View of schooling

Chris and Joe both commented on how they had picked up new skills in their computer classes at school. They were the only two who linked how using the computer helped them in their schoolwork and homework, especially for research. Joe especially, used the Internet to help him study for exams. School and study were positive activities for Joe.

In contrast, the three girls all stated how they saw computing at school as irrelevant, and/or too basic for them to consider taking it as a subject. They were not interested in computing as a school subject. Charli and Lisa’s prior experience of school computing consisted of three years of learning to touch type – a compulsory aspect of their school’s programme. Lisa stated why it did not interest her to take computers as a school subject: “Because like, what I do here, I just do at my own free will really, and like at school, you have to have like set work, to what you have to do, and like what I do here at home, I wouldn't think that I'd be able to do at school, like cause it's into music or just read emails or something. It's not really about that in a class of like economics, no, it's not economics, in the computer room or something - IT.” Lisa believed the content was boring. Anne’s experience differed as in primary and intermediate school, she had had teachers who “quite liked computers”, and she had learnt to design websites, edit movies, and create animations. Her current school’s computing programme was too basic for her to consider it worthwhile, though she was also not allowed to advance through the programme and enroll in a level congruous with her ability, experience, and skill.

When Anne was asked how relevant school was in comparison to what she wished to do in the future, she replied, “That depends on the subject. Some subjects are just subjects - they are not important at all to me. But others are more important. I don't have an exact idea of what I want to do in the future, and so I basically know what subjects will help me or not. Maths, I probably will do something around maths, and so that is really important, and it's also about the subjects - which subjects I have to do well in to get into subjects next year. Like my drama, that's not gonna affect what subjects I get into next year, what marks I get and that, but in maths, it depends on what class I get in, well what grades I get this year, depends on what class I'm gonna be in next year, so that's quite important.”

Lisa had spent approximately two hours or more per week-day for the last three years on her home computer. She didn’t think there was any link between schoolwork helping her computer literacy or expertise, or vice versa, i.e. that her computer use helped her schooling. Lisa was unable to identify any aspect of her computer use that would help her schooling. This could also demonstrate that Lisa was unsure of the questions asked of her, which included, “How does your confidence in your computer skills affect your attitude towards school?” and “What do you think of your expertise in terms of how valuable schooling is?” She replied “I don’t know” and “I don’t think much of it” to the respective questions.

Chris had attended the same primary school for Years 0 – 8. He was in his first year of high school (year 9). At his primary school he had received much encouragement from teachers to learn software, was selected to operate as the resident expert in his classroom, and also chosen to be involved in extra activities to develop more computer skill. Chris said, “They [the teachers] did recognize that I had a bit of potential in computing. My classmates did - they helped motivate the teachers to put me up to higher levels and things like that.” His primary school experiences were in sharp contrast to his initial experiences at high school:
R – “How does your confidence in your computer skills affect your attitude towards school?”
Chris – “Again, my teachers really haven't noticed my skills. I really do want to shine and I really want to show them that, but sometimes you just have to hold back, because sometimes it's really not the right time to show all your skills to everyone at first. So when I go to my computing class - which unfortunately I've just ended cause it's term 2, I only do half options this year - but yeah, when I go to computing class, I find those skills to be quite useful, and with computing, with knowledge like picking up and understanding different things, it's helped me in schoolwork and things like that. Mmmm.” In regard to the lack of skill recognition and the lack of stimulus for younger high school students, Chris said, “I know there's more to learn out there but I'm looking for these opportunities and I can't find them, so I'm still searching really.”
I asked him, “So are you quite disappointed that you haven't got these opportunities like you did [in primary school]?”
Chris – “Yes! I'm sorely disappointed, cause I know that college is a place of opportunity, you're stepping up, you're moving on, learning about careers and all, but it's not just popping up. Where is it?”

