Information and communication technologies and students’ out of school learning experiences - Digital Education Review - Issue 33

Oct 15, 2026

The study examines how often students aged 10, 13, and 16 participate in ICT-mediated activities outside school and how such participation relates to learning experiences. Using a multimethod design that combines questionnaires, focus groups, and individual interviews, the analysis finds low levels of out-of-school ICT participation. These activities are linked to limited learning experiences. Findings stress the need for stronger connections between learning inside and outside school and for initiatives that build students’ digital skills.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

I. Introduction

Background: ICTs and new learning activity contexts

Rationale: unequal opportunities and digital competence gaps

Problem focus: ICT-mediated activities outside school

Information and communication technologies and students’ out of school learning experiences Information and communication technologies and students’out of-school learning experiences Anna Engel [anna.engel@ub.edu](anna.engel@ub.edu) César Coll [ccoll@ub.edu](ccoll@ub.edu) Antonio Membrive [amembrive@ub.edu](amembrive@ub.edu) Judith Oller [jollerb@ub.edu](jollerb@ub.edu) Faculty of Psychology, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain Abstract The widespread availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has generated new activity contexts that provide opportunities and resources for learning, at the same time as expanding the learning potential of traditional contexts such as the family and schools . Within this framework the present study analyses the frequency with which students of three ages (10, 13 and 16 years) participate in ICTmediated activities outside school, as well as the learning experiences associated with this participation . To this end, we used a multimethod approach combining administration of a questionnaire with focus groups and individual interviews . The analysis revealed low rates of participation in ICT-mediated activities outside school and showed that these activities were associated with limited learning experiences . These results highlight the importance of educational institutions building closer links between students’ learning experiences in and outside school, as well as the need to develop initiatives that can foster the acquisition of the digital skills required to maximize the learning potential of new activity contexts . Keywords Activity contexts; subjective learning experiences; information and communication technologies A.Engel, C.Coll, A.Membrive & J.Doller Digital Education Review-Number 33, June 2018 [http://greav.ub.edu/der/](http://greav.ub.edu/der/) 130 I. Introduction The development of the information society has produced a qualitative leap in many areas of human activity and learning. Indeed, the social, economic, political and cultural transformations that have taken place in recent decades have had a profound impact on social practices, altering as a result the parameters of human learning. Accompanying these changes, which various authors refer to as a new ecology or a new model of learning (Barron, 2004; Coll, 2013 ; Redecker et al., 2011), is a series of new and unprecedented activity contexts that are frequently associated with the development of digital information and communication technologies (ICT), such as social networking services, virtual worlds or environments, virtual communities of interest, practice and learning, or online gaming. These contexts are true potential niches of learning which provide opportunities and resources for learning to those who participate in them . This, together with the fact that information and communication technologies (ICTs) have also enhanced the learning potential of traditional activity contexts (e.g. the family, schools, the workplace, or cultural and leisure organizations) challenges the idea that formal educational institutions are the sole context in which learning takes place . In the information society, children and adolescents can learn by engaging with activities that take place in a variety of contexts . Consequently, there are opportunities for both lifelong and life-wide learning (Banks et al., 2007), and ICTs play a key role in this process of expansion . Never before in the history of developed societies has it been possible for children and adolescents to participate in so many and such a variety of activity contexts that offer opportunities and resources for learning. However, the possibility of participation is not the same for all young people . On the one hand, the activity contexts that are available to them and in which they may take part differ not only in number but also, and especially, in terms of the richness and variety of learning opportunities and

FAQs

What does the study investigate about ICT use outside school?

It analyzes how frequently students of three age groups participate in ICT-mediated activities outside school and what learning experiences they associate with that participation.

How was the research conducted?

The study uses a multimethod approach, combining a questionnaire with focus groups and individual interviews.

What were the main findings regarding out-of-school ICT-mediated activities?

Participation rates were low, and these activities were associated with limited learning experiences.

Why do the results matter for education policy and practice?

They highlight the importance of connecting students’ learning in and outside school and developing initiatives that foster digital skills to maximize the learning potential of new activity contexts.

Oct 15, 2026

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