Student Laptop Use and Scores on Standardized Tests

Abstract

Objectives: The primary objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between ubiquitous laptop use and academic achievement. It was hypothesized that students with ubiquitous laptops would score on average higher on standardized tests than those without such computers. Methods: Data were obtained from two sources. First, demographic and computer usage information was obtained through face-to-face interviews of 4th and 5th grade students enrolled in an ethnically diverse elementary school in Southern California. Student achievement and related data were obtained from existing school records. An unmatched case-control group design was implemented. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate techniques were performed on the data. Results: Overall English/Language Arts and Mathematics scores for the entire sample were 359 and 396 respectively in 2008. Students who were given 24/7 laptop computers, however, had higher scores in English/Language Arts ( M = 392.7, SD = 34.98) than students without laptops ( M = 338.54, SD = 39.69). In Mathematics, students with laptops had a mean of 448.1 ( M = 448.1, SD = 56.83), whereas those without laptops had an average of 365.05 ( M = 365.05, SD = 52.64). Independent sample t-tests showed that these differences between cases and controls were statistically significant. Conclusions: Results showed that, in general, ubiquitous laptop computers improve student performance in English Language/Arts, Mathematics, and Science. These findings contradict other studies that have shown that 24/7 laptops have no effect on student achievement. It is suggested that policy makers continue judicious use of technology in the education curriculum.