COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY

Researchers question the consequences of technology on young children and even claim that it can harm the developmental skills when used from a young age. The authors of the article "Computers and Young Children: Social Benefit or Social Problem?" seek to supply empirical support for each side of the debate.

They are supported by a “special supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID),” to help bring-to-light the value of “other forms of recreation or learning opportunities,” most specifically amongst “school children aged 13 and younger”. This article studies most, if not all, aspects of children’s behavior and try to propose a counterargument, based on quantitative evidence that supports either tech-Utopians or anti-Utopians.

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) followed a population sampling of American families income dynamics since 1968. In 1997, the PSID collected a time-diary of students from the ages 4-13 to analyze children's activities. Both the parents and teachers recorded the activities into the diary. They noted adult supervision and were able to link the results to information of:

• families/parents
• demographics
• income
• education of the parents
• performance on age appropriate cognitive tests
• scale of self-esteem
• child's weight and height.

Some scholars argue that computers should be integrated into classrooms, while others argue that computers will detract from play and physical activities. Still others argue that computers disrupt normal development processes in young children. Some research suggests that computers have improved children's writing, reading, and math skills. At the moment, teachers use computers as a supplement to traditional teaching styles, but not in a significant way. Some research claims that computer use has a bigger impact on children's emotional development than their cognitive development. Opinions and studies showed varied results whether computers had a negative or positive effect. However, PSID states that their study "accurately" samples a population representative of the nation's children.

Interestingly enough, the PSID found that unsupervised computing kids stressed the influence parents have on children for the educational benefits that computers offer. Children's social and cultural activities outside of school are measured by minutes per week. Activities measured are: reading, watching television, and participating in outdoor activities or sports. Critics fear that children who use computers too frequently will spend less time on other important developmental activities.

The PSID found that kids spending unsupervised time playing games on the computer for under eight-hours spent more time reading at home than children without computers, and both sets watched the same amount of television. The displacement of productive activities versus television supported the warnings by tech anti-Utopians, but the introduction of more time spent reading by computing kids throws the results into a null hypothesis.

They also found that computer use for less than eight hours a week was discovered to yield higher scores on cognitive and self-esteem assessments. Heavy computer use in children did demonstrate a significant increase in body mass index, so the critics arguing against computer use because of its deleterious effects upon health were proven.

Cognition measured through aspects of performance, self-perception, and health. Five-year olds and under received only two sub-tests: "letter-word recognition and an applied quantitative reasoning problem test." Older children (six to thirteen) received two more sub-tests for comprehension and basic arithmetic. Part of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the Memory Digital Span assessment was used where listening response and reverse order repetition were performed.

Due to the variety of dependent variables used in sampling, measurements demonstrated a "missing data" equivalent despite the actual small portion of missing data. Regression analysis was used to implement time as a connection between dependent and independent variables tested; thus, they "predicted" the time spent on computer by the children using the data gathered as a sampling of a greater population. Regression started with the question of computer use "displacing" other children's activities.

Findings failed to support "the more extreme claims" of both tech Utopians and anti-tech Utopians. Little quantitative support was found to suggest any deleterious affects of computing with regard to intellectual enrichment. Support in favor of the idea that computing could be beneficial to cognition development although on a modest level. The findings demonstrated support to the connection between heavy computing and higher body mass index in children; however, due to the small sampling number the percentiles could not be fully supportive and more research is needed in this direction.

STAGE SUMMARIES

The Digital Divide as a Social Problem

• The digital divide is a new social problem according to government, scholars, and media via the University of North Carolina Press. U.S. Department of Commerce defines the digital divide under the parameters of access: either people have access or it access is missing. As technology progresses, those people without access regress. Current generation of children need access in order to become viable participants in digitally enhanced society.

• The quality of access, meaning an incorporated comprehension of technology in context to society, demonstrates that problems of inequalities will continue despite resource availability. Debate continues to surround whether the digital divide fits the characteristics of a "serious social problem" because of free market resources.

• Other scholars question the consequences of technology on young children. The authors of this article seek to supply empirical support in favor of either side of the digital divide debate spectrum: tech utopians (critics for computing kids) and tech anti-utopians (critics against computing kids). The positions of this article are supported by a “special supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID),” to help bring-to-light the value of “other forms of recreation or learning opportunities,” most specifically amongst “school children aged 13 and younger”.

• This article tries to take into account most, if not all, aspects of children’s behavior and try to propose a contradictory perspective, based on quantitative evidence that supports either tech utopians or anti-utopians.

Literature Review

• Some scholars argue that computers should be integrated into classrooms, while others argue that computers will detract from play and physical activities. At the moment, teachers use computers as a supplement to traditional teaching styles, but not in a major way. Computer use has a bigger impact on children's emotional development than their cognitive development. Are computers bad or good for children? The studies vary.

