Using research in education

• Research is necessary to find answers to the many questions that arise when children and young people interact with new technologies: Does social media affect young people’s wellbeing? Do digital technologies support learning? Can screen time be detrimental for young children? Do girls possess higher digital skills than boys?  Without good quality research, it would be impossible to provide objective and unbiased answers to these and many other questions about how and why children and young people engage with digital technologies and how this may impact their lives.

• Research provides helpful evidence to update and improve teaching and learning content, but also teaching objectives. For instance, according to the results of the first survey conducted in Spring 2021 by the ySKILLS project, when it comes to digital skills, more adolescents possess high communication and interaction skills as compared to information navigation and processing skills. Based on findings such as these, schools could consider including lesson plans, and activities, or even adapting their learning objectives to support their students in acquiring higher levels of information navigation and processing skills, for instance, by including topics such as online mis- and disinformation. 

• Research is vital to learn which (new) sets of cognitive, social and emotional skills are required to foster aspects such as digital literacy or online resilience, but also to better grasp which styles of parenting, education, and even counselling or treatment are most successful to boost positive uses of online technologies while preventing potential harm.

• You can use research to stay up to date on emerging trends on children and digital technologies and to identify areas where teacher training may be needed.

• Research serves to improve teaching and learning practices. For instance, based on current research, decisions such as increasing collaborative or peer-to-peer learning activities at school can be informed. For instance, a literature review carried out by the ySKILLS project shows that children who co-use technology with their friends and communicate with friends about technology use have a higher chance of improving their digital skills.

• Research provides evidence that can help schools make decisions about their extracurricular offer. If schools wish to provide additional support to pupils on areas such as STEAM, developing digital skills, online safety, etc. they can consult recent research or get in touch with researchers in their country to be better informed about the aspects where support may be most needed and, thus, make better-informed decisions.  

• Research is vital to inform strategic and policy decisions at school. For instance, if a Ministry of Education wants to propose curricular changes or if they want to push for more technology use at school, research can help schools decide what types of technologies or what pedagogical activities would be most effective to use.

• Help you in discovering solutions to specific (online) issues that may arise in your school or classroom or even outside school, but which could have repercussions at school. For instance, a cyberbullying incident involving children for the same school can be better dealt with if whole-school interventions based on research evidence are used at school. 

• When implementing change, such as curriculum, pedagogy, or assessment, research can help you to define adequate and up to date strategies and learning objectives.

• Research helps you stay up-to-date and connects you to reliable information sources and evidence-based educational resources.

• By identifying researchers and experts in your city or country, you can strengthen your school support networks and increase the opportunities to support school staff’s professional knowledge, competence, and understanding of issues related to children and online technologies.

• Inside your school and more broadly within the profession, using research in education will help you and your colleagues develop your agency, impact, self-efficacy, and voice. It will also give you more confidence to integrate digital technologies in your everyday school activities and be better prepared to deal with unexpected challenges and potentially problematic situations. Ultimately, research will help you make better informed decisions that will positively impact your professional performance and will enhance your students’ learning experiences. 

• To be up to date on issues related to children and digital technologies, you can consult relevant local and international research through their project websites; you can also follow research projects, research groups or individual researchers through social media or sign-up for their newsletter where the latest research project developments and findings are regularly announced. More and more researchers share their key publications and results via Twitter, Facebook, etc., and bigger research projects usually have dedicated websites where they announce their latest news and publish results in less academic formats such as blogs, infographics, vlogs, etc. 

• After having identified a few key sources of research and information, such as the CO:RE knowledge base or the resources recommended in this toolkit, you can deepen your knowledge in the areas that you feel are most important for your professional development and for your students to be well prepared to use digital technologies in positive, empowering, and responsible ways.

• When preparing classes and lesson plans on topics related to digital technologies, you can consult relevant research project websites or one-stop-shop platforms such as CO:RE, where you can find the latest research in the area of children and digital technologies. 

• When defining the teacher training offered at your school, research can help you decide which topics are important to include in your next pedagogical training.  For instance, research shows that cyberbullying remains high in Europe and worldwide. However, many teachers and schools feel ill-prepared to prevent, detect and tackle cyberbullying at school. Findings such as these can help schools inform their teacher training offer accordingly.  

All over the world, children and young people enjoy using technologies and are more connected than ever before, with time spent online almost doubling for many children and young people over the last 10 years [1]. In Europe, children’s estimated time spent on the Internet ranges from 134 minutes per day in Switzerland to 219 minutes per day in Norway [2]. 

Children access technologies and start owning devices (e.g., mobile phone) at an earlier age than ever before [3] and many use smartphones, gaming, or social media platforms daily. With this rise in connectivity, children are spending more time in the digital environment and are also acquiring basic digital skills needed to independently use touchscreen technologies, such as swiping, tapping, and navigating apps at ever younger ages [4]. Digital technologies offer many opportunities to children and young people. They allow children to play, learn and express themselves but they can also be problematic sometimes.

