| This research studies how ninth-grade students in a fully computerized, K--12, affluent school use computers for educational purposes and in their personal lives. The target population for the study was the student body from the American School Foundation of Mexico City (ASF), a K to 12 American-type school with an American curriculum for over 100 years, and 2,400 students. The survey also included parents and teachers.;The qualitative and quantitative surveys revealed that students use the Internet from one to three hours daily, and the predominant use is as a personal communications tool. Students are knowledgeable about precautionary measures that are required in conversations with strangers in the Internet social space.;Parents believe computers and the Internet help their children with school assignments, and that the lack of Internet connection at home would put their teenagers at a disadvantage with their peers. The students' use of computers and the Internet at the ASF is meeting their parents' expectations. Most teachers give daily assignments to be done on the computer and require Internet searches for their assignments. The majority of the students say they use the Internet for research.;Gender and nationality are not differentiating factors with respect to the use of computers and the Internet by high school students at the ASF for school-related work. However, there are some variations in other applications. For example, male students use the Internet more than females for games and for accessing sexually explicit images.;The study sheds some light about the potential benefits of the introduction of computers and the Internet into U.S. classrooms. However, it also reveals that full integration of the technology into the curriculum is an elusive goal. Fundamental transformation in education, as in any major social change, certainly requires clear vision, hard work, and time. |
