Computers and literacy in Senegal

Abstract

This thesis reports two exploratory studies on the use of compute:-s in education in a third world context. One study looks at elementary school children in Dakar in order to elucidate a set of research questions such as whether there are gender differences and whether these are the same as what has been observed In the United States, whether there are differences related to social status or to degree of assimilation of French education and, more generally, whether it is possible to identify influences of Senegalese culture on the way children learn to use computers. The second study looks at two groups of illiterate adult women: one In Dakar and the other made up of immigrants from Latin America living in Boston. I believe that my results cast some light on scientific questions about how cultures affect learning. But my own interest goes beyond simply understanding. I want to develop educational methods that will use our diverse cultures as sources of strength for new educational methods rather than seeing them as "obstacles" to the exportation of ready made educational methods from "developed" to "developing" countries. My explorations are chosen with this intent and my thesis is colored with preliminary speculations about how to realize it.