For example, a study of 135 apps found that 39 apps targeting children aged 1- to- 5 years old contained at least one type of advertising that could be misleading or not appropriate for their age [5]. Findings such this are worrying because research suggests that younger children are more vulnerable to online risks than older kids [6]. However, these findings are also useful for practitioners such as the Safer Internet Centres co-funded by the European Commission, who develop awareness raising campaigns and materials to provide advice and educate children, their families, and teachers about online safety and potential risks that young people may encounter online. 

An important part of the job of practitioners such as helplines, hotlines or awareness centres staff involves observing emerging trends about children and digital technologies and regularly adapting and improving their educational offer and their mechanisms to offer support. Being acquainted with current research is, therefore, vital for their work and is necessary to provide objective and unbiased guidance about how children’s digital lives.

• Practitioners can use research to monitor emerging trends on children and digital technologies and, above all, to identify areas where additional education and awareness-raising materials, training or support may be needed for their specific target groups. 
  

• Research provides helpful evidence to update and improve educational materials, awareness-raising campaigns and to increase the effectiveness of potential interventions.  For instance, Professor David Finkelhor’s research shows that school-based prevention education programmes are a successful strategy for many social problems and behavioural change. Specially programmes that contain elements such as awareness-raising, decision-making, disengagement, and resistance strategies seem particularly effective to reduce bullying victimization and perpetration, to increase positive bystander behaviour, to reduce risky sexual behaviour and to improve general mental health.  
  

• Within the European network of Safer Internet Centres, Helplines give advice to young people, parents, and carers on issues such as harmful content, contact and conduct online (e.g., cyberbullying, grooming, data privacy, online relationships, etc.). Research is vital to grasp which styles of support and guidance are most successful to boost positive uses of online technologies while preventing potential harm. 

• Research provides evidence that can help practitioners make better informed strategic and policy decisions. For instance, to decide on upcoming awareness-raising campaigns and effective ways to run them or to develop more impactful information material for parents, children and teachers. Research is also useful to make decisions about information sessions and events. For instance, the EU Kids online research shows that  more older children report experiencing negative online experiences.  Findings such as this can help practitioners make decisions such as increasing preventive efforts among younger children or developing different types of educational materials or campaigns targeting children of different ages. 

• Many practitioners work towards empowering children, young people, parents, carers, and teachers so that they are equipped with the necessary skills and strategies to benefit from the opportunities digital technology may bring. Research can help practitioners develop appropriate training and capacity building resources for their different target groups. For example, from research we know that parental mediation is an important tool to guide children’s internet use. However, not all forms of parental mediation are equally effective for children of all ages. Indeed, more restrictive, or technical mediation strategies seem to show fewer positive results, especially among older children. By possessing this type of knowledge practitioners can make better informed decisions about, for example, their parental training programmes. 

There are several ways in which practitioners can use research. Here are some ideas:

• To be up to date on issues related to children and digital technologies, you can consult relevant local and international research through project websites (e.g., EU Kids Online, ySKILLS, DigiGen, digimatex, CO:RE, etc.),  you can follow research projects of interest on social media and/or you can sign-up for their newsletter where the latest research project developments and findings are regularly announced. You can also follow research groups, or individual researchers through social media or dedicated blogs such as the Parenting for a Digital Future blog from the London School of Economics. More and more researchers announce their new publications and key findings via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Mastodon, and other social media channels making them more accessible for non-specialised audiences and the general public. 

• After having identified key sources of research and information such as the CO:RE knowledge base or the resources recommended in this toolkit, you can deepen your knowledge in the areas that you feel are most important for your different target groups (e.g., parents, teachers, youth workers, children, and young people, etc.). 

• You can consult the latest research in your country to identify areas or gaps where schools, parents, children, and young people may need extra knowledge, support, or training. For example, shows that cyberbullying incidence remains high in Europe and worldwide, however, many teachers and schools feel ill-prepared to prevent, detect and tackle cyberbullying at school. Findings such as these can help you design information sessions, courses or materials that are better fine-tuned to the needs of your target groups.   

• Research helps you make better informed strategic decisions and to strengthen your funding applications. For example, research can enhance your funding proposals by helping you identify important gaps to be filled in your country or among your organisation target groups (e.g., parents and teachers) and by providing the necessary evidence and data that can help make your funding and project proposals stronger.

• When organising events, session or awareness raising campaigns on topics related to digital technologies, you can consult relevant research project websites, specialised blogs or one-stop-shop platforms such as CO:RE where you can find the latest research in the area of children and digital technologies. This can help you select current topics, set relevant, future-proof event agendas, and identify potential keynote speakers and experts for your events. In this vlog, Hans Marten, Head of Digital Citizenship at European Schoolnet, explains how to apply research theory in practice and refers, for example, to how the Safer Internet Forum agenda is set with the help of research. 
  

• You and your colleagues can participate in research projects or activities. This will help strengthen your relationship with research and academic institutions and establish a long-term cooperation that can be useful for both your organisation and your research partners. For instance, the CO:RE project developed several consultations and workshops with practitioners  which served, for instance, to update and improve the existing classification of online risks and to develop practical education materials such as this toolkit.  

