The relationship between education and computer use: quantitative aspects of a case study with little schooling adults at Sao Paulo city

Abstract

This article is about the relation between education level and computer use. From an exploratory research, with quantitative and qualitative characteristics, with two groups of participants: G1, composed by students in adult education in São Paulo, and G2, formed by students with a lot of school years in Quebec region, we obtained some elements about the thematic in question. Questionnaires were applied to characterize these two groups and carried educative interventions, active observation and informal interviews were realized with G1. The analysis of quantitative data collected indicates that most adult education students in Sao Paulo don‟t feel comfortable talking about cyberculture. Although they are interested in the subject, they declared ashamed for not being included in this new scenario. It was found that participants from G2 are familiarized with computer use for various purposes, including learning. We concluded that the level of schooling interferes directly with computer use, its frequency and way, and have a lot of number study years gives a greater confidence in tools and applications computer use for students and still that this article‟s subject is at the heart of the adult‟s literacy and youths and adults‟ debate teacher training in this type of education.