What Do We Know About The Effectiveness of ICT in Education? And What We Don’t Francesc Pedró INDIRE, February 2006.

What Do We Know About The What Do We Know About The Effectiveness of ICT in Education?Effectiveness of ICT in Education?

And What We Don’tAnd What We Don’t

Francesc PedróFrancesc Pedró

INDIRE, February 2006INDIRE, February 2006

Contents

• What the evidence is telling us:– PISA (2006) insights

• What we don’t know yet:– The technology effect

What the evidence is telling us

• Two ways of addressing ICT effectiveness:– Empirical experiments– Correlational studies

Empirical experiments

• Two strands:– E-learning vs. traditional education:

• The “no significant difference” phenomenon– School education (school subjects):

• Inconclusive evidence in general, but…• Effectiveness depends on the role assigned to ICT:

– Practice improves performance– But what about the pedagogy?

• Pasta or fish?

Correlational studies

• Again, inconsistency…… which reflects complexity!

• Not pasta or fish, but wine• With some useful insights (PISA, 2006):

– School and home access to ICT

– Frequency of use

– Past experienceAccess at schools counts

Correlational studies

• Again, inconsistency…• … which reflects complexity!• With positive indications

(PISA, 2006)

Frequency of school use also counts, although

more is not better

Correlational studies

• Again, inconsistency…• … which reflects complexity!• With positive indications

(PISA, 2006) Experience counts even more

Correlational studies

• Again, inconsistency…• … which reflects complexity!• With positive indications

(PISA, 2006)

But home access and frequency of home use are critical

What’s more important?

In studying foreign systems of Education we should not forget that the things outside the schools matter even more than the

things inside the schools, and govern and interpret the things inside.

Sir Michael Sadler, 1900

350

400

450

500

550

600

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

frequency school use

maths mean

350

400

450

500

550

600

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

frequency home use

maths mean

What’s more important?

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

AU A B CAN CZ DK FIN G HE HU IC IRL IT JAP KOR MEX NZ POL P SLK S CH T US

having a computer at home having a computer at school

-30-20

-100

1020

30405060

7080

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

home

school

Emergence of

NML

Possibilities offered by

technologies

Availability of devices and

services (national market)

Infrastructural requirement

Attitudinal strand

Societal attitudes towards

technologies

Generational attitudes

The emergence of NML

So, what’s happening with the things outside?

The New Millennium LearnersThe New Millennium LearnersNet GenerationIM GenerationGamer GenerationHomo zappiens

Emergence of

NML

Possibilities offered by

technologies

Availability of devices and

services (national market)

Infrastructural requirement

Attitudinal strand

Societal attitudes towards

technologies

Generational attitudes

The emergence of NML

SES

Range of

devices/services

gender

age

OECD country disparities in home access and use

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Having used computers 5 past years

Internet connection at home

Source: PISA database (2003)Source: PISA database (2003)

Intensity of use

0

20

40

0 20 40 60 80 100

Nearly daily home use

Nearly daily school use

Source: PISA database (2003)Source: PISA database (2003)

Time and main uses

0

20

40

60

80time using

daily use

gamessearch

communication

girls boys

Source: PISA database (2003)Source: PISA database (2003)

SMSSMS Total Higher SES Medium SES Lower SES

Never 41 51 39 30

Sometimes 29,5 31 27 31

Frequently 18 8 22 27

Are they really challenging education?

Millennial profiles

Cognitive skills

School practices

Cultural patterns,

lifestyles, values

Educational

expectations

Short term effects:

academic, social

Long term effects

ICT gourmets

My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 : 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 : kids FTF. ILNY, it’s a gr8 plc.kids FTF. ILNY, it’s a gr8 plc.

My summer holidays were a complete waste My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend and their to see my brother, his girlfriend and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New three screaming kids face to face. I love New York. It’s a great place.York. It’s a great place.

Taken from: Daily Telegraph, Sun Mar 2, 2003, British Taken from: Daily Telegraph, Sun Mar 2, 2003, British Girl Baffles Teacher with SMS Essay.Girl Baffles Teacher with SMS Essay.

Final remarksFinal remarks

• The technology effectThe technology effect• Shift to the learnerShift to the learner• Importance for:Importance for:

– futures thinking in educationfutures thinking in education

– ICT and education: need for new pedagogic arrangementsICT and education: need for new pedagogic arrangements

• Methodological challenges:Methodological challenges:– Lack of empirical and comparative dataLack of empirical and comparative data

– Need for designing Need for designing new new research methodologiesresearch methodologies

– Data contradict our expectationsData contradict our expectations

Comments welcome

… even by SMS

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