KENDİ KENDİNE ÖĞRENME BAĞLAMINDA BİLGİSAYAR OKURYAZARLIĞININ İNCELENMESİ: BİLİŞSEL ETNOGRAFİK ÇALIŞMA

Abstract

In this dissertation, the processes of self-directed learning of computer for children who have never used computers before, have been examined within the cultural frame in which they live. The recent conditions in which the technology is effective in every sphere of life and people are more oriented towards “self-directed learning” make the research object important in terms of computer education. A village in the South-Eastern Anatolia region, which is one of the regions where the socio-economic level is low and a digital divide is clearly felt was preferred in accordance with the research object in order to reach children who have never used computers before. The cultural foundations of cognitive processes have been considered and authentic data have been reached, by using the cognitive ethnography, a type of qualitative research method used as a research design. The study includes a long-term participant observation process spreading over two years in conformity with the nature of ethnographic studies. The study group consists of 46 children (17 girls, 29 boys) and their ages vary between 6-11 years. During the study period, the ways how those children organize their learning when they are left on their own with the computers have been observed in detail. During the process, it has been examined how the learning situations are affected by these guidance and collaborative activities by giving the students simple clues, asking them some questions to arouse curiosity and guiding them to form groups. The open coding and axial coding methods have been used in the analysis of data. The 853 codes derived by open coding have been reduced to 174 codes and they have been grouped under 10 categories. The findings attained at the end of the study show that simple guidance to the children and forming groups during processes of their self-directed learning of computer have generally led to positive results. The significant differences have been observed in children's learning behaviors in terms of age and gender variables. The result of this study present profound data about the effects of cultural backgrounds on educational processes and taking these effects into consideration in the context of the education policies of our country.