1.3 Progress beyond the state of the art, expected socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications
While the field of ICT studies is not new, much of the research has concentrated on the role of ICT in education, focusing on computer-based instruction, for example, or students’ digital competence and the role of digital technologies in transforming educational settings. Research has also been concerned with the role of digital technologies in the work and continuous professional development of teachers in addition to ICT policy in education. More recently, research has begun to look at the role of social media and more specifically at young social media users’ understanding of their personal data in addition to a focus on children’s online opportunities, risks and safety. DigiGen draws together, builds on and moves beyond existing empirical studies of ICT in relation to children and young people with the aim of developing solid and independent multidisciplinary and longitudinal knowledge that explains the conditions under which harmful versus beneficial effects occur.
At this point in the project, DigiGen has developed and refined a theoretical framework that potentially allows us to grasp the complexity of young lives across family, educational institutions, leisure time and civic participation and move beyond focusing solely on inequality in access, students’ academic achievement and beyond questions of risk and safety etc. DigiGen focuses on the ecosystem influences on the digital generation. Our theoretical framework focuses on the relationships, interactions with and between a child's/young person's family, education. leisure time and civic participation influence their development. The use of technology changes the environment of family, education, leisure time, and civic participation itself, and influences the relationships and interactions of the child within these ecosystems.
The project has made advancements in the methodology of studying digital transformations of young people’s lives. Strategies and tools for collecting mixed data that both involve and transcends traditional methods for data collection have been developed, including strategies and tools for qualitative data collection among young children and performing netnography on online forums among youth. In addition, the DigiGen team has developed and launched a digital tool for involving children and youth as co-researchers; the Nettskjema Bilde app. The app. allows us to conduct Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), which involves the repeated sampling of participants current behaviours and experiences in real-time, in subjects’ natural environments. EMA aims to minimize recall bias, maximize ecological validity, and allow the study of microprocesses that influence behaviour in real-world contexts. In DigiGen our EMA approach focuses on assessing particular events in participants' lives or assess participants at periodic intervals using the app. technology to include written diaries and mini-surveys.
