Are digital natives a world-wide phenomenon? An investigation into South African first year students’ use and experience with technology

In 2001 Marc Prensky coined the phrase ‘digital natives’ to refer to the new generation of students who have grown up surrounded by technology. His companion papers spurred large amounts of research, debating changes that are required to curricula and pedagogical models to cater for the changes in the student population. This article reports on a study conducted in 2009 of more than 290 first year students at two South African universities. In this study, students were asked about their access to and use of technology. The results portrayed a heterogeneous student population, with varying levels of access to and use of most technologies. One of Prensky’s key features of a digital native is their excitement with Web 2.0 based technologies. Participants in this study however, appear not to use such technologies, and to not be interested in using them in their studies. One tool that students had high levels of access to (98.1%), and use of is the mobile phone. Out of all uses of technology surveyed, tasks involving the mobile phone were ranked in the top two positions. Also when asked to rank different uses of technology particularly for their studies, three of the top five uses relied on a mobile phone.     

Social compensation or rich-get-richer? The role of social competence in college students’ use of the Internet to find a partner

Online dating continues to grow rapidly in popularity every day, yet the role of social competence in online dating behavior remains unclear. This study was designed to expand previous research and conduct a comprehensive investigation on how social competence is associated with college students’ online dating behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes. Two hypotheses were tested: The social compensation hypothesis (SCH)—socially incompetent individuals would engage in more online dating, and the rich-get-richer hypothesis (RGRH)—socially competent individuals would use online dating more than their incompetent counterparts. The results showed that incompetent individuals, despite their ability to see benefits in online dating, did not show a favorable attitude towards online dating. They indicated a more frequent use of and a stronger preference for face-to-face dating compared to online dating, which contradicted the SCH. There were weak associations between competence traits and online dating behavior. Socially competent individuals perceived less benefit and showed less interest in online dating, which disconfirmed the RGRH.     

Do (how) digital natives adopt a new technology differently than digital immigrants? A longitudinal study

Although the information systems (IS) literature has revealed a variety of mechanisms involved in technology adoption and postadoption use, the literature lacks insights about how individuals with different usage characteristics process the information related to new IS and how their belief judgments and use behavior unfold over time. This study fills this void in the literature by conceptualizing and testing a comprehensive model to investigate the impact of user orientation toward technology use by digital natives (DNs) and digital immigrants (DIs) on technology continuous use behavior. The effect of DNs and DIs is currently gaining the attention of researchers. This study investigated the postadoption and use behavior of these groups using a three-wave panel model and with decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB) as the initial adoption model. The longitudinal model is a unified framework that sheds light on four different mechanisms underlying postadoption phenomena: (1) the belief judgment evaluation processes suggested by the DTPB model, (2) sequential updating mechanism, (3) feedback mechanism, and (4) habit mechanism. Based on multigroup analysis, we show that a clear pattern of differences in effect exists between DNs and DIs with respect to the sequential belief updating mechanism and that these results are relatively stable over time.     

‘Disruptive technologies’, ‘pedagogical innovation’: What’s new? Findings from an in-depth study of students’ use and perception of technology

The paper describes the findings from a study of students’ use and experience of technologies. A series of in-depth case studies were carried out across four subject disciplines, with data collected via survey, audio logs and interviews. The findings suggest that students are immersed in a rich, technology-enhanced learning environment and that they select and appropriate technologies to their own personal learning needs. The findings have profound implications for the way in which educational institutions design and support learning activities.     

Is students’ computer use at home related to their mathematical performance at school?

Recent research has provided evidence that students’ computer use at home is positively associated with their performance at school. However, most of the previous studies have failed to take into account the multiple determination of school performance and, in addition, to explain why using computers at home should benefit students’ academic achievement. The study described in this article takes a step towards filling this gap by circumventing the theoretical and methodological problems of previous research. First, we analyzed students’ home computer use and their performance in mathematics while accounting for other factors that have been found to affect students’ achievement. Second, we investigated possible differences in students’ school performance depending on how they used the computer. Based on the data from German students who took part in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2003, our results showed that students’ access to a computer was not linked with their performance in mathematics. In addition, it did not matter how often students used a computer at home. A positive effect on mathematical achievement was, however, observed for a small group of students who used the computer in a self-determined way that largely engaged them in problem-solving activities. Overall, the findings indicate that for the majority of students the computer had no substantial influence on their academic achievement. At the same time, the results are suggestive of ways in which performance in mathematics might be enhanced through the use of computers.     

Who are interested in online science simulations? Tracking a trend of digital divide in Internet use

Although the Internet has become a major source for disseminating educational resources for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), little is known about the extent to which these resources are being used, their relationship to academic performance, and the type of users accessing these resources online. This study used two innovative tools, Google Trends and Web analytics, to explore interest in and usage of the PhET website, one of the most well-known online science simulation resources. This study found that search interest in the PhET science simulations has been growing continuously since 2005. However, search interest in PhET was positively correlated with academic performance and income, and negatively correlated with the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students. Moreover, Internet users in states with more White students were more interested in the PhET science simulations. Yet Internet users in states with more Black students were less interested in these science simulations. These findings suggest that the way online STEM resources are being used is likely to widen, rather than narrow, the achievement gap. This is the first study to utilize Internet search trend data and Web analytics tools for monitoring Internet use for educational purposes.     

