Extensive analyses of the international PISA data by Ifo researchers show that the availability of computers at home and the intense use of computers in schools not only is not accompanied by better pupil performance in the basic competences tested by PISA but is more often linked with worse performance. This result of Ifo educational experts Ludger Wossmann and Thomas Fuchs questions the widespread opinion that a more intense use of computers automatically leads to better pupil performance.
“Many studies only look at the simple connection between two variables”, explained Ludger Wossmann. The OECD, for example, reported that pupils with stronger interest in computers fared better in the PISA test. “Other factors that greatly influence pupil performance are not con-sidered in these studies”. As reported in the latest issue of ifo Schnelldienst, the relationship between computers at home and PISA performance becomes very weak and statistically insignificant if the family background is taken into consideration. If research includes the influence of domestic and educational inputs (for example, educational costs per pupil), institutional factors (for example, external final examinations) and other country differences, the relationship shifts to a statistically significant negative effect: The performance of pupils with computers at home is worse than that of pupils without computers. The knowledge gap between these groups of pupils is up to half a school year.
“If the home computer is used for computer games, this comes at the expense of learning”, Wossmann stated. The Ifo researchers also showed that PISA performance is improved somewhat if computers are used for educational purposes.
A further surprising result: the degree of computerisation of schools has no influence on the PISA performance of the pupils. A moderate computer and Internet use for instruction purposes suffices for a positive influence. If this level is exceeded, however, the danger of the displacement of other instruction forms such as the classical, chalkboard based-instruction exists, and negative effects emerge.
“Our results do not say that the use of computers has no positive potential for pupil performance in principle”, Wossmann explained, but he warned against a widespread use of the technology. “The computer has presumably replaced other, more effective forms of instruction. We do not necessarily need more computers but their more effective use.”
