Students’ perceptions of school as a context for digital technology use

Another article from LNM’s ARC funded ‘Discovery Project’ on schools and digital technology has just been published in Educational Studies. The article – titled “Nagging, noobs and new tricks – students’ perceptions of school as a context for digital technology use” – draws on survey data from 1174 secondary school students. This data highlights the various ways in which these students report using digital devices and applications “in school” and “for school”. After identifying trends and differences across a range of digital devices and practices, the paper explores the ways in which students perceive school as a limiting and/or enabling setting for technology use. The findings point to a number of ways that schools act to extend as well as curtail student engagement with technology. This paper concludes by considering the possible ways that schools might work to further support and/or enhance students’ technology experiences.