Examining the Internet Use Aim and Internet Parental Style of Primary School Students in Terms of Various Variables

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to determine the Internet parenting styles within the families of primary school students and to find out whether their Internet use aims differed or not according to these styles. In addition, it was to determine whether the students' Internet use aims and their parents' Internet styles differed or not according to gender, grade, educational background of parents, Internet connection at home, person from whom the students got help in case of a problem and person who warned the students in case of the Internet overuse. Cross-sectional survey model was used in the study, conducted with 498 students in the second term of 2011-2012 school year, in a school in the centre of Sakarya. At the end of the study, 65 families were found as laissez-faire, 144 families were considered as permissive, 255 families were recognised as authoritative, and 25 families revealed their authoritarian parenting style. Results also indicated that the authoritative Internet parenting style had an important role in different aims of the Internet use. A significant relationship between the Internet parenting style, gender and grade was also discovered.