Increasing Educational Opportunities Through Digital Participation

The article introduces and discusses the background, concept, evaluation results as well as educational sociological perspectives of an interview-based research project on the digital participation of socially disadvantaged children and adolescents. The main thesis is that adolescents can be supported in their participation in society through access to computers and the acquisition of comprehensive media competencies in the form of pedagogical media training. The evaluative results of the project indicate that these flanking measures are especially helpful for primary education families looking to improve their social standing. A milieu of little cognitive stimulation and limited cultural capital within the family lead to a rash dissipation of the effects achieved through media training therefore making it clear that further support is necessary.