The impact of integrating ICT with teaching: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in rural schools in China

Abstract

a b s t r a c tRecent attention has been placed on whether integrating Information Communication Technology (hereafter, ICT) into education can effectively improve learning outcomes. However, the empirical evidence of the impact of programmes that adopt ICT in schooling is mixed. Theory suggests it may be due to differences in whether or not the ICT programmes are integrated into a teaching programme of a class. Unfortunately, few empirical studies compare the relative effectiveness of programmes that integrate ICT into teaching with the ones that do not. In order to understand the most effective way to design new programmes that attempt to utilize ICT to improve English learning, we conducted a clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT) with some schools receiving ICT that was integrated into the teaching programme of the class; with some schools that received ICT without having it integrated into the teaching programme; and with other schools being used as controls. The RCT involved 6304 fifth grade students studying English in 127 rural schools in rural China. Our results indicate that when the programme is integrated into the teaching programme of a class it is effective in improving student test scores relative to the control schools. No programme impact, however, is found when the ICT programme is not integrated into the teaching program. We also find that when ICT programmes are integrated into teaching, the programmes work similarly for students that have either high or low initial (or baseline) levels of English competency. When ICT programmes are not integrated with teaching, they only raise the educational performance of English students who were performing better during the baseline.

Does blended instruction enhance English language learning in developing countries? Evidence from Mexico

“…The positive language learning outcomes from blended instruction are consistent with a number of other quantitative studies conducted in other settings, especially in developing countries where language learning resources are limited (eg, Bai, Mo, Zhang, Boswell, & Rozelle, 2016). These results, together with the findings from our study, therefore support using blended learning as a promising strategy to leapfrog resource constraints and disrupt the status quo in language learning.…”

Chinese Students’ ICT Readiness for a Blended Teaching and Learning Environment

“…A recent large-scale study (Lu et al, 2015) revealed that Chinese K-12 schools in rural areas had profound differences in the application of ICT in classrooms, including materials design, construction of digital resources, and ICT learning environment. This is supported by Yu et al (2016) who found that the effective use of ICT tools in Chinese K-12 education varied, as it was based on the teachers' work and subject load. The use of ICT tools supporting teacher effectiveness was more positive in English classes than in other subject area.…”

“…Of concern to the researchers was "the digital gap due to uneven opportunities for teenagers to access digital tools, and the emerging need to integrate the use of ICTs within the school system and into the curriculum (p. 1030). The lack of ICT education in daily coursework might also be due to the less funding on the infrastructure construction and teacher professional training in undeveloped areas (Yu et al, 2016).…”

Entrepreneurship Education: An Experimental Study with Information and Communication Technology

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