Abstract:
Growing Up Digital Australia is a ground-breaking research project designed to find out how digital devices change how young people in Australia spend time, relate to one another, and behave in schools. The Gonski Institute for Education has joined researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of Alberta, who have already undertaken phase 1 of the research in Alberta, Canada. This research paper explains the methodology and large-scale survey instruments that are used in the first two phases of this project.
The Australian findings that are comparable to those found in Canada will help policy makers and education system leaders ensure that the most vulnerable children are shielded from the negative effects of digital technologies. The insights will also help policymakers to understand how these technologies can be leveraged to promote equity. This research is vital to better understanding how outside-the-school-gate factors impact students’ educational success and harness the strengths of disadvantaged communities to implement more culturally responsive systems. The outcomes will also prepare and develop school leaders to lead for equity in their own contexts.
The Australian findings that are comparable to those found in Canada will help policy makers and education system leaders ensure that the most vulnerable children are shielded from the negative effects of digital technologies. The insights will also help policymakers to understand how these technologies can be leveraged to promote equity. This research is vital to better understanding how outside-the-school-gate factors impact students’ educational success and harness the strengths of disadvantaged communities to implement more culturally responsive systems. The outcomes will also prepare and develop school leaders to lead for equity in their own contexts.