Nursery World - 'No income divide' between access to ICT in family home

Pre-school children from low-income families are no less likely to have access to technology in the home than children from well-off families, according to new research. Interim findings from a survey of 350 families in Scotland suggest that it is not family income but parental experience that matters. It follows the Interplay project, which worked with eight nurseries to help children make the most of ICT in pre-school settings (News, 18 May 2006).

Interim findings from a survey of 350 families in Scotland suggest that it is not family income but parental experience that matters. It follows the Interplay project, which worked with eight nurseries to help children make the most of ICT in pre-school settings (News, 18 May 2006).

The survey was distributed through nurseries and follow-up visits were conducted with a smaller group.

Dr Lydia Plowman, who is leading the research at the University of Stirling, said, 'It's not true to say that low-income families have less technology necessarily or that they encourage children to use it more or less. As far as we can tell, it's not the income but parents' previous and current experience with technology.'

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