How to combine criticality with reflection? Scaffolding children’s critical reflection in the case of anti-bullying interventions

Abstract

Abstract

Critical reflection has been recommended for children to approach technology and its role in society and in our everyday lives critically and to consider its ethical and societal implications. However, elaboration on what critical reflection means, entails, and generates with children is needed – Child Computer Interaction (CCI) research has not yet established what criticality means and neither has it an established way for scaffolding children's critical reflection or analyzing its outcomes. This study taps into these research gaps and examines the process and the outcomes of children's critical reflection, revealing richness and depth in children's critical reflection on their designs and on their consequences, but also several challenges. The impacts of critical reflection were sometimes emerging within longer timespan, indicating one should not expect immediate impacts. These findings generate interesting implications for CCI research and practice on critical reflection, anti-bullying interventions and computing education of children.