As pointed out in the beginning of this article, there were many other studies that either contradicted or were found to be consistent with this article’s study. However, according to this study, there were some effects of technology on gender in regards to self-concept and self-esteem. For example, although there was no gender difference found in overall self-esteem, girls were shown to have higher academic and behavioral self-concept, while boys were found to have higher physical appearance and athletic self-concept. Also, contrary to what some studies have suggested, girls were not found to have a higher social concept than boys (439).
In regards to videogames, it was found that boys, regardless of race, played more videogames than girls (this of course, did not come as a surprise). According to most studies, videogames caused lower behavioral self-concept, low self-esteem, and improved visual spatial skills (440).
Looking at these results, one could say that technology can certainly have different effects on both males and females. Because girls were found to have higher academic and behavioral concept, this could be due to the different reasons why males and females use the Internet. As stated in the introduction of the article, males were found to use the internet more often than women, but also for different reasons. Males would use the internet more for “commercial transactions” (438) while females would use the internet more for social networking. Perhaps making these social connections have helped females achieve higher academic self-concept, and certainly behavioral self-concept.
Personally, I do not think that this evidence should affect the use of technology in classrooms. As I have said in the beginning, there were many other studies that contradicted the results of this study. Therefore, much more research needs to be done in order to determine whether or not these effects should affect classrooms. In addition, I feel like no matter what, these results will not do much to change how classrooms are run. For example, the internet is one of the most widely used technologies of our time. Teachers AND students need to use the internet for several purposes, therefore, it seems almost inevitable to use such technology, whether we like to or not. In regards to videogames and evidence showing that they would cause lower self-esteem and self-concept, it is very uncommon for classrooms to even use videogames to convey the lesson plans.
According to the results of the study and what we have discussed in class, I think that race, gender, and self-concept would all contribute to the “digital divide” occurring in our society. The study found one significant difference between African Americans and Caucasian Americans, and it was that African Americans had lower behavioral self-concept than Caucasian Americans. Why this was the case is still unknown. In addition, differences between gender and self-concept were also found. Males were found to use the internet more than females, and the use of technology has shown to affect a person’s self-concept. Therefore, it would make sense that all three factors would contribute to the “digital divide.”
The article is titled, "Self-Concept, Self-Esteem, Gender, Race, and information Technology Use"
Thanks for the thoughts. I think you're right about the need to utilize technologies in the classroom. Don't you think that the main barrier is the teacher or professor learning a totally different style of teaching that integrates interactive methods? Diving deeper into such technology this semester, I can now appreciate the preparation and coordination it takes to do more than just walk into the classroom and deliver a powerpoint or lecture. I wonder how more teachers can be trained and who will train them? There's also the whole conversation of which technologies are best and which are not in the classroom. The bottom line is your main point...more research!
ReplyDelete