Home Information and Communication Technology Use and Student Academic Performance: Encouraging Results for Uncertain Times

Abstract

This study set out to examine the associations of certain information communication technology (ICT) factors in the home environment with academic performance. We employed existing data sets collated by Pearson Clinical Assessment in 2016 which included the WIAT-III A&NZ (Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Australian and New Zealand Standardised, Third Edition) completed by 714 students aged between 4 and 18 years old, and the home environment questionnaire (HEQ) completed by the parents of those children. Sequential multiple regression models were used to analyze the complex interactions between home ICT factors and measures of student reading, writing, mathematical, and oral ability. The findings of this study indicate that after accounting for the known powerful predictors of household income and parental education: (a) a student’s access to an ICT rich home environment, (b) their aptitude in using home ICT, and (c) their recreational use of home ICT, are largely unrelated to academic performance. We observed some small positive correlations between academic performance and child ICT affinity, but also comparably sized negative associations with use of social media and educational TV viewing. Encouragingly, we propose that these findings suggest that increasing levels of ICT use and access in the home are unlikely to be detrimental to academic progress. These results provide important information for parents and educators given the impact of the Coronavirus global pandemic and the near world-wide adoption of ICT for home-schooling.

ICT Motivation in Sixth-Grade Students in Pandemic Times—The Influence of Gender and Age

“…COVID-19 has markedly changed the use of ICTs in homes and in the educational field [6][7][8]43]. Here, we studied the concerns and motivations of students in the sixth year of primary education in relation to access, use, and commitment to ICTs, which go beyond the barriers of schools [13].…”

“…Here, we studied the concerns and motivations of students in the sixth year of primary education in relation to access, use, and commitment to ICTs, which go beyond the barriers of schools [13]. The results provide important information for families and teachers, in line with what was established by Skvarc et al (2021). Those students who have had technological resources at their disposal have improved their digital competence [16].…”

“…There are multiple factors that intervene in the use of ICTs among adolescents, and these depend on the level of schooling, their economic situation, their digital skills, and their place of residence, as well as the presence of electronic devices in the home [41]. Adolescents with a greater use of electronic devices are more likely to use social networks, although for recreational, in addition to educational, purposes [42,43]. In this sense, online collaboration has the potential to develop digital literacy skills, but it may affect children's and adolescents' academic performance [4,43], psychological and social well-being [38], as well as their cognitive-motivational aspect [44].…”

“…Adolescents with a greater use of electronic devices are more likely to use social networks, although for recreational, in addition to educational, purposes [42,43]. In this sense, online collaboration has the potential to develop digital literacy skills, but it may affect children's and adolescents' academic performance [4,43], psychological and social well-being [38], as well as their cognitive-motivational aspect [44].…”

“…In this regard, there are studies linking the easy availability and autonomy of ICT with negative reading achievement, especially at home [5,45]. However, their appropriate use in schools has highly positive effects [40,43]. Thus, school autonomy over ICT in countries such as Singapore and Turkey before the pandemic had a positive relationship with achievements in science and mathematics [47,50].…”