Graus de la divisi digital: reconsideraci de les desigualtats digitals i educaci superior contempornia

Neil Selwyn

RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan 13, 2010)

Encara que molts autors ja rebutgen amb seguretat la noci de bretxa digital, aquest document raona que les desigualtats en l's de les TIC en l'educaci superior contempornia tenen una importncia creixent en lloc de decreixent. Concretament, raona que ...

"It's All about Standardisation"--Exploring the Digital (Re)Configuration of School Management and Administration

Neil Selwyn

Cambridge Journal of Education Vol. 41, No. 4 (2011) pp. 473–488

Schools have long made use of digital technologies to support the co-ordination of management and administrative processes--not least "management information systems", "virtual learning environments" and other "institutional technologies". The last...

An Investigation of Differences in Undergraduates' Academic Use of the Internet

Neil Selwyn

Active Learning in Higher Education Vol. 9, No. 1 (2008) pp. 11–22

Based on survey data from 1222 undergraduate students studying at UK higher education institutions, this article addresses students' engagement with the internet as a source of academic information for their studies. In particular the article...

Faceworking: Exploring Students' Education-Related Use of "Facebook"

Neil Selwyn

Learning, Media and Technology Vol. 34, No. 2 (June 2009) pp. 157–174

Social networking sites such as "Facebook" and "MySpace" have been subject to much recent debate within the educational community. Whilst growing numbers of educators celebrate the potential of social networking to (re)engage learners with their...

Exploring the "Digital Disconnect" between Net-Savvy Students and Their Schools

Neil Selwyn

Learning, Media and Technology Vol. 31, No. 1 (March 2006) pp. 5–17

Educational commentators have long feared a "digital disconnection" between emerging generations of technology-rich students accustomed to high levels of Internet use and their technology-poor schools. Yet few studies have empirically examined the...

The effect of using a home computer on students' educational use of IT

Neil Selwyn

Computers & Education Vol. 31, No. 2 (1998) pp. 211–227

With many students' access to computers at home out-weighing their use of Information Technology (IT) in school, the importance of home computing has grown immensely over the last decade. This paper therefore seeks to examine the nature and extent...

Language: English

"There's so Much Data": Exploring the Realities of Data-Based School Governance

Neil Selwyn

European Educational Research Journal Vol. 15, No. 1 (2016) pp. 54–68

Educational governance is commonly predicated around the generation, collation and processing of data through digital technologies. Drawing upon an empirical study of two Australian secondary schools, this paper explores the different forms of data...

Digitally Distanced Learning: A Study of International Distance Learners' (Non)Use of Technology

Neil Selwyn

Distance Education Vol. 32, No. 1 (2011) pp. 85–99

This article considers the uses and non-uses of digital technology by international distance learners. It draws upon data from in-depth interviews with 60 learners from around the world following distance education degree courses provided by a large ...

Data Points: Exploring Data-Driven Reforms of Education

Neil Selwyn

British Journal of Sociology of Education Vol. 39, No. 5 (2018) pp. 733–741

This article reviews two recent books on the rising use of digital data in schools and university education, reflecting on areas of further research, analysis, and action. The books discussed are: (1) "The datafication of primary and early...

Assessing Students' Ability to Use Computers: Theoretical Considerations for Practical Research

Neil Selwyn

British Educational Research Journal Vol. 23, No. 1 (1997) pp. 47–59

Asserts that the assessment of students' ability to use computers should be central to educational computing research, but most studies have relied on vague definitions of what constitutes computer-use ability. Argues that definitions need to be...

The National Grid for Learning Initiative: Connecting the Learning Society?

Neil Selwyn

School Leadership & Management Vol. 20, No. 4 (2000) pp. 407–14

England's 1.6 billion-pound National Grid for Learning initiative represents an unprecedented government commitment to educational use of information and communications technology (ICT). NGfL will integrate ICT into all schooling areas via increased ...

Teaching Information Technology to the "Computer Shy": A Theoretical Perspective on a Practical Problem

Neil Selwyn

Journal of Vocational Education and Training Vol. 49, No. 3 (1997) pp. 395–408

Computer anxiety stems from several factors: psychological (locus of control, fear), sociological (isolation, dehumanization, stereotypes), and operational (negative experiences). Trainers should confront expectations and preconceptions, focus...

Researching computers and education — glimpses of the wider picture

Neil Selwyn

Computers & Education Vol. 34, No. 2 (2000) pp. 93–101

With information and communications technology (ICT) beginning to form the basis of extensive educational reform around the world, this paper considers how research into educational computing can move beyond its ‘hobbyist’ origins and keep abreast...

