Dr Rebecca Eynon

Research Fellow

Dr Rebecca Eynon

Rebecca Eynon has interests in the Sociology of education, technology enhanced learning, everyday life and learning, digital and social exclusion.

Email: rebecca.eynon@oii.ox.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)1865 287206

Profile

Rebecca Eynon holds a joint academic post between the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) and the Department of Education at the University of Oxford. Since 2000 her research has focused on education, learning and inequalities, and she has carried out projects in a range of settings (higher education, schools and the home) and life stages (childhood, adolescence and late adulthood).

Rebecca is co-editor of Learning, Media and Technology and has published a number of academic articles, reports and conference papers. Her recent publications include Teenagers and Technology (Routledge, 2013). Her work has been supported by a range of funders including the EC, BECTA, the ESRC and the NominetTrust.

Rebecca graduated in Psychology with Statistics from Royal Holloway, University of London in 1995 and gained a distinction in her Masters in Mass Communications from the University of Leicester in 1997. She completed her PhD in 2003 at City University, London. Prior to joining Oxford in 2005 Rebecca held positions as an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Sociology, City University (2004-2005); as a Research Fellow, Department of Education, University of Birmingham (1999-2000) and as a Researcher and part-time Lecturer, Centre for Mass Communication Research, University of Leicester (1997-1999).

At the OII Rebecca teaches on the MSc Social Science of the Internet and at the Department of Education she is a lecturer for the MSc Education (Learning and Technology). At both departments, she supervises DPhil students interested in learning, education and / or digital exclusion.

Research interests

Sociology of education, technology enhanced learning, everyday life and learning, digital and social exclusion

Positions held at the OII

  • Research Fellow, January 2005 -

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Research

Current projects

Past projects

  • ULab: European Laboratory for Modelling the Technical Research University of Tomorrow

    January 2011 - January 2013

    ULab will work as a University Laboratory, systematically reviewing, evaluating and experimenting with current practice in research, valorization, entrepreneurship and outreach activities in each of the five partner universities.

  • The Learner in Their Context

    April 2008 - March 2011

    This project, initiated as part of Becta's major programme of research in support of the Government's Harnessing Technology strategy, looked at the learning opportunities afforded by young people's uses of new technologies in their everyday lives.

  • Breaking Barriers to e-Government

    December 2004 - December 2007

    Investigating the legal, organisational, technological and other barriers to expanding effective eGovernment services using the Internet and to define possible solutions at a European level to overcome such obstacles.

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Publications

Articles

Books

Chapters

Conference papers

  • Eynon, R., Davies, C. and Holmes, W. (2012) Supporting older adults in using technology for lifelong learning. 11th International Conference on Networked Learning, April 2012, Maastricht, Netherlands.
  • Eynon, R. (2011) On the periphery? The social and educational implications for those who are not savvy Internet users. New media, new literacies, and new forms of learning. December 2011, Institute of Education, London, UK.
  • Eynon, R. (2010) Supporting the Digital Natives: What is the role of schools? Paper presented at the 10th International Conference on Networked Learning, May 2010, Aalborg, Denmark.
  • Eynon, R. and Helsper, E. (2009) Digital natives: Who are they and what do they look like? CAL '09: Learning in Digital Worlds, Brighton, UK, 23-25 March 2009.
  • Eynon, R. (2008) Internet use in Britain: Adult Learning and the Digital Divide. Keynote address at NIACE Digital Inclusion Conference, Nottingham, UK, November 2008.
  • Eynon, R. (2006) Breaking Barriers to eGovernment: Identifying the Barriers. Knowledge Society Forum: TeleCities Autumn Event, Turin, Italy, October 2006.
  • Eynon, R. (2005) The use of ICTs for teaching and learning in Law Education: some innovators' perspectives. Society of Legal Scholars Conference (SLS), Glasgow, UK, 6-9 September 2005.
  • Eynon, R. (2005) Tales from the chalk face: how academics experiences of e-learning can inform regional e-learning strategies. e-Learning Regions and Cities Conference, Oxford, UK, June 2005.
  • Eynon, R. (2004) e-Learning and the undergraduate student experience. 3rd European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL), Paris, France, November 2004.
  • Eynon, R. (2004) Innovators and e-learning. Paper presented at the 5th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), September 2004, Sussex, UK.
  • Eynon, R (2004) The use of the world wide web in teaching and learning: a case study approach. Paper presented at the 4th International Conference of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), May 2004, London, UK.
  • Eynon, R. (2003) IT skills and the use of the web in teaching and learning: the student experience. Paper presented at the conference of the Centre for Learning and Teaching - Information and Computer Sciences, part of the LTSN, July 2003, Leeds, UK.
  • Eynon, R. (2002) The use of the world wide web in teaching and learning. Paper presented at the conference of the Centre for Learning and Teaching - Sociology, Anthropology and Politics, part of the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN) Birmingham, UK.
  • Eynon, R. and Thomas, H. (2000) Systematic reviews in medical education: an application. Paper presented at the Conference of the Association for Medical Education in Europe, August 2000, Beer Sheva, Israel.