At Jake’s school, they had made schooling relevant for him through the following examples:
• “The Principal at my school actually, decided and said 'since you're doing all this, we'll probably drop back your classes, to three classes, and we'll give you credits for it'.”
• “But they've basically rostered classes so its, in the computer room, so it's not when I've got classes. They've built they're roster around . . . they've moved my classes and rostered them around me.”
• Jake’s Principal was realistic that Jake was not going to end up being dux of the school and take six subjects, and go on to university, etc.
Jake was taking Geography, English, and Drama as his three subjects. He believed Drama was the only relevant subject as it enabled him to do production type activities and pass technical unit standards in this area. Some aspects of English such as film studies were of interest to him. About geography he said, “I don’t know why the hang I chose geography.” In regard to schooling in general he stated, “Some mornings it's a bit like 'oh school' [uninterested tone]. And other mornings I'm like, 'yeah, it's cool'. Like, days that I have all my classes in a row, 'oh a school day'. Cause yeah, I just get bored, I'll sit there, and half the time I'll just shut off and think about what I'm meant to be doing.” However, as Jake had been involved in sound and lighting activities since intermediate school (years 7 – 8), and due to the number of projects and responsibilities Jake had within the high school, his schooling experience has given him many opportunities for him to do things that he was interested in. Notwithstanding, Jake had had little or no experience with computers at his primary school.

Tim was not sure about how relevant school was for him. He reduced the curriculum to two important subjects – mathematics and English.
R - “So you don't really know what you want to do in the future, but how relevant do you think school is for your future?”
Tim - “Oh I guess some subjects are - maths and English. But they're like, cause if you've got maths and English you can do a lot more jobs, yeah. But I think sort of relevant, I guess [smiles], yeah, I dunno.”

Out of the subjects that Tom took, he said “Design and computers is probably the most relevant, maybe a bit of maths”. I asked him if he thought the business one might be helpful? He replied, “Yeah, if I wanna start my own business, I'll have the skills.” I asked him, “So are you taking any subjects because you have to?” He replied, “Yeah, just to fill the gaps.” Of the primary school he attended, Tom said, “They like to think they are a technological school but I didn't really use computers there". Both the primary school and intermediate school he went to used Macintosh computers, which he said, he didn't like. He only used computers in the computer class of the computer suite at intermediate, not in the classroom.

Tim and Tom did not think their confidence in computer skills affected their attitude towards school. Tim stated, “I don't think that it helps me, or improve my attitude or anything. Yeah, I don't think it does.” Tom said, “It doesn't affect it at all. Just school's boring and it's school [laughs].” Tim was similar in his thinking:
R – “Is school a positive place for you?”
Tim – “Yeah, some days. I don't not like going. Yeah, so, I guess. Yeah, I don't like want to wag or anything, so it's alright, yeah.”
R – “What makes it not positive?”
Tim – “Oh it just, some lessons are boring and that.”
R – “So would physics be like your most boring subject or just hard?”
Tim – “It's not boring, I just don't really understand it very well, cause it is quite hard subject to understand. There's a lot of people that aren't very good at it [laughs].”

As stated previously, Charli believed that she was learning all the time. But when asked whether she was learning all the time when she was at school, she replied, “Not always. I don't think so because when you're on the computer, you sort of choose to go on or not, but at school you have to go, so it's like you're not always in the mood, and if you don't wanna be taught, then you just, you don't let them. You're just disruptive and stubborn and stuff, so you've gotta be in the mood for it, that's why I think that computers are like more good. More people will learn from computers I think.”
R – “Cause they want to be on it.”
Charli – “Yeah, but then that goes both ways because sometimes like, they teach you like maths at school, but you don't like maths, but they teach you it anyway, and it's something that's probably really valuable in the future.” Charli discussed some other aspects regarding the environment of school:
R – “So is school a positive place for you?”
Charli – “No. Not this year, and not the year before, so no, and not the year before that either [we both laugh].”
R – “So why's that?”
Charli – “I think it's sort of my fault though, but then even people that are like normal, they say like they don't like school, but that's sort of their own choice. I dunno. It's just not. I think too much is forced on you. [pause] Teachers are dicks [laughs]. I really don't like them. I know they're being paid, but still.”
R – “So is school a positive place for you to learn?”
Charli – “In some ways I guess. [pause] I think it's personal and it's complicated, like, I think it gets easier and more positive as you get older because you can choose your own subjects and stuff. That gives you more variety and you're actually there, and you're doing stuff that you want to do.”