Language: English

Making the Most of the "Micro": Revisiting the Social Shaping of Micro-Computing in UK Schools

Neil Selwyn

Oxford Review of Education Vol. 40, No. 2 (2014) pp. 170–188

From the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, schools micro-computing in the UK developed from being a niche "hobbyist" activity to a prominent, officially mandated element of the national education system. Drawing on in-depth interviews with key ...

"Finding an Appropriate Fit for Me": Examining the (In)Flexibilities of International Distance Learning

Neil Selwyn

International Journal of Lifelong Education Vol. 30, No. 3 (2011) pp. 367–383

The concept of "flexibility" lies at the heart of contemporary post-compulsory education. Educational institutions are now expected to take a flexible approach to their provision of courses, as well as staffing, curriculum and assessment...

What's in the Box? Exploring Learners' Rejection of Educational Computing

Neil Selwyn

Educational Research and Evaluation Vol. 4, No. 3 (1998) pp. 193–212

The factors influencing students' decisions not to use computers during their education are explored, using focus-group interviews with 96 secondary and college students in the United Kingdom. Three main constructs underlying students' rejection of...

Turned On/Switched Off: Exploring Children's Engagement with Computers in Primary School

Neil Selwyn

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 25, No. 3 (2001) pp. 245–66

Explores the perceptions and views of primary school children in exploring, discussing, and rationalizing their use of computers in the classroom based on focus group interviews with students in Wales. Considers work processes; effects on learners'...

"Micro" Politics: Mapping the Origins of Schools Computing as a Field of Education Policy

Neil Selwyn

History of Education Vol. 42, No. 5 (2013) pp. 638–658

This paper examines the emergence of schools "micro-computing" in the UK between 1977 and 1984--a period of significant educational, technological and political change. During this time, computing developed rapidly from a niche activity in ...

Topics: Government, Schools, Computers, Change

Making Sense of Young People, Education and Digital Technology: The Role of Sociological Theory

Neil Selwyn

Oxford Review of Education Vol. 38, No. 1 (2012) pp. 81–96

This paper considers the contribution of sociological theory to the academic study of young people, education and digital technology. First it discusses the shortcomings of the technological and socially determinist views of technology and education ...

The Place of Technology in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Education Agenda: An Ambition of Absence?

Neil Selwyn

Educational Review Vol. 63, No. 4 (2011) pp. 395–408

Schools' use of digital technology has so far proved to be a peripheral feature of the Conservative-Liberal education agenda. Through a series of reductions to previously extensive bureaucratic and funding structures, the Coalition administration...

Curriculum Online? Exploring the Political and Commercial Construction of the UK Digital Learning Marketplace

Neil Selwyn

British Journal of Sociology of Education Vol. 28, No. 2 (March 2007) pp. 223–240

Government support for the production and consumption of educational software is now a key element of New Labour's education technology drive. At present much attention is being directed towards marketing "digital learning" to an educational sector...

"Not Necessarily a Bad Thing ...": A Study of Online Plagiarism amongst Undergraduate Students

Neil Selwyn

Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education Vol. 33, No. 5 (October 2008) pp. 465–479

Whilst the copying, falsification and plagiarism of essays and assignments has long been a prevalent form of academic misconduct amongst undergraduate students, the increasing use of the internet in higher education has raised concern over enhanced...

Realising the Potential of New Technology? Assessing the Legacy of New Labour's ICT Agenda 1997-2007

Neil Selwyn

Oxford Review of Education Vol. 34, No. 6 (December 2008) pp. 701–712

"Realising the potential of new technology" was one of the central educational themes of New Labour's 1997 election manifesto, with "information and communications technology" (ICT) established subsequently as a prominent feature of the Blair...

Creating a "Connected" Community? Teachers' Use of an Electronic Discussion Group

Neil Selwyn

Teachers College Record Vol. 102, No. 4 (2000) pp. 750–78

Investigated British teachers' use of an online discussion group over 2 years. Results indicate that, although the online forum was widely used as both an information and empathetic exchange resource, many claims of establishing collectively-...

Data Entry: Towards the Critical Study of Digital Data and Education

Neil Selwyn

Learning, Media and Technology Vol. 40, No. 1 (2015) pp. 64–82

The generation and processing of data through digital technologies is an integral element of contemporary society, as reflected in recent debates over online data privacy, "Big Data" and the rise of data mining and analytics in business,...

Students' attitudes toward computers: Validation of a computer attitude scale for 16–19 education

Neil Selwyn

Computers & Education Vol. 28, No. 1 (1997) pp. 35–41

There is a strong need for both educators and researchers to be aware of students' attitudes toward using and interacting with computers in 16–19 education (i.e. year levels 12–14)-but as yet little work has been carried out in this area. This...

