From Limited to Limitless Access: An Exploration of Indonesian Students’ Internet Use

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Previous studies suggest that university students are majority of early adopters and heavy users of the internet. Young generation tend to use the internet for entertainment and communication purposes. Therefore, this paper discusses how Indonesian students have new media and use the internet in relation to their learning activities. My research is particularly focused on Indonesian students who currently study in Australian universities. It investigates the students’ new media ownership and the internet usage once they have made the transition into a new educational context in Australia which is very different from their country. For instance, 71.9% of the population in Australia are internet users while that figure for Indonesia is just 8.9%. Using a mixed method approach, data were collected through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The findings describe the students’ internet access and usage in terms of place of access, online activities, various websites visited and other learning activities. It also explains to what extent the internet contributes to their learning process. This paper provides a better understanding of Indonesian students’ academic lives in Australia.

Stream: Curriculum and Pedagogy; Student Learning, Learner Experiences, Learner Diversity

Paper: , From Limited to Limitless Access

Anne Suryani is a lecturer at Department of Communication, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia. She has a Bachelor and a Master degree in Communication Studies. She is currently doing her research for a Master of Education at Monash University, Australia. Her research interests focus on interpersonal communication, cross cultural communication and new media.