Children's and families' perspectives on learning with digital technologies at home

What is the purpose of this research?

The purpose of this project is to investigate the perspectives of children (aged 4-8 years) and their parent/s and or caregiver/s about what learning with digital technologies looks like in homes. The aim is to consider how technologies are used in family homes for learning. We know each family will have different views on technology and learning and we are interested in what this looks like for different families.

Are you looking for people like me?

We are looking for families with at least one child aged between 4-8 years of age. We welcome all kinds of families to express interest in this project - including single-parent families, multi-generational families, families with one child and families with more than one child.

We have researchers in the Brisbane and Perth metro areas and are seeking participants in either of those locations.

What will you ask me to do?

We will ask you to participate in  3 activities with us:

• 2 x home visits:  we will interview the parent or caregiver, observe your child using a digital technology for learning and ask the child to show us the technology they use to learn.
• Daily prompts:  over a week  we will ask you and your child or children to participate in 7 short activities  (5 minutes each). You can do these anytime and can also do them all at once if that is preferred.
• Workshop: we will invite you to a one hour workshop where we invite you and your child or children to play with a new type of technology.

Are there any risks for me in taking part?

Interviews and observations

You and your child may experience conversation drift and inconvenience during interviews. We will try to keep our conversations to the point of our research and you will be able to schedule times for interviews that are suitable and can always reschedule these visits for any reason for a time that is more comfortable and convenient.

Your child may experience coercion if adults in the family try to persuade them to be part of the research unwillingly. We will only conduct research with children who agree and are actively interested in being part of the research.  Besides written consent, oral consent will be sought from the child, on the day/days there are home visits, technology tours and observations.

Daily prompts

Families may experience inconvenience or mild discomfort undertaking these activities. Families will be able to undertake these activities in ways that work for them e.g. 1 activity per day, or all activities at once. Families can determine when and what they include in these cultural probes.

Are there any benefits for me in taking part?

The outcomes of this research may not benefit you or your child or children directly. However, it may benefit others in future if we are able to generate new knowledge and understandings about how children learn with digital technologies at home.

We will send you a summary of the study findings. We will ask you to nominate a preferred email address for this purpose on the attached consent form.

Will I be compensated for my time?

You will receive a $100 Visa gift card, limited to one per family group, after you participate in this research. This is to thank you for the time you have made available to the research team.

I am interested - what should I do next?

Express your interest using the online form.

We will contact you to discuss next steps. Please note, we are seeking 6 families to be invovled in the research. If you are not selected, we will still be in contact to let you know.