Data and Methods

• The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), a survey research project, has followed a "representative national sample of American families since 1968, repeatedly interviewing the same subjects to track their family finances, jobs, and marital status," (282). In 1997, the PSID collected a time-diary of students from the ages 4-13 to analyze children's activities. Both the parents and teachers recorded the activities into the diary.

• They noted whether a child was either with an adult, alone, or with other children. With the diary the PSID was able to link the results to: information of families/parents; demographics, income, and education of the parents; performance on age appropriate cognitive tests; scale of self-esteem; child's weight and height.

• With this analysis, PSID was able to accurately represent the nation's children.

• The found (table 1) that children who do have a home computer spend almost no time on it with an adult. They usually spend time on a computer alone while playing games. It was recorded that children spend 3 hours per week playing games on the computer and only one half hour on the computer for educational purposes. This stresses the influence parents have on children for the educational benefits that computers offer.

Social and Cultural Activities

• Table 1 also represents the children 's social and cultural activities outside of school by total time in minutes per week.

• The activities measured were reading, watching T.V., and participating in outdoor activities or sports.

• Critics fear that children who use computers too frequently will spend less time on other important developmental activities.

Child's Cognitive and Emotional Measures

• Measured aspects of children's cognitive performance, self perception, and health in the areas of

* letter word recognition
* passage comprehension
*applied problems
*mathematical calculation
*short term memory
*self-esteem
*body mass index

• All variables were administered to children over the age of five except for two

• Letter word recognition where children had to match pictures with words, recognize and identify letters in from the alphabet, and read simple words.

• Applied problems was another topic tested below the age of five that measured the skill level in solving math problems like time and money.

• children's memory was tested by repeating a number sequence orated by an interviewer. The child's task is to listen and repeat and then again repeat the sequence backwards with the sequence growing longer each time, until the child is unable to continue the exercise.

• self esteem questions asked if the child likes themselves, do important tasks, are proud, feel good in relation to other people's feelings toward themselves, had good character, other peoples opinions about them are good, and felt that they perform well.

- only children over the age of eight proved this test to have any affects.

Findings

• The findings discovered that kids spent the majority of their time on computers without adult supervision and played games versus educational activities. Results of the "television time" versus "time spent reading" supported criticisms by tech anti-utopians that say watching tv displaces other activities thought to be productive for intellectual development.

• Despite the tech anti-utopians warnings about computer use displacing productive activities, it was discovered that children who used computers at home for under eight hours tended to spend more time reading at home than children without computers; furthermore, because the same children performed the same amount of time watching television as the children without computers there could be no deleterious affects of computing drawn as a conclusion.

• Computer use for less than eight hours a week was discovered to yield higher scores on cognitive and self-esteem assessments. The scores were modest in increase. Heavy computer use in children did demonstrate a significant increase in body mass index, so the critics arguing against computer use because of its deleterious effects upon health were proven. The authors explained their use of regression analysis (minimize the scope of analysis) to supplement any "missing data" within the research parameters; thus, further research in some of the variables is necessary for a more defined conclusion.

Discussion

• The findings failed to support "the more extreme claims" of tech utopians and anti-tech utopians. Little quantitative support was found to suggest any deleterious affects of computing with regard to intellectual enrichment. Support was discovered that supported the idea that computing could be beneficial to cognition development although on a modest level. The findings demonstrated support to the connection between heavy computing and higher body mass index in children; however, due to the small sampling number the percentiles could not be fully supportive and more research is needed in this direction.

RAW NOTES

The Digital Divide as a Social Problem

• The “digital Divide” has been heralded by government, scholars, and the media as being a “new social problem,” according to The University of North Carolina Press.
• According to studies and determinations made by the U.S. Department of commerce, the concept of a “digital divide” narrowly means “a divide separating families who have computers and access to the internet at home from families who do not
• Underlying the concept of a “digital divide” is the fact that as the “computer revolution” continues to become more advanced “people who already suffer economic or social disadvantages are likely to experience even worse problems in the future”.
• The lack of access to computers in the homes or schools of our current generation of children can potentially leave them lagging in our “digital world”.
• The “quality of involvement” is the most general concept encompassing the concept of a “digital divide”. It implicates that “educational and social” inequalities will persist even if resources are available but inferior to the more advanced technologies available.
• There is some debate as to the validity of the “digital divide” as a “serious social problem” with contestants viewing it as “short lived, soon to be corrected via free market sources”.
• There are some scholars that believe “the current enthusiasm for computers as misplaced,” claiming that “information technologies can harm children, especially young children”.
• The opinion of the author’s of this article suggests that the documentation of real life experience with home and /or computer technologies is thought to be the course we should be taking, rather than simply speculating as to the course of action that should taken without any real, raw statistics.
• The purpose of this article is to “examine empirical evidence that speaks to certain factual disputes about young children’s use of computers,” as they pertain to the concept of a “digital divide”.
• The positions of this article are supported by a “special supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID),” to help bring-to-light the value of “other forms of recreation or learning opportunities,” most specifically amongst “school children aged 13 and younger”.
• This article tries to take into account most, if not all, aspects of children’s behavior and try to propose a contradictory perspective, based on quantitative evidence, in direct response to “claims of both boosters and critics of computer technology for young children”.