Topics: Computers

Socialmedia in formal and informal education between potentialities and reality

Neil Selwyn

Italian Journal of Educational Technology Vol. 20, No. 1 (Apr 30, 2012) pp. 4–10

The growth of social media tools and applications over the past ten years has transformed the ways in which most people experience the Internet. As such, many education institutions (and educators) now find themselves expected to “catch-up\u201d...

Students' use of Wikipedia as an academic resource — Patterns of use and perceptions of usefulness

Neil Selwyn; Stephen Gorard

Internet and Higher Education Vol. 28, No. 1 (January 2016) pp. 28–34

Wikipedia is now an established information source in contemporary society. With initial fears over its detrimental influence on scholarship and study habits now subsiding, this paper investigates what part Wikipedia plays in the academic lives of...

Language: English

The Educational Benefits of Technological Competence: An Investigation of Students' Perceptions

Neil Selwyn; Onno Husen

Evaluation & Research in Education Vol. 23, No. 2 (June 2010) pp. 137–141

According to governments around the world, developing and sustaining technological skills and competencies are seen to be a key part of a student's ability to engage with twenty-first century schooling. Yet to what extent do students believe in the...

Exploring the "New" Imperatives of Technology-Based Lifelong Learning

Neil Selwyn; Stephen Gorard

Research in Post-Compulsory Education Vol. 8, No. 1 (2003) pp. 73–92

Policy discourse about lifelong learning has shifted from economic imperative to social and moral pursuit and intrinsic good. Despite this, the emphasis on technological solutions in Information Age discourse subjugates social, civic, and political...

Towards a Le@rning Society? The Impact of Technology on Patterns of Participation in Lifelong Learning

Stephen Gorard; Neil Selwyn

British Journal of Sociology of Education Vol. 26, No. 1 (February 2005) pp. 71–89

This paper is based on 1001 home-based interviews with UK adults. It describes their varying patterns of participation in lifelong learning and their use of technology for learning and leisure. It finds that 37% of all adults report no further...

Learning Online? Educational Internet Use and Participation in Adult Learning, 2002 to 2010

Patrick White; Neil Selwyn

Educational Review Vol. 64, No. 4 (2012) pp. 451–469

Covering a decade during which the "digital divide" came to popular and political attention, and written at a time when the Internet continues to be championed as a means of widening access to educational opportunities, this paper presents an...

Teaching with the Dream Machines: The Representation of Teachers and Computers in Information Technology Advertising

Lyn Dawes; Neil Selwyn

Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education Vol. 8, No. 3 (1999) pp. 289–304

Examined the depiction and positioning of teachers, technology, students, and information technology (IT) firms in educational information and communications technology advertisements, discussing the paucity of teacher representation within...

The Sociology of Education and Digital Technology: Past, Present and Future

Neil Selwyn; Keri Facer

Oxford Review of Education Vol. 40, No. 4 (2014) pp. 482–496

During the past 15 years of his career, John Furlong's research and writing has focused--in part--on digital technologies and people's everyday experiences of education. While hardly a technology expert, his work has shown an acute...

Promoting Mr. ‘Chips’: the construction of the teacher/computer relationship in educational advertising

Neil Selwyn; Lyn Dawes; Neil Mercer

Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies Vol. 17, No. 1 (2001) pp. 3–14

The £1 billion government drive to integrate information and communications technology (ICT) into UK schools and colleges has been firmly focused on the technological transformation of the teaching profession. In particular, the establishment of a...

Drawing Digital Pictures: An Investigation of Primary Pupils' Representations of ICT and Schools

Neil Selwyn; Daniela Boraschi; Suay Melisa Ozkula

British Educational Research Journal Vol. 35, No. 6 (December 2009) pp. 909–928

The relatively restricted nature of children's use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) inside the school setting has long been noted by researchers. With this in mind, this article offers a grounded analysis of drawings collected...

Twenty years of online teacher communities: A systematic review of formally-organized and informally-developed professional learning groups

Annika Lantz-Andersson; Mona Lundin; Neil Selwyn

Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies Vol. 75, No. 1 (October 2018) pp. 302–315

This paper presents a systematic review of 52 empirical studies of formally-organized and informally-developed online teacher communities from the early 2000s to the present time. Focusing on the social as well as technological aspects of online...

Language: English

Logged on to Learning? Assessing the Impact of Technology on Participation in Lifelong Learning

Stephen Gorard; Neil Selwyn; Louise Madden

International Journal of Lifelong Education Vol. 22, No. 3 (2003) pp. 281–96

Analysis of British survey data on 5,885 adults showed that 42% reported learning participation in the last 3 years; 36% reported none since leaving school. Access to information/communications technology was associated with age, class, and...

