Perceived Quality of Educational Technology Matters

Abstract

In large-scale international assessments such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), or the Progress in International Reading Study (PISA), research has struggled to find positive associations between the frequency of educational technology use in schools and student achievement. While computer use at home showed a tendency for positive correlations with test scores, computer use in schools did not. Following a different approach, the study reanalyzes PISA 2012 data by combining frequency of use and positive perceptions with regard to educational technology as predictors for student test scores. When controlling for influential sociodemographic factors, results indicate that positive attitudes toward educational technology are associated with higher test scores in the large majority of countries. As positive attitudes are likely to be a result of positive experiences, it seems reasonable to conclude that it might be quality instead of quantity of educational technology use that matters.

Everything in moderation: ICT and reading performance of Dutch 15-year-olds

“…These results indicate that students who use ICT resources more often for academically related work, tend to have lower reading scores. These results are in line with the associations found between ICT use at school and reading performance in PISA 2012 (Petko et al 2017). As in 2015, the 2012 data shows that ICT use at school is negatively related to reading achievement.…”

“…A positive relationship with academic achievement was also found when the computer at home was used for education and communication (Fuchs and Wöβmann 2005). Whereas Petko et al (2017) also found that ICT use at home for schoolwork (browsing the internet for schoolwork, using email for communication with other students about schoolwork, and doing homework on a computer) was positively associated with reading achievement, Hu et al (2018) showed a negative association between ICT use at home for schoolwork and reading performance. One reason for the mixed results might be found in the way ICT use at home for schoolwork was measured in both studies.…”

“…One reason for the mixed results might be found in the way ICT use at home for schoolwork was measured in both studies. In the study based on PISA 2012 (Petko et al 2017) only seven items were used to measure this construct; in the study based on PISA 2015 (Hu et al 2018) this increased to 12 items. As also pointed out by Hu et al (2018) "the effect of ICT academic use outside school becomes inconclusive when different studies employ different ICT activities to produce the overall indicator of ICT use activities at school" (p. 9).…”

School-level predictors for the use of ICT in schools and students’ CIL in international comparison

“…In this regard, the school itself is particularly relevant (e.g. Davis et al 2013;Eickelmann et al 2016;Hatlevik et al 2014;Petko et al 2015Petko et al , 2016Tondeur et al 2008).…”

A case study of teachers transforming pedagogical practices through collaborative inquiry-based professional learning in a ubiquitous technologies environment

“…note that student-centred pedagogies specifically designed to use tablet technologies led to a 0.68 effect size. D. Petko, Cantieni, and Prasse (2017) note that many of the variables that influence student performance in Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) testing are not evident to researchers when using effect size. Hence, the ways digital technologies influence student learning may not be adequately elucidated by effect size analysis nor by quantitative measures.…”