A new environment for education? The computer in the home

This paper derives from an interdisciplinary research project which is stud ying the engagement of young people with different aspects of techno-popula r culture. The focus is on the young person and the significance of digital technologies in their lives as a whole. Drawing on cultural studies resear ch we are investigating the ways in which the contexts for computer use are structured by the different discourses present within the family, and the ways in which these discourses may provide a framing context for children's interactions with digital technology. Drawing on socio-cultural research w e take the view that learning is learning to do something with a cultural o r cognitive tool. Our analysis of data from case studies of 16 families sho ws that the context of home computer use amongst young people is far from a simple and uniform phenomenon and is structured by the different discourse s present within the family. What young people learn through interaction wi th computers is thus as much framed by the context of use as by the afforda nce of the technology, (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.