Exclusions in social inclusion projects: Struggles in involving children in digital technology development

Abstract

AbstractWhile social inclusion projects have centred on digital technology for a long time now, they have remained silent about educating and empowering children to act as technology makers and shapers, not merely passive users. We have organized, together with children, digital technology projects that we now critically examine from the perspective of inclusion/exclusion. The paper shows that in social inclusion projects, there is exclusion taking place in a multitude of forms, shaped by a variety of rules and powers. We use nexus analysis as a theoretical and methodological tool that guides us to study inclusion/exclusion as processes, within which both discourses and concrete actions are to be acknowledged as well as historical and interactional aspects—both at individual level and at the level of social structures. Our study shows that inclusion and exclusion may be intentionally accomplished by children themselves, those may result without any intentional effort because of circumstances and those may also be done for children by various kinds of adults. Although children's empowerment and agency are significant, also adults play a decisive role. Implications for social inclusion and digital technology education research and practice are discussed. Nexus analysis is suggested as a useful means for revealing and managing the complexity involved in social inclusion/exclusion.