ICT Use at Home of Hong Kong Students: Understanding New Arrival Children from Mainland China

Abstract

With the effort of Hong Kong government to enrich e-learning resources, along with the increasing availability of ICT, students in Hong Kong are now living with a sophisticated range of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in every aspect of their daily life. Studies show that new arrival children (NAC) from Mainland China constitute the largest cultural group of students only second to their Hong Kong local peers, yet they are at a less advantaged position in learning and future development than their Hong Kong local peers. Despite the considerable benefits of ICT in promoting students’ learning and development, there is a surprising dearth of research on the daily ICT use among NAC in Hong Kong. Studies show that students’ ICT use is a complex process influenced by their social environment. Theories from cross-cultural studies show that people with immigrant background tend to have different behavioural development. This paper aims to provide understanding of the daily ICT use of NAC and local students in Hong Kong secondary schools, and examine whether NAC and local students are different in their daily ICT use. A quantitative study with cross-sectional age groups involve both Secondary 1 and Secondary 2 students was conducted. An online survey was administered as a mean to collect information about NAC and local students’ demographic background and daily ICT use. The study on students from 27 secondary schools revealed four types of daily ICT use at home: information search and learning (ISL), creative use (CU), social life and entertainment (SLE), and online surfing and shopping (OSS). Significant differences between the two groups of students in ICT use were also found. Implications of findings are discussed.