Literacy news
Digital divide starts in the early years.
19 May 2011
A study has found that a “digital divide” in literacy starts from an early age
The study was undertaken by Dr. Rosie Flewitt from the Open University and Dr Sylvia Wolfe from Cambridge University and is entitled Multimodal Literacies in the Early Years.
It followed 10 children from a Sure Start children’s centre in the south of England observing them in setting and at home. It found a “digital divide” with some children having the chance to use new technologies and develop sophisticated skills with them while others did not and were lacking skills and confidence in their use.
The study highlights a lack of confidence and skill in early years practitioners to help children overcome the divide. Additionally noted as lacking was guidance in the curriculum on how to support literacy with new technologies.
Dr Flewitt said:
For practitioners, there is a lack of guidance in the early years curriculum on how to support literacy with digital technologies. Unfortunately, early education is trailing behind. That's a shame, because we could be supporting and promoting young children's strategic use of new technologies which offer great potential for early literacy development.
If early years education continues to focus exclusively on traditional forms of literacy, then it will be failing to provide all children with the skills they will need at school and in their future lives.”
More on the study can be read on the Open University website.
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