Análisis del acceso a Internet de los estudiantes de Bachillerato en Ecuador

Abstract

This thesis had three aims, principally: (a) to analyze the capacity of access of high school students to mobile technology in Ecuador, (b) verify the influence of socio-demographic factors on the capacity of access, and (c) propose and validate empirically, a multilevel reference to policies of access to media and digital literacy. To approach the topic, a literature review and a description of the media context of Ecuador were done, raising a conceptual structure that can be used as reference to the analysis of technology access in any social context. A random sample stratified by provinces, representative of students of high school education in Ecuador, aims to: (a) meet its ability to access (material, operational, informational, language, expressive and academic) to the Internet, and (b) determine the influence of socio - demographic factors on the different types of Internet access. They were considered to be three levels access capacity: (a) material and operative capacity, (b) informacional/mediatic and creative capacity, and (c) utilization capacity (to obtain benefit of the media). A random sampling was realized and stratified by province, and a sample of 3.754 students of high school grade students was derived. This sample was deemed to be representative of Ecuador. Likewise, 7 constructs were created and validated statisticaIly and served to measure the different capacities (or types) of access of the students: material access, operative skill, operative use, informational knowledge, knowledge of languages, creative use (web 2.0) and I academic use (utilization), A descriptive analysis was realized to attain this objective, An analysis of variances and logistic regressions was also conducted In order to reach the aim of this study. An empirical contrast of the proposed structural model was used to reach this goal. The results, on one hand, show that whereas the capacity of material and operative access to Internet, of the high school students, is high, the creative capacity and of academic utilization is falling. On the other hand, it is observed that demographic factors are more determinant and influential on the first level of access that in top levels (p.e., creative and academic use). Though, it is not necessary to have a high socio-economic status to have high capacity of access to Internet, it turns out to be necessary that the famiiy environment of the students they have a few minimal levels of income and studies. Finally, a sequence is corroborated between (among) the different levels of access to Internet, thus confirming the validity of the model of study proposed in this investigation (research),