Making ‘MOOCs’: The construction of a new digital higher education within news media discourse

Scott Bulfin; Luciana Pangrazio; Neil Selwyn

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning Vol. 15, No. 5 (Oct 06, 2014)

One notable ‘disruptive’ impact of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has been an increased public discussion of online education. While much debate over the potential and challenges of MOOCs has taken place online confined largely to niche...

'E-stablishing a Learning Society': the Use of the Internet To Attract Adults to Lifelong Learning in Wales

Neil Selwyn; Sara Williams; Stephen Gorard

Innovations in Education and Teaching International Vol. 38, No. 3 (2001) pp. 205–19

Concentrates on longer-established efforts made in Wales to use the Internet as a gateway for opportunities for adult learners. Focusing on a Web-based Welsh language program over a 12-month period, this paper empirically examines the role of the...

The Role of the "Technical Fix" in UK Lifelong Education Policy

Neil Selwyn; Stephen Gorard; Sara Williams

International Journal of Lifelong Education Vol. 20, No. 4 (2001) pp. 255–71

Public policy rhetoric depicts information/communications technologies as a means of transforming lifelong education, freeing individual learners, broadening social inclusion, and improving competitiveness. However, concerns about social exclusion...

What's Used and What's Useful? Exploring Digital Technology Use(s) among Taught Postgraduate Students

Michael Henderson; Glenn Finger; Neil Selwyn

Active Learning in Higher Education Vol. 17, No. 3 (2016) pp. 235–247

This article explores the digital technologies that taught postgraduate students engage with during their studies, what these technologies are used for and how useful they are perceived to be. The article draws upon data gathered from a survey of...

Exploring elementary school students’ experiences and understandings of internet safety

John Potter; Neil Selwyn; Sue Cranmer

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (Mar 02, 2009) pp. 1075–1089

This paper examines the understandings of UK elementary school pupils with regards to managing issues of risk and safety whilst using the internet. The paper is based on survey and interview data with students in five schools in grades 3 to 6....

"We Are Guinea Pigs Really": Examining the Realities of ICT-based Adult Learning

Neil Selwyn; Stephen Gorard; Sara Williams

Studies in the Education of Adults Vol. 34, No. 1 (2002) pp. 23–41

Interviews with 36 adult learners in information-communications technology (ICT) settings, using the concept of learning trajectories, revealed barriers to widening participation through ICT. In addition to technical shortcomings, social, economic,...

High-Tech, Hard Work: An Investigation of Teachers' Work in the Digital Age

Neil Selwyn; Selena Nemorin; Nicola Johnson

Learning, Media and Technology Vol. 42, No. 4 (2017) pp. 390–405

This paper explores the ways in which digital technologies are now implicated in the work--and specifically the labour--of school teachers. Drawing upon qualitative studies in two Australian high schools, the paper examines the variety of ways in...

Adults' Use of Computers and the Internet for Self-Education

Neil Selwyn; Stephen Gorard; John Furlong

Studies in the Education of Adults Vol. 38, No. 2 (2006) pp. 141–159

This paper explores the varied use of information technologies (ITs) such as the computer and Internet for self-education, highlighting how these technologies can facilitate and suppress such learning opportunities throughout the adult population....

Adults' Use of ICTs for Learning: Reducing or Increasing Educational Inequalities?

Neil Selwyn; Stephen Gorard; John Furlong

Journal of Vocational Education and Training Vol. 56, No. 2 (June 2004) pp. 269–290

Within the hyperbole surrounding information and communications technologies (ICTs) and lifelong learning, our understanding of what learning activities ICTs are actually being used for throughout the adult population remains under-developed. Based...

Massive Open Online Change? Exploring the Discursive Construction of the "MOOC" in Newspapers

Neil Selwyn; Scott Bulfin; Luci Pangrazio

Higher Education Quarterly Vol. 69, No. 2 (April 2015) pp. 175–192

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been a prominent topic of recent educational discussion and debate. MOOCs are, in essence, university-affiliated courses offered to large groups of online learners for little or no cost and are seen by many...

Making "MOOCs": The Construction of a New Digital Higher Education within News Media Discourse

Scott Bulfin; Luciana Pangrazio; Neil Selwyn

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Vol. 15, No. 5 (Oct 06, 2014) pp. 290–305

One notable "disruptive" impact of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has been an increased public discussion of online education. While much debate over the potential and challenges of MOOCs has taken place online confined largely to...

Students' Everyday Engagement with Digital Technology in University: Exploring Patterns of Use and "Usefulness"

Michael Henderson; Neil Selwyn; Glenn Finger; Rachel Aston

Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management Vol. 37, No. 3 (2015) pp. 308–319

The much-discussed potential of "technology-enhanced learning" is not always apparent in the day-to-day use of digital technology throughout higher education. Against this background, the present paper considers the digital devices and...