Learning about abstract systems: Understanding children’s journey in grasping internet principles across age groups in a mixed-methods experimental study

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081740%3A_____%2F25%3A00618089" target="_blank" >RIV/68081740:_____/25:00618089 - isvavai.cz</a>

Nalezeny alternativní kódy

RIV/00216208:11410/25:10501150 RIV/00216208:11320/25:10501150

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563225000494?via%3Dihub#abs0015" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563225000494?via%3Dihub#abs0015</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2025.108602" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.chb.2025.108602</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Learning about abstract systems: Understanding children’s journey in grasping internet principles across age groups in a mixed-methods experimental study

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Children frequently use the internet but often lack an understanding of its underlying principles. This contrast stems from the inconsistency between the internet's complex, invisible infrastructure and processes, and the familiar, user-friendly interfaces children interact with. This study investigates how children's knowledge of the internet evolves with age and whether targeted interventions can accelerate or alter this trajectory. We address four research questions: (1) How elaborate are children's preconceptions of the internet? (2) How much can instruction improve their understanding? (3) What forms of knowledge (everyday/scientific) are acquired through intervention? (4) Which incorrect ideas are resistant to change? Using a convergent mixed-methods design, we examined 69 children across three age groups (Grades 4/5, 6/7, and 8/9, 9–15-year-olds) before and five months after a one-on-one, 45–60-min tutoring session. A no-intervention control group was included (n = 68). Thematic and frequency analyses revealed: (i) fragmented initial understanding rooted in children's interactions with digital devices, consistent with previous studies, (ii) novel preconceptions, such as conceptualizing data storage in non-physical ways, e.g., 'on a YouTube channel', (iii) knowledge elevated due to instruction to a level comparable to that of peers two years older, aligning with how 9–15-year-olds spontaneously progress from intuitive understandings about visible aspects to more scientific comprehension of the internet's infrastructure, (iv) only modest resistance to change. These promising findings suggest that interventions building scientific knowledge upon intuitive prior knowledge can effectively bridge the gap in understanding complex socio-technological systems like the internet, offering a blueprint for developing evidence-based curricula.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Learning about abstract systems: Understanding children’s journey in grasping internet principles across age groups in a mixed-methods experimental study

Popis výsledku anglicky

Children frequently use the internet but often lack an understanding of its underlying principles. This contrast stems from the inconsistency between the internet's complex, invisible infrastructure and processes, and the familiar, user-friendly interfaces children interact with. This study investigates how children's knowledge of the internet evolves with age and whether targeted interventions can accelerate or alter this trajectory. We address four research questions: (1) How elaborate are children's preconceptions of the internet? (2) How much can instruction improve their understanding? (3) What forms of knowledge (everyday/scientific) are acquired through intervention? (4) Which incorrect ideas are resistant to change? Using a convergent mixed-methods design, we examined 69 children across three age groups (Grades 4/5, 6/7, and 8/9, 9–15-year-olds) before and five months after a one-on-one, 45–60-min tutoring session. A no-intervention control group was included (n = 68). Thematic and frequency analyses revealed: (i) fragmented initial understanding rooted in children's interactions with digital devices, consistent with previous studies, (ii) novel preconceptions, such as conceptualizing data storage in non-physical ways, e.g., 'on a YouTube channel', (iii) knowledge elevated due to instruction to a level comparable to that of peers two years older, aligning with how 9–15-year-olds spontaneously progress from intuitive understandings about visible aspects to more scientific comprehension of the internet's infrastructure, (iv) only modest resistance to change. These promising findings suggest that interventions building scientific knowledge upon intuitive prior knowledge can effectively bridge the gap in understanding complex socio-technological systems like the internet, offering a blueprint for developing evidence-based curricula.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

50101 - Psychology (including human - machine relations)

Projekt

<a href="/cs/project/GA22-20771S" target="_blank" >GA22-20771S: Internet4Kids – Budování znalostí o internetu: perspektiva teorií konceptuální změny</a><br>

Návaznosti

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2025

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Computers in Human Behavior

ISSN

0747-5632

e-ISSN

1873-7692

Svazek periodika

168

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

červenec

Stát vydavatele periodika

US - Spojené státy americké

Počet stran výsledku

18

Strana od-do

108602

Kód UT WoS článku

001447914200001

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-86000750617