Rich pictures: Researching the role of peer interaction for pupils using the internet

Abstract

Electronic information resources, including the Internet, provide young people with opportunities to interact with each other and with vast quantities of information. Research has indicated that learning and cognitive development are intricately linked to opportunities to process and interact with relevant information and the medium used to deliver this information may well have an impact on these opportunities. This research aimed to inform policymaking and contribute to locally situated, and global, knowledge. In order to achieve these aims a constructivist approach, focusing on sixteen, in-depth, holistic case studies was used to produce ‘rich pictures’. These rich pictures revealed a variety of ways in which access to the Internet can provide valuable learning opportunities in relation to cognitive, affective and social variables. Peer interaction in the electronic environment plays a significant part in contributing to cognitive development, this paper concentrates on that interaction and discusses ways in which it can impact positively on learning opportunities for young people.