Transcript ENV/POLS 052 - Department of Economics

Parameters of the Digital Divide
Mack Shelley
RISE, ELPS, Statistics, Iowa State University
Lisa Thrane
RISE, Iowa State University
Stuart Shulman
Environmental Science and Policy Program, Drake University
Prepared for Science and Society Seminar Series, September 30, 2003
The Digital Citizenship Project
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An outgrowth of eRulemaking research
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Creates a Digital Citizenship course
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ENV/POLS 053 teaches/enacts lesson plans
focused on entry-level computer skills
Student/community collaboration
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ENV/POLS 052 covers the digital divide debate,
impact on politics, and Lessig’s Code
Requires a 1-credit service-learning lab
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Audiences raise digital divide questions
Identify problems & solutions
Service-learning & research design can clash
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Ex., Reciprocity and randomization
Service-Learning Theory
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One useful definition
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Service-Learning is a method of teaching and
learning which engages students in solving
problems and addressing issues in their school or
greater community as part of a total educational
program.
Motivation for service
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“To teach is to learn twice”
– Joseph Joubert
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Learning to think like a researcher
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Participant observers
A critical role for classroom reflection
“Falling Through the Net”
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“raising the level of digital
inclusion … is a vitally important
national goal … Internet access
is no longer just a luxury item”
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US Department of Commerce
Information literacy an
increasingly critical component
of citizenship
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eGov leaves many behind
Drake students engaged in
service-learning with Polk Co. seniors
Senior Citizen Clientele
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Survey (n=90) administered to suburban
seniors in Des Moines
62% over 70; 85% White; 65% female
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75% have computers at home
Over 2/3 have limited computer skills
58% report no experience with the World Wide Web
29% low skill
10% contact public officials via Internet
Majority do not want elections held on the Internet
65% do not believe that the Internet should
empower citizens to be politically involved
Source: CNN.COM Web Site
Student Reflection
“Before this class, I didn’t know what digital
citizenship was. At the Social Security
Administration, you can’t talk to someone directly
without going through technological jumping jacks.
I couldn’t imagine someone who was relatively
poor, old, and uneducated trying to find out what
their income was. You have to be technologically
savvy to do these kinds of things. I had no
knowledge of this prior to class, and this affects
millions of people in the US.”
Student Reflection
“It is too much to expect people to become digital
citizens right away. It is part of a process . . .
spending time with a Drake student or on their
own. When you spend more time on the Internet,
you realize you can look up any possible thing, or
any small question you ever wondered about. Help
finding this information is important as far as
digital citizenship. Clients are used to not having
everything at their fingertips, you have to show
them that they do.”
Overview of Research
Two
major research questions
1) How do race and education
influence attitudes toward information
technology?
2) What are the effects of these
attitudes on digital government?
Data & Methods
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Sample
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Treatment Group
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Mail survey administered to randomly selected
adults in a moderate-size Midwestern city in 2002
Selected from a low-income urban population
Received a brochure inviting them to attend free
computer classes
Remaining participants formed a control group
Response rate was very low
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3% (n = 66) from treatment group, 6% (n = 101)
from control group
Measures & Analysis
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Survey instrument measures
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Desire for Computer Skills
Technological Information Power
Computer Use
Digital Government
Computer Access Equity
Factor analysis
Structural equation model (LISREL 8.30)
Reduced Model
-
Desire for
Computer
Skills
Education
+
Digital
Government
+
+
+
Technological
Information
Power
-
+
Race
Χ2
(11) =
12.61 (p = .35)
GFI = .98
AGFI = .94
NFI = .90
+
Computer
Use
+
Computer
Access
Equity
Preliminary Findings
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As education declines, desire for computer skills
increases
Individuals with higher levels of education are
more likely to use computers at home and work
Non-whites are more likely to report
technological information key to empowerment
Non-Whites show greater interest in learning
computer skills
Non-Whites more likely to suggest that
computers should be accessible to all citizens
Preliminary Findings (continued)
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Interest in developing computer skills is
positively associated with digital citizenship
Viewing technology as a source of informational
power is positively related to digital government
Technological informational power increases
beliefs in computer access equity
The path model demonstrates some predictors
may have an intervening effect on outcomes
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These indirect effects are marginal
Preliminary Findings (continued)
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An indirect effect was found between race and
computer access equity through technological
information power
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Direct effect accounted for 78% of the total effect
Education decreased support for digital
government through desire for computer skills
Effect of race on digital government influenced
