Young children’s initiation into family literacy practices in the digital age

TLDR

The study examines young children’s digital literacy practices within the home environment. The study aims to catalogue the digital literacy activities children engage in at home and how these are integrated into family life. Researchers observed four 2‑ to 4‑year‑old children over a month, with parents acting as co‑researchers who recorded activities via camera and conducted reflective interviews. Children were deeply engaged in multimedia, multimodal digital practices, supported by family members, indicating a need to shift from family literacy to family digital literacy in the new media era.

Abstract

This article reports a study that explored young children’s digital literacy in the home. The aim of the study was to identify the range of digital literacy practices in which children are engaged in the home and to explore how these are embedded into family life and involve family members. Four children, two girls and two boys aged between 2 and 4 years, were the focus for study. Parents were co-researchers in the study in that they made written observations on children’s activities and captured practices using a digital camera and a digital camcorder over the period of 1 month. They took part in a series of interviews during the study in which they reflected on this data and were asked about related practices. Findings suggest that children were immersed in a range of multimedia, multimodal practices which involved extensive engagement with other family members who scaffolded their learning and delighted in the children’s technological capabilities. The article suggests that, in the light of socio-cultural developments in the new media age, a change in focus from ‘family literacy’ to ‘family digital literacy’ is required.