Parental activities seeking online parenting support: Is there a digital skill divide?
Keywords
parental digital divide
internet use
internet skills
positive parenting
Publication details
| Year: | 2016 |
| Issued: | 2016 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 54 |
| Issue: | September |
| Start Page: | 36 |
| End Page: | 54 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Suarez A.; RODRIGO, M.J.; Muneton M. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Revista de Cercetare si Interventie Sociala |
| Topics: | Social mediation; Access, inequalities and vulnerabilities |
| Sample: | Participants were 234 Spanish parents recruited through notices in day care centers, schools and parents’ associations, who reported on these issues through an online survey. Participants were 67.5% mothers and 32.5% fathers. Each mother or father was from a different family, to avoid possible interference while responding to the survey. Participants were aged from 25 to 62 years old |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental digital literacy |
| Implications For Educators About: | Other |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Industry |
Abstract
This study examined the existence of a digital skill divide in Internet use for
parenting purposes, exploring whether child-rearing content searched, parental
skills on search practices, criteria used in the evaluation of content and satisfaction
with the results are modulated by socio-demographic factors and level of Internet
experience. Participants were 234 Spanish parents recruited through notices in
day care centers, schools and parents’ associations, who reported on these issues
through an online survey. Results showed that parents were very active in searching
for information on child-rearing issues. However, a digital skill divide can
be seen mainly by parental education, gender and age on the content searched and
perceived skills for going online. Parental age and education also shaped technical
abilities such as searching practices, criteria for evaluating websites (level of
confidence and relevance), and satisfaction with search results. In turn, level of
experience in Internet use played a more restrictive role confined to searching
practices and satisfaction with the results. The present findings may inform
initiatives of Internet literacy training applied differentially to help fathers and
mothers with low education and Internet experience levels to access higher quality,
reliable educational content. They also may provide guidelines for those who
develop websites for parents.
Outcome
Results showed that parents were very active in searching for information on child-rearing issues. However, a digital skill divide can be seen mainly by parental education, gender and age on the content searched and perceived skills for going online. Parental age and education also shaped technical habilities such as searching practices, criteria for evaluating websites (level of confidence and relevance), and satisfaction with search results. In turn, level of experience in Internet use played a more restrictive role confined to searching practices and satisfaction with the results.