Scarring a Generation of School Children Through Poor Introduction of Information Technology in Schools

Abstract

Educational authorities worldwide are rapidly increasing the exposure of school children to computers. However what limited evidence is available suggests information technology is not being introduced appropriately for children and undesirable sequelae are anticipated. This paper reports on two studies on computers and children. One study investigated 24 schools in Canada and Australia and included assessments of physical environments and psychosocial environments in IT rich classrooms. A questionnaire was also completed by 1404 students. The findings included that physical aspects of computer workstations were rated poorest. The other study investigated 3 schools in Australia with mandatory laptop programs. A main finding was that 60% of the 314 students questioned reported discomfort using their computer. The potential implications of poor management of IT use by school children are discussed and suggestions made for ergonomics research. Without accurate and valid guildelines - and effective implementation of these guidelines - scarring or a whole generation of school children is predicted.