Computer Use in Math Lessons: Evidence from a Global Survey
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.6736Keywords:
ICT, computer use, mathematics, cross-country comparison, OECDAbstract
Prior research has suggested an increasing use of information and communication technology in education during the last two decades with mixed support for the positive effect of such use on student literacy. This study examined the use of computers in math lessons for tasks such as drawing graphs, performing calculations, and data entry using a large scale sample of high school old students from 43 countries. Empirical results indicate that despite significant differences in economic, social, and cultural dimensions among surveyed countries, there is little difference in computer use in math lessons between students in OECD and non-OECD countries. Implications are discussed. For future research in this area we suggest two courses of action. First, our study can be replicated with a different sample of countries, subject areas, and students, in order to expand the evidence base for computer use in formal education. Second, our method can be replicated at country level in order to identify country-specific factors of ICT use in the classroom. Given the usually significant differences in economic, social, and cultural atmosphere across countries, this set of factors is likely to differ across countries.
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