Unlike most previous research on the topic, this was
a randomized study. It included 1,123
students in grades 6-10 in 15 California schools. All students in the study had no computers at
home. Half the students were given a
computer to use at home, the other half were not given a computer to have at
home until after the study was completed.
All students were able to keep the computers permanently.
About 75% of students in California have access to
computers at home; the students in the study were from the 25% who do not. Access to computers in school is ubiquitous,
the authors report, with 15.5 million in US schools, about one computer for
every three students.
In their literature review, the authors identify a
few studies reporting large positive impact on grades, test scores and
cognitive skills. An equal number of
studiesreported no impact or negative impact of having a computer at home.
The researchers found "that even though the
experiment had a large effect on computer ownership and total hours of computer
use, there is no evidence of an effect on a host of educational outcomes,
including grades, standardized test scores, credits earned, attendance, and
disciplinary actions...Our estimates are precise enough to rule out even
moderately-sized positive or negative effects."As well, "the pattern of usage is also consistent with a negligible effect of the computers--while treatment students did report spending more time on computers for schoolwork, they also spent more time on games, social networking and other entertainment."
The context is an environment where computers are
widely available at school and in the great majority of homes so students may
find other ways of carrying out work that requires a computer even if they
don't have one at home.
Similar research on the impact of computers at home
in countries where they are not ubiquitous might produce different
results. Several Latin American
countries, including Peru, Argentina and Uruguay have undertaken large scale
provision of computers to students who can use them at home and at school.
The authors of this study, though, suggest that
those in the US proposing to give computers to students for their use at home
"need to be realistic about their potential to reduce the current
achievement gap."
Reference:
Fairlie, R. and Robinson, J.
(2013). "Experimental
evidence on the effects of home computers on academic achievement among
schoolchildren."
http://www.policypointers.org/Page/View/15174
The Forschungsinstitute zur Zunkunft der Arbeit-Institute for the Study of Labor that published the study is a German economics
research institute.