A study led by Professor David Buckingham, of the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media at the Institute of Education, University of London, found that few companies are really sure how they will make money from the web. Different providers with different motivations and constraints are jostling for position in an insecure though very competitive market.
For several reasons, the larger and established educational websites are in a very strong position. There is not yet much sign that the Internet will foster a 'cottage industry' of smaller, independent producers. Branding is important, given the difficulty in reaching the target market and the diversity of content available, and this also favours existing companies. But the websites currently available are quite limited, both in terms of content and interactivity, says the report.
Professor Buckingham said: "This is partly a matter of money - it costs a lot to make an engaging website that will compete well with other computer-based entertainment. But the market in home learning is also currently dominated by the imperatives set by central government, which are all about testing."
Although there is great potential for expansion in home learning, the schools market is more predictable and so is determining what is provided.
Younger children in particular need websites that are targeted at their age group, whereas most sites are aimed at adults. The researchers found little evidence that parents are yet able to make the most of what is on offer - not least because they do not know what is available.
While some parents were persuaded of the educational value of the web, or at least felt it was unavoidable, some were more uncertain of its benefits compared with other ways of learning. Some mothers argued that information was not always reliable and that use of the Internet for project work was a form of cheating. Fathers, however, were generally more positive. Some parents felt children aged between eight and 12 were too young to use the Internet for school homework.
Though education was one of the main reasons given for buying a computer, parents said that their children tended to use them mostly for entertainment. Several children were able to subvert the educational purpose of games and other activities, and avoided reading written text or instructions. When computers were used for education, it was usually for homework projects and to get simple information. Children preferred using the computer to reading books, even though they did not always know how to find what they wanted.
Most parents and children criticised sites they found slow and frustrating to use, and questioned whether sites were effectively geared to the child's educational level.
Professor Buckingham concludes that there is little evidence so far that computers are delivering on their educational promise. More investment is needed in the e-learning industry if it is to compete with other uses of computers in the home.
For further information, contact:
Professor David Buckingham on 44-207-612-6515 (work), 07751-907998 (mobile), 0208-340-1389 (home), or e-mail: d.buckingham@ioe.ac.uk
Or Lesley Lilley or Anna Hinds at ESRC, on 01793-413032/413119
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. The research report 'Learning Online: E-Learning and the Domestic Market' was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Professor Buckingham is in the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media, Institute of Education, University of London, LONDON WC1H 0AL.
2. The ESRC is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It has a track record of providing high-quality, relevant research to business, the public sector and Government. The ESRC invests more than £53 million every year in social science research. At any time, its range of funding schemes may be supporting 2,000 researchers within academic institutions and research policy institutes. It also funds postgraduate training within the social sciences thereby nurturing the researchers of tomorrow. The ESRC website address is http://www.esrc.ac.uk
3. REGARD is the ESRC's database of research. It provides a key source of information on ESRC social science research awards and all associated publications and products. The website can be found at http://www.regard.ac.uk.