The Impact of Computer Use on Reading Achievement of 15-year-olds

Abstract:

Good reading skills are required for smooth skill acquisition and future labour market success. Highly skilled workers are essential to ensure future economic growth and high quality of life. Increasing reading skills among Canadians is a key to future prosperity. Can the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) help with increasing these skills? The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), due to its unique design provided necessary data to investigate the reading skill levels of 15 year-old youth. PISA also collected information on key ICT issues, which allowed for an investigation into the effects of ICT on students' reading skills.

The following research questions were explored.

• Does access to ICT influence student's reading scores?
• Is the frequency of ICT usage associated with student's reading scores?
• Is certain quality of ICT usage associated with student's reading scores?
• Does ICT influence certain aspects of the reading skills as measured by PISA (i.e. retrieving, interpreting and reflecting)?

In the course of the study, it was found that a vast majority of 15-year-old Canadians had access to computers from a number of different locations that included their homes, schools and libraries. Given the availability of access, students were taking an advantage and used computers on daily basis. Access to the Internet was also reported by a majority of respondents and the frequency of its usage was also very high. Some significant gender gaps as well as provincial differences were discovered in terms of access to and usage of both computers and the Internet.

Using a multivariate analysis, it was found that there is a significant association between the reading scores and some aspects of ICT usage. However, certain individual variables had much higher levels of correlation than the ICT. Simple access was not as important as the quality of ICT usage. Over and above individual and family variables, it was the frequency of home computer usage and the perceived ability of computer use that were positively correlated with reading scores. Computer use for learning purposes was found to have a negative correlation, however. These findings led to a conclusion that since access to ICT is not a problem, more emphasis should be put at encouraging the quality of its use.

Presenters:

Tomasz Gluszynski
Patrick Bussière

Tomasz Gluszynski is a research analyst for the Child, Youth and Social Development studies group in the Applied Research Branch of Human Resources Development Canada. His current responsibilities include content development and management of the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS). He is also engaged in the analysis of data from the YITS and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

Patrick Bussière est agent de recherche principal dans le groupe des Études sur le développement social, les enfants et les jeunes à la Direction générale de la recherche appliquée de Développement des ressources humaines Canada (DRHC). Ses responsabilités actuelles comprennent le Programme international pour le suivi des acquis des élèves (PISA), la supervision du protocole d'entente entre DRHC et le Conseil des ministres de l'Éducation (Canada) concernant le Programme d'indicateurs du rendement scolaire ainsi que plusieurs autres dossiers reliés aux jeunes. Depuis son arrivée à Développement des ressources humaines Canada, il a également travaillé à la planification et à la réalisation de plusieurs autres enquêtes dont l'Enquête auprès des jeunes en transition.

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