Simon Collin

A Connected Generation? Digital Inequalities in Elementary and High School Students According to Age and Socioeconomic Level | Une génération connectée? Inégalités numériques chez les élèves du primaire et du secondaire selon l’âge et le milieu socioéconomique

The objective of this article was to better understand the relationship between students’ age and socioeconomic level, and its influence on students’ digital uses. We conducted a quantitative study of 401 elementary and high school students in Quebec. Four independent variables were initially selected: two related to age (actual age and education level) and two others related to the socioeconomic environment (school poverty index and parents’ employment status). The dependent variable that represented students’ digital uses was the number of different technologies they used weekly. We conducted correlation tests followed by a linear regression analysis. Socioeconomic level appears to have a stronger influence on students’ digital uses compared to age, and explanations for this are proposed. Lobjectif de cet article est de mieux comprendre la relation entre l’âge et le milieu socioeconomique des eleves dans leurs usages numeriques. Nous avons mene une etude quantitative aupres de 401 eleves du primaire et du secondaire dans la region de Montreal. Quatre variables independantes ont ete selectionnees initialement, dont les deux premieres renvoient a lâge (lâge et lordre denseignement) alors que les deux dernieres renseignent sur le milieu socioeconomique (lindice de defavorisation des ecoles et la situation demploi des parents deleves). La variable dependante permettant de rendre compte des usages numeriques des eleves etait le nombre de technologies quils utilisent sur une base hebdomadaire. Nous avons procede a une regression lineaire precedee de tests de correlation. Il en ressort que le niveau socioeconomique semble influencer davantage les usages numeriques des eleves que lâge pour plusieurs raisons explorees dans cette recherche.

Using IT for Distance Learning: Benefits and Challenges for African Learners

Open and distance learning (ODL) ofers enormous potential for Africa, nwhere higher education systems face numerous constraints (Gioan, 2007). Yet few studies have addressed ODL in Africa. Against this background, this study aimed to 1) describe the profle of African students enrolled in an ODL program; and 2) gain a deeper understanding of their experience with ODL. We used a mixed-method design, including an online questionnaire (to nachieve objective 1) and individual interviews (to achieve objective 2) with two groups of participants: African students enrolled in an ODL program at the time of the study and African students who had completed an ODL program at the time of the study. Results indicate that both groups shared a similar sociological and technological profile and that ODL programs are takenas continuing education courses for purposes of professional development. It appears that the ODL experience resembles that of other students, particularly Western students. Few sociocultural aspects that were specifc to Africa were found.