Abstracts
Abstract
Many Canadian children use digital devices at home. Parents’ perspectives on their children’s digital use influence how those children engage with digital practices and how parents manage them. This article draws on interview data from a larger qualitative study examining first-generation newcomer parents’ perspectives and their children’s digital practices at home in Canada. This paper focuses on the perspectives of a newcomer parent, Diana, regarding her child Jack’s digital practices at home within the Canadian context. Green’s Three-Dimensional Literacy Model is applied to examine how Diana understands and supports Jack’s digital experiences. Diana views Jack’s digital engagement from a holistic perspective, from Green’s operational, cultural, and critical dimensions. Unlike other newcomer parents in my study who primarily emphasized the operational dimension, this paper explores the possible reasons for Diana’s broader view. It also highlights the importance of supporting newcomer parents in developing knowledge about digital literacy and understanding how to help their children become literate in the digital age.
Keywords:
- digital age
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Appendices
Biographical notes
Yina Liu recently completed her PhD in Language and Literacy in Elementary Education at the University of Alberta. As an immigrant mother raising two young children in Ottawa, Canada, her doctoral research investigates the digital literacy practices of culturally and linguistically diverse children at home, along with their parents’ perspectives on digital usage. She completed her MEd in 2017, focusing on how Canadian children’s literature can facilitate the integration of newcomer children.
Linda Laidlaw PhD, works in the area of early literacy in Language and Literacy Education at the University of Alberta. Formerly a classroom teacher, her research focuses on digital and mobile technologies in primary education. Her latest project investigates pedagogical frames and strategies to address AI in changing classrooms.
Dr. Suzanna So Har Wong (黃素霞) is an Adjunct Professor and Associate Lecturer in Language and Literacy at the University of Alberta. Her current research, with Dr. Linda Laidlaw, examines teachers’ experiences with generative AI in elementary education.