Presentations

  • Eynon, R. and Geniets, A (2012) Hard to catch, or slipping through the net? Digital democratic inclusion efforts and suspended Internet use of 17-22 year olds in Britain. European Communication Research and Education Association Conference, October 2012, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • Eynon, R. and Geniets, A. (2012) On the periphery? Exploring the meaning of discontinued Internet use by young people in the UK. 13th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), October 2012, Manchester, UK.
  • Eynon, R. and Geniets, A. (2012) Watching from the sidelines. Suspended Internet Use of 17-22 year olds in Britain. European Conference on Educational Research, September 2012, Cadiz, Spain.
  • Eynon, R. and Geniets, A. (2012) Understanding discontinued Internet use amongst young people. Low and Discontinued Internet Use by Young People in Britain: Drivers, Impacts and Policies. March 2012, Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
  • Eynon, R. and Helsper, E. (2011) Understanding the relationship between family dynamics and Internet use. iCS-OII 2011 symposium, 'A Decade in Internet Time,' September 2011, Oxford, UK.
  • Eynon, R. and Malmberg, L. (2011) Understanding the online information seeking behaviours of young people. 14th Biennial EARLI Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction, August-September 2011, Exeter, UK.
  • Eynon, R. and Davies, C. (2011) Supporting Older Adults to Learn Using the Internet: The Role of a Digital Learning Companion. CAL, April 2011, Manchester, UK.
  • Eynon, R. and Helsper, E. (2010) Distinct Skill Pathways to Digital Engagement. Presented at the 10th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), October 2010, Gothenburg, Sweden.
  • Eynon, R. (2009) The Learning Companion: an Embodied Conversational Agent for Learning. Paper presented at the 10th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR), September 2009, Milwaukee, WI.
  • Eynon, R. (2009) Mapping young people's use of new technologies for learning. Implications for policy and practice, BERA, September 2009, Manchester, UK.
  • Davies, C. and Eynon, R. (2009) A Learning Companion for Adult Informal Learning. Presented at 'Learning Companions and Pedagogical Agents: Future Trends and Possibilities', Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, 28 May 2009.
  • Eynon, R. (2009) Digital natives: Who are they and what do they look like? The Net Generation: A critical and international perspective. Open University and Economic and Social Research Council Workshop, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK, May 2009.
  • Dutton, W. and Eynon, R. (2008) The tools of networked individuals: parallel patterns and strategies for governmental and research institutions. eResearch08 Conference, University of Oxford, 11-13 September 2008.
  • Eynon, R., Fry, J. and Schroeder, R. (2008) The Ethics of Internet Research. ESRC Methods Festival, St Catherine's College, University of Oxford, 30 June-3 July 2008.
  • Eynon, R. (2008) The Digital Divide in Britain: Implications for Education Policy and Practice. ALT-C, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK, September 2008.
  • Eynon, R. (2007) Breaking Barriers to eGovernment: Overcoming Obstacles to European Public Services. Presented at the workshop 'Solutions for eGovernment', Florence, 31 October 2007.
  • Eynon, R. (2007) Breaking a Barrier to eGovernment: Building an eCitizenscape in Britain. Expert Symposium: From Identity Management to Citizen-Centric Government: Contributions from Recent Social Science Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, June 2007.
  • Eynon, R., Fry, J. and Schroeder, R. (2007) The Ethics of Internet Research. Economic and Social Research Council e-Society Programme and SAGE Handbook of Online Research Methods Colloquium, London, UK, 28-29 March 2007.
  • Margetts, H. and Eynon, R. (2007) Online job search in the EU: The potential of web 2.0. Presented at the workshop 'Fostering Innovation in eGovernment', Barcelona, 9 March 2007.
  • Margetts, H. and Eynon, R. (2006) Oxford Internet Survey (OXIS) New directions, new questions. Presented at 'The Next Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS)', Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, 24 November 2006.
  • Margetts, H. and Eynon, R. (2006) Segmenting citizens: group based approaches to eGovernment. Presented at the workshop 'From Barriers to Benefits: Efficiency and Effectiveness of eGovernment', Helsinki, 22 November 2006.
  • Dutton, W.H., Margetts, H. and Eynon, R. (2006) Barriers to eGovernment. Presented at the workshop 'Learning from Experience in eGovernment: Why Projects Fail and Why They Succeed', University of Oxford, 26 June 2006.
  • Eynon, R. (2005) Breaking Barriers to e-Government: overcoming obstacles to improving European public services. Presented at the workshop 'Legal barriers to eGovernment', Brussels, 29 September 2005.
  • Dutton, W.H. and Eynon, R. (2005) Breaking Barriers to e-Government: overcoming obstacles to improving European public services. Presented at the 5th European Conference on eGovernment, Antwerp, 17 June 2005.
  • Margetts, H. and Eynon, R. (2005) Organisational Culture as a Barrier to e-Government. Presented at the 5th European Conference on eGovernment, Antwerp, 17 June 2005.

