NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, South Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, education, technology, youth, literacy, internet

Objective(s): To determine how well youth in Canada are maximizing the potential of digital technology for participation in our digital society and for protecting and advancing their interests as digital citizens and consumers of technology and online content.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No.4849. The information MediaSmarts will gather through this new Young Canadians in a Wireless World (YCWW) research will help the research team better determine how well youth in Canada are maximizing the potential of digital technology for participation in our digital society and for protecting and advancing their interests as digital citizens and consumers of technology and online content. Findings from YCWW have been used to set benchmarks for (national and international) research on children’s use of digital media and have informed policy setting on the digital economy, privacy, online safety, cyberbullying, ethical online behaviour, and digital literacy and well-being among other topics. The data collected from the YCWW Phase IV survey will be used for non-profit, educational purposes: to create relevant internet policies in Canadian schools and public libraries, track changes in young Canadians’ use of the internet and digital technology over time, and create digital literacy resources and programs which help children and youth across Canada get the most out of new media while making safe and responsible decisions in the online world. YCWW Phase IV is a nation-wide investigation of a representative sample of children and youth across Canada, ages 9 to 17. The study will be conducted in February 2021 in every province and territory and will include Public and Roman Catholic and English, French, and Inuktut schools in both urban and rural school districts. The sample will include approximately 8,000 students and will be proportionate in terms of demographics such as age sub-group, gender, first spoken language, race and ethnicity and stratified by province/territory and community size. The surveys and consent documents will be translated in Inuktitut (South Baffin dialect) by a professional Inuit translator with a strong sense of Inuit culture and language. MediaSmarts has contracted wintranslation in Ottawa to complete the Inuktitut translation and review the Inuktitut version of the research portal for accuracy, clarity, cultural relevance, and cultural sensitivity. MediaSmarts is also liaising with the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) regarding expertise on research with Indigenous communities. Two versions of the survey will be produced, one for students in grades 7 to 11, and a shorter version for students in grades 4 to 6. The There will be approximately 80 - 100 questions, which will be developed based on the findings from the YCWW Phase IV focus groups and conversations with researchers and community partners on our advisory committee: Associate Vice-President, Research, University of Western Ontario; Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology, Queen's University; Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto; Associate Professor, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto; Full Professor, Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa; and, Associate Professor, Law and Legal Studies, Carleton University. The Canadian research firm Environics Research has been contracted to assist with the logistics, analysis and report preparation. The contracted research firm adheres to Professional Marketing Research Society and Canadian Association of Marketing Research Organizations standards. The Phase IV survey is attached for your review. Both versions of the survey have been approved by the Carleton University Research Ethics Board (Project #112713). The final research reports on Young Canadians in a Wireless World, Phase IV will be published on MediaSmarts’ website in 2021. A copy of the final research report will be sent to each participating district office and school. These timelines might change as a result of COVID-19. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from February 9, 2021 to February 28, 2021.