What makes them happy and curious online? An empirical study on high school students’ Internet use from a self-determination theory perspective

From a self-determination theory perspective, this study tries to investigate how perceived autonomy support, perceived relatedness and competence affect high school students’ intrinsic motivations (enjoyment and curiosity) to use the Internet, and the related outcomes of the motivation. Surveys are distributed to seven junior and ten senior high schools in a prefectural-level city in central China. Existing instruments from previous research are adapted to measure the following constructs: teacher support, parental support, peer influence, Internet self-efficacy, enjoyment, curiosity, flow state and online exploratory behavior. Finally, 3475 valid responses are collected.     

Are Computer Science and Information Technology still masculine fields? High school students’ perceptions and career choices

This study investigated Greek high school students’ intentions and motivation towards and against pursuing academic studies in Computer Science (CS), the influence of the family and the scholastic environment on students’ career choices, students’ perceptions of CS and the Information Technology (IT) profession as well as students’ attendance at CS courses at school, computer use in the home and self-efficacy beliefs regarding computers. Gender differences were examined with a view to identifying factors that may affect boys’ and girls’ career choices. The participants were 358 students of both sexes who completed an anonymous questionnaire. The data analysis showed that girls are less likely than boys to pursue a CS degree, and when they do so, it is mainly because of extrinsic reasons rather than personal interest in CS. Lack of opportunities for early familiarization with computing in the home and the scholastic environment is the factor that mainly differentiates boys’ and girls’ motivation against studying CS, having a greater impact on girls. Misconceptions of CS were detected in students of both genders. Girls view CS as a self-referencing, machine- and programming-oriented discipline to a greater extent than boys do, and hold less positive views of the IT profession. Boys view CS as more human- and application-oriented than girls do. They also have greater computer self-efficacy and more sex-stereotypical views of CS and IT as male domains. Appropriate actions to increase girls’ interest and participation in CS studies are proposed according to the findings.     

Algorithms or advocacy: does the legal profession have a future in a digital world?

Much of the focus on the impact of new technology on employment has been on work which is regarded as repetitive and requiring minimal skills. For the most part it seems that professional occupations have been assumed to be relatively immune to the effects of ‘digital disruption’. However, there are now suggestions that this is altering as new software programs have been developed that can undertake at least some of the functions of various professions, including the legal profession. This article seeks to add to the evolving conversation of how new technologies might transform the legal profession as we know it. Beyond this, it also seeks to ask how the content of the law and legal education might also be affected by ‘digital disruption’, and explore the opportunities such unravelling of the legal profession might present.     

The use of ‘Clickers’ in the classroom: Teaching innovation or merely an amusing novelty?

‘Clickers’ are individual response devices in which students each have a remote control that allows them to quickly and anonymously respond to questions presented in-class. Clickers are now being used in many classrooms as an active learning component of courses. Educators considering the use of clickers in their own classrooms may wonder whether the clickers are a worthwhile, pedagogical tool or merely an amusing novelty. As Li (2008) pointed out, research has examined clicker effects on interaction within the classroom, but little research has examined whether clicker use can affect the understanding of concepts. This article will discuss ways in which clickers may help students organize and understand material presented in the classroom. The paper is intended to help guide educators in potentially effective uses of clickers as well as to guide future research.     

Human factors/ergonomics as a systems discipline? “The human use of human beings” revisited

Discussions of the possible future of Human factors/ergonomics (HFE) usually take the past for granted in the sense that the future of HFE is assumed to be more of the same. This paper argues that the nature of work in the early 2010s is so different from the nature of work when HFE was formulated 60–70 years ago that a critical reassessment of the basis for HFE is needed. If HFE should be a systems discipline, it should be a soft systems rather than a hard systems discipline. It is not enough for HFE to seek to improve performance and well-being through systems design, since any change to the work environment in principle alters the very basis for the change. Instead HFE should try to anticipate how the nature of work will change so that it can both foresee what work will be and propose what work should be.     

Synthesized or digitized? A guide to the use of computer speech

In addition to technical and cost determinants, a range of human factors issues governs the appropriateness of synthesized or digitized speech for a particular system. For example, since synthesized messages are created textually, they may reflect the rules and habits of written language, rather than spoken language. This may cause listeners some difficulty interpreting the intended meaning of the message. Moreover, the different speech media place constraints upon techniques of message creation editing, transmission and reception. Synthesized speech is easy to edit in terms of lexical content, but the production of sophisticated prosodic features can be problematic. In contrast, unedited digitized speech will normally have appropriate prosodic cues and because of this will be difficult to edit. The influence of these factors is examined and illustrations of both good and poor practice are given. The paper concludes with a decision criteria checklist for speech output devices.     

Accessibility of mobile applications for tourism—is equal access a reality?

Universal Access in the Information Society - With the increasing use of smartphones in people’s daily lives, mobile accessibility has become a key factor for them. Tourism is one of the...     

Why don't telephones have off switches? Understanding the use of everyday technologies: A research note

Unlike other technologies, the telephone is unusual in that it cannot be ‘turned off’. Almost uniquely, its design does not incorporate an off switch, or when it does, it tends to be located in an inaccessible position (such as on the underside of the phone). Rather than arguing that this is a special feature of telephones, this paper argues that this is an example of designers seeing rules as generators of action, rather than resources for action. That is, a rule of phone behaviour is “when a phone rings, answer it”. However, rules do not simply generate action. We can choose when not to follow it. Support for this case has been neglected by designers, forcing individuals to appropriate other technologies to support not answering the phone. These rules of use are implicit in how we conceptualise the use of technology, and in turn, how we perform design. We suggest that designers can be aided by understanding better the nature of rule following, allowing them to design technology that supports ‘deviant’, yet equally valid modes of use.