Literature Review

• Seymour Papert, mathematician and author, argues that computers should be integrated into classrooms and many types of schoolwork should be pursued via computer.
• Other commentators argue that increased computer use will detract from learning and will cut into play and physical activities.
• Alliance for Childhood: computers are a threat to the normal development processes of young children. Young children should spend time playing outdoors in nature and have social interactions with other children and teachers; computer activities evoke ways of thinking that are "age-inappropriate."
• Utopian and anti-utopian discourse: technology is good for children; technology is bad for children.
• Some empirical research suggests that computer programs have improved children's performance in reading, writing and mathematics. Other research suggests some computer programs benefit learning in some cases, but not in others.
• Other research: computer use negatively affects math scores; no effect on reading; and poor and minority children use computers more often at school than others.
• Some sources claim that computers have little effect on children's learning because teachers do no use them often because they are inconvenient and hard to use in teachers' daily teaching: teachers use computers to support their traditional teaching but do not solely use them.
• Other research suggests that most children use computers for play rather than for schoolwork.
• Non-minorities, more affluent children: greater benefits in having a home computer than minorities.
• Computer use may have a bigger impact on children's emotional and personality development than their cognitive skills.
• Some research suggests that computer use in children may lead to less time spent on other, more useful activities. Computer use in adults, however, has shown to result in greater participation in cultural activities and greater use of other mass media.
• Some scholars think that computer use may be linked to obesity (based on television use studies).

Data and Methods

• Panel study of Income Dynamics (PSID) repeatedly interviews the same people to track family fiances, jobs, marital status, and related issues since 1968.
• 1997, they collected a time-diary of children's activities at home, daycare and at school from the ages of 4-13.
• parents and teachers filled out the students diary.
• With the time diaries, the linked data to: 1. info on families/parents of each child, demographics, income and education of parents; 2. performance on age appropriate cognitive exams; 3. scale of self-esteem; 4. child's weight AND height.
• They recorded the number of hours and minutes a child used a computer at home and at school.
• Based on the table given, they found: that children with a home computer spent almost no time on this computer while accompanied by an adult.
• Children almost always use electronic media alone, or away from adults.
• Shows the importance of parental guidance for educational benefits that a home computer has to offer.
• Children mainly use home computers for games. 3 hours a week for playing games and only a half an hour a week on learning or educational activities.

Social and Cultural Activities

• Represents the children 's social and cultural activities outside of school by total time in minutes/week.
• Activities measured: Reading, watching T.V., and participating in outdoor activities or sports.
• Critics fear that children who use computers too frequently will spend less time on other important developmental activities.

Child's Cognitive and Emotional Measures

• Cognitive performance, self-perception and health were aspects of cognition measured.
• Five-year olds and under received only two subtests: "letter-word recognition and an applied quantitative reasoning

problem test."

• Older children received two more subtests for comprehension and basic arithmetic.
• Part of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, the Memory Digital Span assessment was used where listening response and reverse order repetition were performed.
• Because of the variety of dependent variables used in sampling, measurements demonstrated a "missing data" equivalent; however, only a small portion of data was actually missing.
• Regression analysis was used to implement time as a connection between dependent and independent variables tested; thus, they "predicted" the time spent on computer by the children using the data gathered as a sampling of a greater population
• Regression started with the question of computer use "displacing" other children's activities

Findings

• Kids spent the majority of their time on computer unsupervised by an adult and played games versus educational activities.
• Results of the "television time" versus "time spent reading" supported criticisms by tech anti-utopians that say watching tv displaces other activities thought to be productive for intellectual development
• Despite the tech anti-utopians warnings about computer use displacing productive activities, it was discovered that children who used computers at home for under eight hours tended to spend more time reading at home than children without computers; furthermore, because the same children performed the same amount of time watching television as the children without computers there could be no deleterious affects of computing drawn as a conclusion
• Computer use for less than eight hours a week was discovered to be "associated with higher scores on three tests of cognitive skill and higher self-esteem." The scores were modest in increase.
• Heavy computer use in children did demonstrate a significant increase in body mass index, so the critics arguing against computer use because of its deleterious effects upon health were proven (while only within a sampling of population. further exploration should be continued).

Discussion

• The findings failed to support "the more extreme claims" of tech utopians and anti-tech utopians
• Little quantitative support was found to suggest any deleterious affects of computing with regard to intellectual enrichment
• Support was discovered that supported the idea that computing could be beneficial to cognition development although on a modest increase
• Support was discovered that supported the connection between heavy computing and higher body mass index in children; however, due to the small sampling number the percentiles could not be fully supportive and more research is needed in this direction