Digital Natives? Perception of abilities among rural children
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18861/cied.2023.14.1.3282Keywords:
Internet, rural education, digital divide, smartphones, pandemicAbstract
Rural children have historically faced severe disadvantages in both educational and digital settings. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a reminder of the barriers they must overcome due to unstable internet signals, lack of devices, and digital skills. For this reason, this paper discusses the concept of digital natives: the belief that minors, regardless of their circumstances, have digital skills that allow them to use the Internet without the need for guides or prior instruction. From a qualitative perspective, discourses and social constructions on the role of the Internet in daily life are analyzed for children between 11 and 12 years of age through interviews in triads with the minors, their mothers, and head teachers, as well as school directors in four rural localities in Chile. The main findings show that despite being part of a disadvantaged group and the precariousness of the Internet connection, all the participants have access to smartphones from an early age. However, adults in their educational environment tend to agree that the poor development of digital skills hinders their remote learning process, even though children are confident in using devices.
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