Computing Tales: Parents' Discourse About Technology and Family

Lindlof, Thomas R.

doi:10.1177/089443939201000301

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Some work however has looked at parents' attitudes towards computer use among children, especially among middle-class Americans (Lindlof 1992;Downes 1999). Significant work has been focused at the discourse at the macro-level of state policies with an eye on informing or critiquing policy initiatives (Coley et al 1997;Resnick et al 1998;Culp et al 2005).…”

Section: Discourses Of Technology Among Parents About Technology Use mentioning

confidence: 97%

“My child will be respected”: Parental perspectives on computers and education in Rural India

2009

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Public spending on computer centers in rural Indian public schools raise questions about the value of expensive modern technology in extremely resourcestrapped environments. Arguments for or against providing computers in low-income schools have appeared in policy circles, academia, teacher conferences, and philanthropic discussions, with passionate rhetoric from all sides. We present the results of a qualitative study of computer-aided learning centers in schools catering primarily to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in four districts of rural Karnataka, South India. Here, we held a series of openand close-ended discussions with parents of children from these schools on issues such as aspirations, quality of schooling, and the perception of computers more generally. The research reveals a range of voices on hopes for the next generation, perceived value of computer courses and higher education, and the perceived changes in villages after the arrival of computers in their local schools. It emerges that for many parents, the computer has an immense symbolic value-separate from its functional value-that is tied to social and economic ascendancy. We find that this symbolic value derives from associations that parents imbibe from their various interactions with people using computers in a range of situations. We find in our interviews a heightened sense of mystique over the technology and its potential, across people with varying levels of first-hand experience and understanding of computers. We find that notions of change and hope are situated within an environment of great fear about the future of agriculture. We argue here that this, alongside a widespread existing discourse about computers in media and public life in India, mostly emerging from urban middle-classes ideas around technology, help spur a strong sense of expectation that the computers can dramatically change social prospects even among the poorest and most excluded. From competing with English as the gateway to power, to impacting dowry costs for female youth, interviews show a myriad of expectations from technology, creating what we see as a strong case for a nuanced look at the discourse and mythology of computers and technology in developing regions.

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Section: Discourses Of Technology Among Parents About Technology Use mentioning

confidence: 97%

“My child will be respected”: Parental perspectives on computers and education in Rural India

2009

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“…"Amidst the research, policy, and advocacy regarding children's use of technology, children's own thoughts about the role computers play in their lives are often neglected" [17, p. 186]. Previous studies on home computing were primarily focused on soliciting parents' viewpoints on their children's home computer uses [8,14,18,19]. Parents were the sources of information, such as assessing children's home computer uses, telling insiders' stories, and giving their opinions.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children's Internet Uses at Home

Wang

2003

Journal of Educational Technology Systems

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The Internet is rapidly making its way to American residences. Nowadays, millions of children spend a tremendous amount of time at home, riding on the Internet superhighway. However, little is known about how children are using the Internet at home. This study is designed to investigate sixth graders' Internet uses at home environment. Questions investigated are: 1) What Internet activities were the children likely to engage in at home? 2) What were the children's perceptions about online information resources? 3) What were the roles of parents in supervising and guiding children's Internet uses at home? 4) What were the teachers' roles in associating with children's home Internet uses? 5) What were the children's perceptions of how knowledgeable their parents and teachers were in providing them guidance and advice in the Internet use?

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“…Adoption is therefore a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for the diffusion process to be considered complete. For an innovation to be accepted by its users, it must be put to discernible patterns of use after adoption (Lindolf, ; Rogers, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic Use Diffusion Model in a Cross‐National Context: A Comparative Study of the United States, Sweden, and India

Shih¹,

Venkatesh²,

Chen³

et al. 2012

J of Product Innov Manag

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This study proposes a model of dynamic use diffusion that serves as a basis for investigating post‐adoption technology‐usage behavior. Dynamic use diffusion measures the extent to which technology usage has evolved since the time of adoption. Herein, antecedents and consequences of dynamic use diffusion are investigated. A large‐scale, random sample survey was conducted in the United States, Sweden, and India on the use of Internet and computing technology. The survey results suggest that while the antecedents of dynamic use diffusion are similar across the three countries, the consequences are somewhat different for India. These differences can be attributed to the national cultural differences of India compared with the United States and Sweden with regard to power distance beliefs.

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Computing Tales: Parents' Discourse About Technology and Family

Cited by 17 publications

References 14 publications

“My child will be respected”: Parental perspectives on computers and education in Rural India

“My child will be respected”: Parental perspectives on computers and education in Rural India

Children's Internet Uses at Home

Dynamic Use Diffusion Model in a Cross‐National Context: A Comparative Study of the United States, Sweden, and India

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