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"1999 Research Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools: Executive Summary 6th Edition," Software & Information Industry Association.

Dates of Study:

1999

Basis of Study:

• 264 research reviews and reports on original research projects
• 112 were published in professional journals and 44 were doctoral dissertations chosen from an original set of more than 2,000, for their quality of methodology.

Range of Study:

The report is divided into three sections:

• Effects of technology on student achievement,
• Effects of technology on student self-concept and attitudes about learning, and
• Effects of technology on interactions involving educators and students in the learning environment.

Conclusions:

• Technology is making a significant positive impact on education.
• Educational technology has been found to have positive effects on student attitudes toward learning and on student self-concept.
• Students felt more successful in school, were more motivated to learn and had increased self-confidence and self-esteem when using computer-based instruction.
• The evidence for these effects is the strongest in the curriculum areas of language arts, mathematics and science and for telecommunication and video technologies.
• Teacher professional development and decisions about how computers are to be used in instruction may matter more than how often technology in used.
• Students trained in collaborative learning in small groups had higher self-esteem and student achievement.
• Expanding student responsibilities through a learner-as-multimedia-designer environment can positively impact student attitudes.