Does Place Matter for Computer Use among Elementary Students?

• In Event: 046 - Section on Environment and Technology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Consumption, Consumer Behavior, and Access to Technology

Abstract

For decades, scholars have investigated technologies disparities within American society. These studies have focused on individual level predictors of computer use such as income, education and technological skills. Although these individual level inequities are important contributors of technological inequalities, they neglect the importance of place, including neighborhood level factors such as median income, racial composition and educational attainment. The purpose of this study is to address this gap in the current literature by examining neighborhood level effects of concentrated poverty on student computer use. Data were collected from fourth and fifth grade classrooms in a public school district in a mid-sized city in the southeastern United States. Results imply that measures of concentrated poverty have a negative influence on computer use among elementary students. These findings suggest that social inequalities at the neighborhood level need to be addressed to further eliminate the digital divide in computer use among elementary students.

Authors

• Zachary Simoni, University of Alabama-Birmingham

• Philip Gibson, University of Alabama-Birmingham

• Kristi L. Stringer, University of Alabama-Birmingham

• Shelia R. Cotten, Michigan State University

• Latoya O'Neal Coleman, University of Alabama-Birmingham