New research looks at how screens are actually being used in Australian classrooms – the results may surprise you
Parents, teachers and students were all surveyed as part of a new study looking at how screens are used in NSW schools.
A recent study on the use of screens in Australian classrooms has revealed some surprising findings. The research, funded by the New South Wales Department of Education, surveyed 1,057 students, 914 teachers, and 1,686 parents/carers from public, Catholic, and independent schools across the state. The results suggest that screen use in schools is more moderate and purposeful than some might assume.
Parents generally believe that digital devices are essential for their child's learning, but opinions vary on how much screen time is appropriate. While 37% of parents did not think there should be time limits on screen use for their child at school, those who did recommended time limits that were either equal to or higher than the actual amount of time students reported using screens for learning.
Screens are used for various purposes in classrooms, such as conducting research, receiving instruction, writing reports, practicing learning, organizing information, communicating, and creating digital content. Students use a wide range of apps, with primary school students focusing on literacy and numeracy apps, as well as search engines and design tools. High school students tend to use screens more for creating documents, presentations, and communicating via digital platforms.
However, observations of 68 classes across 20 schools revealed that students only used screens for about half of the time during lessons. The rest of the time was spent on non-digital activities like discussions, handwriting tasks, and worksheets. Teachers employed strategies such as positioning themselves strategically, imposing time constraints, providing tech support, and asking students to close their devices when necessary to maintain focus.
Interestingly, while parents believed that recreational screen use should be limited, high school students were actually using screens recreationally for an average of 72 minutes per day, rising to 85 minutes in Year 11 and 12. The source does not clarify whether this recreational screen time occurred during lesson time, break periods, or outside of school.
The study highlights the need for further research and initiatives to foster digital self-regulation in students, involving support for both teachers and parents as well as the students themselves.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
