What is the internet? Taiwanese high school students' perceptions

Abstract

This study gathered 588 Taiwan high school students' responses about their perceptions of the Internet. The high school students highlighted the views that the Internet was a technology and a tool. Further analyses revealed that the students in lower grades and female students tended to conceptualize that the Internet was mainly a technology. On the other hand, the students in higher grades or male students emphasized other pragmatic aspects of the Internet, such as using it for functional or pleasure purposes, for instance, using the Internet as a tool, a toy, or a method of guiding a tour.