• You can also consult research if you want to update or implement new technical or online communication systems at your organisation and to inform decisions about online tools that you may wish to use for training or other purposes. For instance, many organisations use free apps or online tools to make their training offer more attractive and interactive, however some of these tools can bring risks in relation to data protection and child privacy, or may not comply with existing regulation such as the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). For this reason, it is important to keep an eye on research that deals with these issues. A good example is the Children’s data and privacy online project led by Professor Sonia Livingstone that seeks to address questions and evidence gaps concerning children’s conception of privacy online, their capacity to consent and understand terms and conditions or managing privacy settings online, and their deeper critical understanding of the online environment, including both its interpersonal and, especially, its commercial dimensions. 

Children and young people love digital technologies, and this is reflected in the increasing amount of time they spend online, which has almost doubled in the last decade [1]. Children access technologies and start owning devices such as tablets or smartphones from a young age, and many use gaming, social media, or video sharing platforms daily to play, learn and express themselves. Indeed, for many young people digital technologies have become an unmissable part of their lives. 

Despite the many opportunities afforded by digital technologies news headlines which focus on serious, typically tragic incidents that grab wide public attention [2] such as cyberbullying, hate speech, fake news, or the detrimental effects of social media for children’s mental health abound these days.

As a consequence, the public perception of digital technologies and their impact on children and young people is usually fuelled by moral panic discourses that can lead to calls for creation of new laws and policies that criminalise children’s online behaviour [3]. 

Furthermore, because digital technologies advance so rapidly, it is challenging for research to match the pace. This makes it difficult for societies to recognise the considerable opportunities that using digital media afford and to manage the diverse array of risks [4].

Furthermore, because digital technologies advance so rapidly, it is challenging for research to match the pace. This makes it difficult for societies to recognise the considerable opportunities that using digital media afford and to manage the diverse array of risks [4]. 

Because media coverage of children’s use of technology is often prominent in steering the public debate [3], policymakers and regulators must be acquainted with current, good quality, unbiased research and must pay careful attention to how digital technologies such as social media or videogames are portrayed in the media.

Policymaking does not happen in a vacuum. Many social, political, cultural, and other factors play a role in decision making processes. Research about children’s digital experiences and the role that digital technologies play in their lives is crucial for evidence-informed policy and to make better informed decisions that strike the right balance between protecting children from harm while promoting their rights to participate fully in the digital environment. Furthermore, research allows policy and decisionmakers to monitor emerging local and global trends on children and digital technologies and to identify areas where policy changes or new legislation may be needed in their countries or regions.

• To be up to date on issues related to children and digital technologies, policymakers and their advisors can consult relevant local and international research project websites (e.g., EU Kids Online, ySKILLS, DigiGen, digimatex, CO:RE, etc.), or sign-up for their newsletters where the latest research project developments and findings are regularly announced. Many research projects can also be followed on the project’s social media channels. You can also follow dedicated research groups, experts or researchers through social media channels or dedicated blogs such as the Parenting for a Digital Future blog from the London School of Economics. More and more researchers announce their new publications and key findings via Twitter, Mastodon, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and other social media channels making them more accessible for non-specialised audiences and the general public. 

• After having identified key sources of research and information such as the CO:RE knowledge base or the resources recommended in this toolkit, you can deepen your knowledge in the areas that you feel are most important for your policy agenda. Consulting the latest research in your country or region will be useful to identify key areas where policy or regulation changes or improvements may be needed. 

• When organising or attending policy events such as special committee meetings or parliamentary sittings which include topics related to children, young people and digital technologies, you can consult one-stop-shop platforms such as CO:RE, relevant research project websites (e.g. EU Kids Online, Global Kids Online), or specialised blogs (e.g.  ySKILLS blog, Media@LSE blog, Media education blog, cyberbullying.org, etc.) where you can find the latest research in the area of children and digital technologies.

• It is also advisable to identity and consult researchers and experts specialised in these issues. This can help you set relevant, future-proof policy agendas, which is particularly important in the case of constantly evolving digital technologies.

• Particularly, middle-level officials and infomediaries should follow key research projects in their areas of policy interest and when possible, participate in research dissemination activities such as conferences or public seminars. This will help strengthen their relationship with research and academic institutions and build strategic partnerships. For instance, since 2006, the research and findings from the EU Kids Online project has supported European policy making, particularly in shifting the focus from a ‘safer’ to a ‘better’ Internet, reflecting a move from a protectionist stance towards a more participatory, rights-based approach [1]. 

• Identify local researchers and experts at universities or research centres in your city or country and establish ways to cooperate. Researchers working on topics related to children and digital technologies are keen on working with a variety of stakeholders including policymakers. So, taking the initiative and getting in touch with relevant research groups in your country can help you establish a fruitful cooperation.  Here you can find a list of European universities and research centres doing research on children and digital technologies who have cooperated with the CO:RE project.