by technological information power
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Less so through desire for computer skills
Conclusions to Date
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Community members, particularly in
economically and racially vulnerable groups, lack
basic computer skills
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Educationally advantaged groups report greater use
of computers in their daily lives
Citizens must have a baseline of ITL to take
advantage of Internet access
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Information technology appears to be widening the
gap between the IT literate and those without basic
navigational skills
Conclusions to Date (continued)
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Non-Whites are significantly more likely to
believe informational technology is a valuable
source of power
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Translates into a somewhat greater belief in computer
access equity
Non-Whites report significantly more desire than
do Whites for equal access to computers and the
Internet
Positive attitudes toward technology, an
intervening variable, correlate with respondents
being more likely to report a need to provide
computers to the public
Conclusions to Date (continued)
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There is a direct linkage between a desire for
computer proficiency and digital citizenship
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Education only a minor influence on this outcome
Potentially, service-learning is a well-suited
intervention to bridge the divide between
disenfranchised groups and digital citizenry
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Quasi-experimental assessments of the effects of
service learning interventions on ITL are underway
Future Research
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National CATI Survey (3 states) by ISU’s Center
for Survey Statistics and Methodology
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Colorado, Iowa, Pennsylvania
Larger sample size
Randomization
Expanded and refined questionnaire
More elaborate models possible
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But, still a low response rate
Overview of CATI National
Survey
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Colorado
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Iowa
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157 respondents unweighted (31.3% response rate)
104 respondents weighted
171 respondents unweighted (37.4% response rate)
71 respondents weighted
Pennsylvania
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150 respondents unweighted (26.7% response rate)
303 respondents weighted
Some Preliminary Results from
the CATI National Survey
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How often do you vote in state and
national elections?
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“Always”
61.4% for those with a home computer
 53.3% for those without a home computer
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“Never”
8.0% for those with a home computer
 19.3% for those without a home computer
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Preliminary CATI Survey Results
(continued)
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How often do you vote in local elections?
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“Always”
40.4% for those with a home computer
 44.5% for those without a home computer
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“Never”
12.5% for those with a home computer
 23.4% for those without a home computer
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Preliminary CATI Survey Results
(continued)
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Extent of political participation
“A great deal”
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3.2% for those with a home computer
2.9% for those without a home computer
“Not at all”
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25.5% for those with a home computer
40.1% for those without a home computer
Preliminary CATI Survey Results
(continued)
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Email is a good way to contact officials
“Strongly Agree”
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19.6% of those using a computer at work
13.7% of those not using a computer at work
17.3% of those who do not work
“Strongly Disagree”
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0% of those using a computer at work
1.8% of those not using a computer at work
11.5% of those who do not work
Preliminary CATI Survey Results
(continued)
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Email is a good way to contact officials
“Strongly Agree”
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19.5% of those with a home computer
10.8% of those without a home computer
“Strongly Disagree”
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1.2% of those with a home computer
3.3% of those without a home computer
Preliminary CATI Survey Results
(continued)
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Computers should be made available to the
general public
“Strongly Agree”
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48.7% of those using a computer at work
31.9% of those not using a computer at work
38.9% of those who do not work
“Strongly Disagree”
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0.4% of those using a computer at work
0% of those not using a computer at work
0% of those who do not work
Preliminary CATI Survey Results
(continued)
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Computers should be made available to
the general public
“Strongly Agree”
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47.5% of those with a home computer
24.6% of those without a home computer
“Strongly Disagree”
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0.3% of those with a home computer
0% of those without a home computer
Preliminary CATI Survey Results
(continued)
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Elections should be held on the Internet
“Strongly Agree”
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5.3% of those using a computer at work
1.1% of those not using a computer at work
3.8% of those who do not work
“Strongly Disagree”
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19.7% of those using a computer at work
20.7% of those not using a computer at work
32.1% of those who do not work