for writing at least once a week (59% - 72%)
Access to the internet at home (60%-78%)
Logging on to the internet at home 2-3 times a week or more (22% -41%)
Using the internet at some time (51%-73%)
No significant change from 2001
Access to a computer at home (87%)
Using a computer at home 2-3 times a week or more (63%)
Owning a mobile phone (40%)
Using a mobile phone (69%)
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What were they using computers for in 2003?
In both surveys children saw the computer at home as a source of fun rather than for
school work. In 2003 this is what they said they were doing 2-3 times a week or more:
playing games (66%)
"fiddling" (41%)
writing (34%)
looking things up (27%)
drawing/images (26%)
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Of those who had access to the internet almost half said they regularly browsed the web
for fun (42%) Almost two thirds of those who had access to the internet said they had to
ask permission from their parents before using the net (65%)
For three-quarters of Year 5 pupils using new technologies has the same place in their
scale of enjoyment as watching TV, going to the cinema and spending time with friends.
What did Primary pupils in 2003 think of new technologies?
Based on their responses to the open-ended questions in the survey Year 5 pupils thought
that new technologies were good for:
Communication Fun
Information
Year 5 pupils mostly had positive associations with new technology. They frequently
described it as "fun" "cool" "interesting" and
"useful". The two most positive characteristics mentioned were the enhanced
communication capabilities and the "fun" game playing. Although less evident,
the educational possibilities of accessing information, in particular from the internet,
were also seen as benefits.
Game playing was the most popular computer activity among year 5 pupils. They also
repored playing on games consoles and mobile phones. One boy described the social value of
games playing in his family:
I like computers and games consols because they are fun when my dad and I fall out
my PS2 and NIN64 bring us together.
Year 5 pupils saw the ability to access information as an important benefit of
technologies. They specifically mentioned the speed of access and the
"up-to-date" nature of digital information. For some it was "easier than
books". Associated with increased access, the internet generally appeared to be
becoming increasingly important in children's views. A significant proportion mentioned the
internet specifically as the best aspect of new technology. Within this, as well as
information retrieval, they mentioned a diverse range of activity: email; chat rooms;
instant messaging; downloadng music, software (including "illegeal activities"),
games and cheats; browsing for fun.
The mobile phone loomed large in Year 5 thinking. They were more likely to draw a mobile
phone than any other form of technology - frequently accompanied by words and images of
desire and favour. The mention of increased ability to communicate was a benefit mainly
associated with mobiles and texting. In this the twin uses of communication with friends
and family and the ability to call for help in an emergency were both cited as benefits.
You can txt your mate and your family
Children were also aware of
Problems Risks
Dangers
Technical problems were most often noted as the downside of computers. One in five
wrote of frustrations with computers feezing, crashing, being slow to operate or download,
viruses and other problems. In general the "worst" aspect of ICT is when it is
not working or not working efficiently.
It's very annoying at times
Two other most frequently identified negatives were cost and potential risks to health
or the person. The issue of cost related to all aspects: purchasing, repair, and running
costs and to all types of technology - computers, internet access and mobile phones. The
voices of parents can be heard echoing in many of the children's comments. This was true
also in the responses that referred to the dangers of new technologies. Media coverage and
family take-up on this was clear in the mention of worries about cancer and brain damage
associated with mobile phones and the overuse of VDUs. In additon to health risks, one
aspect of the prevailing discourse around new technologies mentioned by a large number of the
children was the potental for contact with content or people that would be
damaging. The phrases "nasty messages", "bad people",
"pornography", "people not being who you think they are", were
characteristic of many responses. One girl explained with some embarrassment that her view
that the internet was "rubbish, bad sites" referred to "sites that men like
to look at".
People can start to chat to people and you think you know them on the internet but
they could be completely different
Another, also a boy, remarked on the potential dangers of games and the overuse of
computers:
You start to get adicted an can't stop, your hands start to ache.
he pictures and quotations are taken from the section at the end of the questionnaire
where we asked pupils to tell us what they thought were the good things and the bad things
about technologies like mobile phones, computers, the internet. We also invited them to
draw us a picture that showed what they thought about these new technologies. The detailed
observation in the drawings is remarkable and they are very revealing about how children
feel about new technologies.
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