The use of the Internet by children at an increasingly early age today constitutes a major challenge for families and schools, as well as affecting educational and social policy. This is a qualitative piece of research that analyzes parents’ beliefs, everyday practices and the difficulties they face in teaching their children the benefits and risks inherent in Internet use. The researchers used the discussion group technique, with four groups of parents of primary school children from four different schools. The results indicate that they share a pessimistic rather than an optimistic attitude towards Internet use among children in this age group, and perceive a number of difficulties when trying to foster children's responsible use of Internet. A wide range of parental control and mediation strategies were identified (laying down rules, organization of time and space for Internet use, limits and supervision (direct, agreedupon, non agreedupon and technical), along with various support strategies (parent and sibling modeling, diverse teaching strategies for stimulation and family communication) which, with the exception of technical supervision, they often use to educate their children and control their behavior in other areas, and which form part of their general parenting style. The conclusions point to the need to develop digital competence among parents, and there is some justification for educational intervention such as in promoting collaboration between families and schools. El uso de Internet de los niños y las niñas a edades cada vez más tempranas constituye un reto para las familias, las escuelas y la política educativa y social en la actualidad. Se presenta una investigación cualitativa cuyo objetivo es analizar las creencias, prácticas cotidianas y dificultades que afrontan los padres y las madres cuando tratan de enseñar a sus hijos e hijas los beneficios y riesgos de Internet. Se ha utilizado la técnica de los grupos de discusión con cuatro grupos de madres y padres de alumnado de Educación Primaria de cuatro centros educativos. Los resultados indican que comparten una concepción más pesimista que optimista sobre el uso de Internet a estas edades y que perciben diversas dificultades cuando tratan de promover su uso responsable. Se identifican diversas estrategias de mediación parental de control: establecimiento de normas, organización espaciotemporal de límites y supervisión (presencial directa, consensuada, no consensuada y técnica) y de apoyo (modelado parental, entre hermanos y diversas estrategias instructivas, de estimulación y comunicación familiar) que, a excepción de la supervisión técnica, habitualmente utilizan para educarles o controlar su comportamiento en otras áreas formando parte de su estilo general de parentalidad. Las conclusiones apuntan la necesidad de desarrollar la competencia parental digital y algunas implicaciones para la intervención educativa como promover la colaboración entre la familiaescuela.
The study examines the parental perception of the use of video games by their preadolescent children, as well as parental beliefs, mediation practices and difficulties they encounter. In total, 186 parents have participated. The results, gathered in the quantitative and qualitative phase, reveal differences in parental perception according to the age and sex of their children; parents have more negative than positive beliefs about video games and use more strategies based on control than on support and communication. In parents’ opinion, the difficulties for mediation are related to the precocity to which they access the media and Internet, social pressure, uncontrollability and the digital divide. The paper concludes with implications for the educational intervention aimed to respond to parents’ concerns and needs for information and training.
The purpose of the Family Co-responsibility educational programme is to educate parents. Its overall aim is to improve the shared collaboration and responsibility of all family members at work together with current family life, particularly for future generations. The programme content is grouped into three large development areas: a) Family co-responsibility, b) communication, and c) negotiation and problem solving. The design of the Family Co-responsibility Programme was based on the conclusions of an investigation carried out in Spain with 1,710 families on the nature, sources of influence, and consequences of family co-responsibility and its relationship with children's development. The main educational and social implications that can be derived from the programme are two: 1) to provide parents with educational strategies that will help them socialize their children in equality and co-responsibility values; 2) to favour family and work adjustment through the participation of family members in family life and work.
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