This article provides a descriptive analysis of issues related to the access and use of information and communication technology (ICT) among Canadian youth. In particular, it examines the extent to which inequities in the use of and access to ICT exist among Canadian high school students based on gender, socioeconomic status, and rural-urban location. The analyses suggest that there is a digital divide for Canadian youth in access to and experience with ICT. Rural youth are less likely to have access to computers in the home; however, frequency of use and perceived competency levels are not compromised because they make greater use of computers at school. Female youth and those from families with low levels of parental education are also less likely to have access to computers in their homes; they tend to access computers less frequently and report lower levels of computer skills competency.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Acker, S., & Oatley, K. (1993). Gender issues in education for science and technology: Current situation and prospects for change . Canadian Journal of Education, 18, 225-272 .
2.
Attewell, P. (2001). The first and second digital divides . Sociology of Education, 74, 252-259 .
3.
Balka, E., & Smith, R. (Eds.). (2000). Women, work and computerization: Charting a course to the future. Boston: Kluwer .
4.
Bimber, B. (2000). Measuring the gender gap on the Internet . Social Science Quarterly, 81, 868-876 .
5.
Bolan, S. (2000). Women in IT on decline . Computing Canada, 26(22), 29 .
6.
Canada. (1996). Building the information society: Moving Canada into the 21st century. Ottawa, Canada: Author .
7.
Canada. (1997). Preparing Canada for a digital world (Report of the Information Highway Advisory Council). Ottawa, Canada: Author.
Carmichael, H. W., Burnett, J. D., Higginson, W. C., Moore, B. G., & Pollard, P. J. (1985). Computers, children and classrooms: A multisite evaluation of the creative use of microcomputers by elementary school children. Toronto, Canada: Ministry of Education .
11.
Chan, V., Stafford, K., Klawe, M., & Chen, G. (2000). Gender differences in Vancouver secondary students: Interests related to information technology careers. In E. Balka & R. Smith (Eds.), Women, work and computerization: Charting a course to the future (pp. 58-69). Boston: Kluwer .
12.
Cherny, L., & Weise, E. R. (Eds.). (1996). Wired women: Gender and new realities in cyberspace. Seattle, WA: Seal Press .
13.
Collis, B. A., Kass, H., & Kieren, J. E. (1989). National trends in computer use among Canadian secondary school students . Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 22, 77-89 .
14.
Couture, J.-C. (1998). Strange weather: Technology integration in Alberta schools .The ATA Magazine, 80(1), 25-29 .
15.
Crombie, G., & Armstrong, P. I. (1999). Effects of classroom gender composition on adolescents' computer-related attitudes and future intentions . Journal of Educational Computing Research, 20, 317-327 .
16.
Dickinson, P., & Ellison, J. (1999). Getting connected or staying unplugged: The growing use of communication services. Ottawa: Statistics Canada .
17.
Drake, W. J. (2000). From the global digital divide to the global digital opportunity: Proposals submitted to the G-8 Kyushu-Okinawa Summit. Washington, DC: World Economic Forum Task Force .
18.
Gaskell, J., & McLaren, A. (Eds.). (1987). Women and computers: A Canadian perspective. Calgary, Canada: Detselig .
19.
Green, E., Owen, J., & Pain, D. (Eds.). (1993). Gendered by design? Information technology and office systems. London: Taylor and Francis .
20.
Grint, K., & Gill, R. (Eds.). (1995). The gender technology relation: Contemporary theory and research. London: Taylor and Francis .
21.
Hanson, W. R. (1994, November). Student drivers on the information highway . Wilson Library Bulletin69(3), 34-36 .
22.
Harcourt, W. (Ed.). (1999). Women @ Internet: Creating new cultures in cyberspace. London: Zed Books .
23.
Healy, J. M. (1998). Failure to connect: How computers affect our children's minds—for better or for worse. New York: Simon & Schuster .
24.
Healy, J. M. (2000). School technology: A cautionary note . Futurist, 34(2), 32 .
25.
Industry Canada. (1996). Building the information society: Moving Canada into the 21st century. Retrieved April 1, 2002, from www.startegies.ic.gc.ca/SSG/iho1103e.html
26.
Information Highway Advisory Council. (1995). Connection, community, content: The challenge of the information highway. Ottawa, Canada: Author .
27.
Information Highway Advisory Council. (1997). Preparing Canada for a digital world. Ottawa, Canada: Author .
28.
Klawe, M., Cavers, I., Popowich, F., & Chen, G. (2000). ARC: A computer science post-baccalaureate diploma program that appeals to women. In E. Balka & R. Smith (Eds.), Women, work and computerization: Charting a course to the future (pp. 94-101). Boston: Kluwer .
29.
Media Awareness Network. (2000). Canada's children in a wired world: The parent's view. Ottawa: Industry Canada, Health Canada and Human Resources Development Canada .
30.
Millar, M. S. (1998). Cracking the gender code: Who rules the wired world? Toronto, Canada: Second Story Press .
31.
Natriello, G. (2001). Bridging the second digital divide: What can sociologists of education contribute? Sociology of Education, 74, 260-265 .
32.
Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture. (1999). Vision for the integration of information technology within the Nova Scotia school system. Halifax, Canada .
33.
Oberg, D., & Gibson, S. (1999). What's happening with Internet use in Alberta schools? Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 45, 239-252 .
34.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2001a). Bridging the digital divide: Issues and policies in OECD countries (Pub. No. JT00110878). Paris .
35.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2001b). Understanding the digital divide. Retrieved April 6, 2002, from http://www.oecd.org
36.
Pritchard, R. A. (1998). Resistance is futile, or is it? Gender lessons from a micro cybercommunity . Canadian Women's Studies, 17(4), 72-75 .
37.
Reddick, A., Boucher, C., & Groseilliers, M. (2000). The dual digital divide: The information highway in Canada. Ottawa, Canada: Public Interest Advocacy Centre .
38.
Rideout, V. (2000). Public access to the Internet and the Canadian digital divide . Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 25(2/3), 1-21 .
39.
Spender, D. (1995). Nattering on the net: Women, power and cyberspace. Melbourne, Australia: Garamond Press .