Reports

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Teaching

Courses taught at the OII

DPhil students supervised at the OII

Current students

Completed students

  • Bianca Reisdorf

    Internet Non-Use: A Comparative Study of Great Britain and Sweden

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News

  • Pupils are disadvantaged if they don't have internet access at home

    11 January 2013 The Guardian

    Chris Davies argues that computers and internet access are so integral to the way teenagers study at home that those without are at a distinct disadvantage and need extra support.  He is co-author with Rebecca Eynon of ‘Teenagers and Technology’.

  • The superfast lane to nowheresville

    7 January 2013 NewStatesman

    A blog post on a Policy Exchange report suggesting Government should focus policy on people who remain offline rather than on ‘superfast’ broadband mentions the Teenagers and Technology study showing disadvantage for those with no home internet access.

  • A third of poorest pupils ‘without internet at home’

    4 January 2013 BBC News, Education and Family

    Rebecca Eynon is quoted as saying that research carried out for recently published book ‘Teenagers and Technology’ which she co-authored confirms that disconnected young people are at a distinct disadvantage.

  • Study: Teenagers without web access are left 'educationally disadvantaged'

    2 January 2013 Wired.co.uk

    Teenagers with no access to the internet are disadvantaged educationally and socially according to OII Research Fellow Rebecca Eynon and education researcher Chris Davies. The benefits of technology outweigh the risks despite popular perceptions.

  • Teenagers who don't have internet access at home are 'missing out educationally and socially'

    31 December 2012 Daily Mail

    The Daily Mail features the work of Rebecca Eynon and Chris Davis which shows that young people without internet access are at significant disadvantage relative to their peers. The work is published in a new book 'Teenagers and Technology'.

  • Teens with no internet access educationally disadvantaged

    31 December 2012 Business Standard, India

    Teenagers with no access to the internet are disadvantaged educationally and socially according to OII Research Fellow Rebecca Eynon and education researcher Chris Davies.  The benefits of technology outweigh the risks despite popular perceptions.

  • Teens with no internet access educationally disadvantaged

    31 December 2012 The Hindu, India

    Teenagers with no access to the internet are disadvantaged educationally and socially according to OII Research Fellow Rebecca Eynon and education researcher Chris Davies.  The benefits of technology outweigh the risks despite popular perceptions.

  • UK teenagers without the internet are 'educationally disadvantaged'

    22 December 2012 University of Oxford

    A major in-depth study by Dr Chris Davies and Dr Rebecca Eynon, shows that teenagers with no access to the internet are disadvantaged both educationally and socially.

  • 'Teenagers and Technology': New Book by Chris Davies and Rebecca Eynon

    26 November 2012 Oxford Internet Institute

    Drawing on extensive interviews conducted over several years, this book offers a timely and non-sensational exploration of teenagers' experiences and opinions about the digital technologies they use, desire and dislike.

  • Civic by default - when opting in is not a choice

    13 April 2012 Oxford Internet Institute

    Rebecca Eynon and Anne Geniets discuss the topical issue of the UK's digital inclusion strategy, discussed at last week's OII workshop on low and discontinued Internet use by young people in Britain.

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Last updated on: 17 May 2013