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You Are Here: Home > Studies Evaluating Technology and Student Achievement
Studies Evaluating Technology and Student Achievement
Educational technology is a relatively new field of study and yet there are increasing number of classroom studies on how technology impacts learning. There are some notable reports that demonstrate a positive link between technology use and student achievement:
National Center for Education Statistics: "The Nation's Report Card"
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), coordinates a Technology-Based Assessment project designed to explore the use of technology, especially the use of the computer as a tool to enhance the quality and efficiency of educational assessments.
Of special note are findings related to history and geography:
- United States History: correlation between use of computers and higher test scores.
* Eighth- and twelfth-graders who made more extensive use of computers for research projects by using CD-ROMs or the Internet scored higher, on average, than those who did so less frequently.
* Eighth- and twelfth-graders who made extensive use of computers to write reports scored higher, on average, than peers who did so less frequently.
- Geography: connection between use of computers and higher standardized test scores.
* Fourth-graders whose teachers had them use the Internet to a small or moderate extent to locate and retrieve social studies information had higher average scores than those who did not use the Internet at all.
* Eighth-graders whose teachers had them use the Internet to a large extent had higher average scores than those who used the Internet to a small extent or not at all.
* Twelfth-graders who reported using the Internet or CD-ROMs for research projects about topics in history or geography to a moderate or large extent had higher average scores than those who said they did so to a small extent or not at all.
Enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS): Final Report
A two-year evaluation of 85 eMINTs classrooms showed that the students who participated in the program scored consistently higher in every subject area on the state's standardized tests.
The Web Project: Assessing the Impact of Instructional Technology on Student Achievement
The WEB Project has infused standards-based instruction in multimedia, digital art, music composition, and online discourse into the general arts and humanities curricula of Vermont K-12 and reports a significant correlation between motivation and metacognition, indicating that students' enthusiasm for learning with technology may stimulate students' metacognitive (strategic) thinking processes.
Learning Points Associates: 21st Century Skills
21st Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness, which investigates the links between strong, viable economies and 21st century education systems. .
Milken Family Foundation: The Impact of Educational Technology on Student Achievement
This Milken Family Foundation briefing, released in June of 1999, outlines what research has discovered regarding the impact of educational technology on learning, and identifies resources for further study.
Rockman et al: Report of a Laptop Program Pilot
The ROCKMAN ET AL conducted three years of studies among hundreds of students and teachers who use laptops regularly in schools. Students with access to their own laptops at school and at home were compared with those who had access to computers at home and school, but did not use laptops regularly.
Cable in the Classroom: Learning With Technology: Evidence that technology can, and does, support learning
Cable in the Classroom has research on the use of technology in the classroom. Their focus is not specifically on computers but on technology with a wider definition, including cable programming and broadband resources.
WBEC: The Power of the Internet for Learning
The final report of the Web-Based Education Commission (WBEC) was published on 19 December 2000. Senator Bob Kerrey (D. Neb.), Chairman, and Representative Johnny Isakson (R. Ga.), Vice-Chairman of the Web-Based Education Commission urge the new Administration and 107th Congress to make E-learning a centerpiece of the nation's education policy.
Significant findings from the studies
These and other studies have made some significant findings:
- Students learn basic skills - reading, writing, and arithmetic - better and faster if they have a chance to practice those skills using technology.
- Students develop the technical skills required to use the Internet for communication and information gathering acquire geographic awareness based on understanding the global nature of Internet connections and communications
- Technology engages students, and as a result they spend more time on basic learning tasks than students who use a more traditional approach.
- Technology offers educators a way to individualize curriculum and customize it to the needs of individual students so all children can achieve their potential.
- Students who have the opportunity to use technology to acquire and organize information show a higher level of comprehension and a greater likelihood of using what they learn later in their lives.
- By giving students access to a broader range of resources and technologies, students can use a variety of communication media to express their ideas more clearly and powerfully.
- Technology can decrease absenteeism, lower dropout rates, and motivate more students to continue on to college.
- Students who regularly use technology take more pride in their work, have greater confidence in their abilities, and develop higher levels of self-esteem.
Source:
Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow Project (ACOT). 'The Impact of Technology on Student Achievement" from http://www.apple.com/education/research/
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