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Does technology drive social change?
Psychological, social and cultural effectsof olpc among Ethiopian children
Nina Hansen
Tom Postmes
Annemarie Bos
Annika Tovote

OLPC
5/20/09 | 2› Small sturdy laptop (XO) › OLPC Model:› Not for profit• Give XO to children indeveloping countries› Launched 2005
• Let things happen› Price $180
› OS sugar (linux-derived)› Software: educational› Biggest takers:(maths, reading, writing,programming, music, etc.),

communication, web,games, camera• Peru 100,000• Uruguay ±150,000• Rwanda 50,000

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OLPC‘s Stated Mission
To create educational opportunities for theworld's poorest children by providing each childwith a […] laptop with content and software
designed for collaborative, joyful, selfempowered learning.
When children have access to this type of tool
they get engaged in their own education. They
learn, share, create, and collaborate. They
become connected to each other, to the world
and to a brighter future.

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Primary effects› Technology is designed to achieve specific educational››objectives• Learning outcomes• Educational approach
It sometimes achieves these objectives (e.g., Kulik, 2003)
Need for evaluations!

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Technology adoption in developed countries› Some marked discrepancies between design intentions and uses
› Social factors more central than originally envisioned:• Users transform and adapt technology to meet current needs(e.g., Feenberg, 1992; Fulk, 1993)• Communication and social needs best predictors of usage(Kraut et al., 1999)• Among children & adolescents, technologies used to express
and develop social identities (Postmes & Baym, 2005).

› Thus, focus on unintended secondary effects of OLPC (socialdevelopment, cultural change etc.).

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Likely secondary effects› Personal, social and culturaltransformation• Psychological:
e.g., self-efficacy, future goals
and aspirations• Social:
e.g., social networks, capital• Cultural:e.g., beliefs and practices

5/20/09 | 7Expectations

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Studying effects of OLPC
› 5000 laptops donated to Ethiopia› Implemented by Engineering Capacity Building
Program (intergovernmental coop Ethiopian–German govts)› Initial introduction via 4 schools› Strong emphasis on teacher training› Research• systematically track child development for 2 years• grade 5 and 6

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Research Design
EventsIntroduction
LaptopSchoolserverBaseline test

Time 2 test

Time 3 test

Nov./Dec. ‘08

Jan./Feb. ‘09

May ‘09

OLPC change

Social changes?

Social &Edu. changes

Control group

Personal growth
only

Personal growth
onlyResearch5/20/09 | 10Study››Sample:662 children with, 582 without laptop;
1078 matched t1-t2• Gender: 41 % boys, 59 % girls• Age:M = 12,7 years• Grade: 5th and 6th• Schools: 3 schools equipped with laptops (2 in Addis, 1 countryside)
3 matched control schools (without laptops)
Variables:• Laptop usage• Psychological: self-efficacy, self-esteem, future goals and aspirations• Social: social networks, groups• Cultural: cultural beliefs and practices• Educational: performance, retention

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First Results:
Laptop Usage5/20/09 | 12

Where do they use their laptop?
at homeat school5/20/09 | 13

How do they use their laptop?

Favorite activity:5/20/09 | 14

What do they do with their laptop?
What do you like to play most with?

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With whom do they share their laptop?

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Cultural changes

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Cultural value: power

F (1, 788) = 4.11, p < .05, η² = .01

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Cultural value: tradition

F (1, 788) = 12.75, p < .001, η² = .02

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Cult.value: equal treatment of boys and girls

No laptop

LaptopF (2, 718) = 3.02,p < .05, η² = .01

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Attitudes towards education

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Does a laptop increase the motivation
to go to school?

F (2, 822) = 89,64, p < .001, η² = .18

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Summary of first changes
Laptop usage:› Children mainly use their laptop at home.
› A learning device! Favorite acticity is writing.
› They share it, often with parents
First social tranformation:› Some changes in cultural values› The laptop increases the motivation to go to school inthe countryside.

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Future research activities› Educational outcomes:• Cognitive skills• Educational approach (classroom interaction)› Social outcomes:• Social networks• Interaction with peers and parents (sharing)5/20/09 | 24

Thank you!

Thanks to:• Annemarie Bos, K. Annika
Tovote, Namkje Koudenburg,
Rena Hiersemann• Tom Snijders (University ofGroningen and Oxford)
Nina Hansen n.hansen@rug.nl• Márton Kocsev• Thomas Rolf
• Eskender Andualem• and the whole on.e team

Tom Postmes t.postmes@rug.nl

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Are they respected by their parents
that they have a laptop?

F (2, 588) = 3.47, p < .05, η² = .18