Meaning Making with an iPad: A Case Study of One Child's Engagement with iPad Applications within Her Family Activity System

As children increasingly use digital technologies in interactions with their parents (Marsh, 2003, 2004, 2011; Robinson & Turnbull, 2005), such possibilities create new ways in which literacy is practiced (Barton, Hamilton, & Ivanic, 2000; Jewitt, 2008; Street, 1998). Yet, what the literacy field knows about interactions between children and parents comes mostly from studies on traditional print (Caspe, 2009; Halliday, 1975; Heath, 1983). The research attending to children's interactions with technologies suggests that while young children are immersed in a culture of digital media, research on young children's home literacy practices involving technologies is far from comprehensive. This single-case study sought to understand the nature of interactions between a five year old child and her parents as they engage with an iPad and its applications. It employed activity theory (Engestrom, 1987, 1993; Roth & Lee, 2007) and an innovative approach to grounded theory (Strauss, 1987; Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The purpose was to account for sociocultural conditions that shape such interactions and meaning making in order to theorize the development of meaning making. The guiding question was: What is the nature of meaning making in the iPad practices of our family during the first six months of my daughter Kalina's iPad use? As a result of my theoretical framework and data analysis, I found that meaning making on the iPad differed significantly from meaning making in apprenticeships involving traditional literacy texts. Findings from this study highlight the prominent role of tensions around objects of activity, division of labor, tool limitations, tool control, rules, and consumerism and problematize the role of parents as experts and guides. The findings thus illuminate the strikingly different nature of these interactions in comparison to interactions with print media. When the tool is new, participants bring different perspectives especially on objects. In this process, the child interacts mostly with the tool, and thus dialogic interactions that parents strive to achieve are difficult to realize. Findings also point to implications for further research, for using activity theory for investigating interactions, and for literacy practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]