Title of Study: What Students Think About Technology and Academic Engagement in School: Implications for Middle Grades Teaching and Learning

Authors: John Lee and Hiller Spires

Summary:

This report of a study of 4,000 North Carolina students’ uses of, and attitudes about technology yields recommendations for strategic integration of technology with curricula to build 21st century appropriate teaching and learning to engage students and facilitate student creativity and achievement. The report features student preferences for technologies and digital applications they use outside of school.

Sponsoring entity(s): Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, College of Education at North Carolina State University. Sponsors include the NC Business Committee for Education and the Center for 21st Century Skills.

Date study was conducted: 2006-2007

Where to access the study: There are two versions of this study located at EditLib (Education & Information Technology Digital Library) or The Friday Institute for Educational Innovation

Setting(s) addressed:

• Classroom
• Rural
• Urban and/or suburban

Targeted population(s) addressed:

• Middle School
• Pre-Service educators
• In-service educators
• K-12 Teaches
• K-12 Administrators

Type of study or report: Descriptive and survey study usually to document technology access, utilization, and/or need

Primary sources of evidence used in the study or report:

• Validated or published surveys or research reports
• Interview protocols
• Review of existing data
• Focus group interviews

Primary Technology Application(s) Addressed: Multiple technologies

Major education topic(s) addressed:

• Student Learning
• Curriculum: English-Language Arts, Science, Math
• Administration and Leadership
• Professional Development
• Technology and careers

Major findings/conclusions related to the study topics, issues, and/or questions addressed?

1. The survey and findings focus on the implications of emerging technologies for teaching and learning of the current generation of K12 students for whom digital tools are ubiquitous.
   
   
2. The main distinctions that emerged between in and out of school technology use related to the intent of the technology use and the actual devices being used.
   
   
3. Outside of school students are using technology for communicative and entertainment purposes. They also are more likely to use smaller handheld and gaming devices outside of school.
   
   
4. Inside school students are using desktop computers for web-based research, wordprocessing, and other productivity purposes (spreadsheets, PowerPoint, etc.) as well as discipline-specific applications particularly in math and science.
   
   
5. Students expressed strong opinions in all the surveys about what technologies they thought should be in school and how they thought these technologies should be used, and they viewed technology skills and understandings in general as essential for their success in adult workplaces.
   
   
6. High frequency usage of video and online games, music services as well as email, instant messaging, and cell phone services used predominately out of school. This finding extenuated a distinct difference between what students said about their in-school and out of school technology uses.
   
   
7. Students expressed an interest in using in school were personal technology tools as well as a variety of applications including more advanced personal computing, more uses of ubiquitous technologies such as cell phones, and creativity-enabling technologies such as video editing software and devices.
   
   
8. Students also voiced concerns that they were being left behind in an age of technological innovation in which their schools seemed unable to keep pace.
   
   
9. When asked about activities they enjoyed in school, students listed working with computers above all of the following: doing research on the Internet, working on projects in a group, working on a project by myself, listening to the teacher explain things, and doing worksheets.
   
   
10. Females reported significantly higher computer usage at home than males, but there were no differences reported for school computer use. Analysis of survey data revealed no significant differences in computer usage in and out of school among ethnic groups as well as rural and non-rural students’ uses of computers.

The authors of the study conclude that ducators should keep up with students in terms of knowledge about technology and how it can be used by students.

Reviewer Comments:

The study and report model the inclusion of student perceptions and experiences the authors advocate that teachers incorporate with curricula, that they may facilitate middle grades student creativity and achievement with 21st century digital tools and inquiry.

Reliance on student self-reports is somewhat problematic, but this study’s findings are coupled with findings from numerous other surveys to strengthen the overall recommendations for understanding and shaping professional development for teachers and for reforming current school settings to adequately prepare students for living and working in the 21st century.