Is there a gender gap? A meta-analysis of the gender differences in students' ICT literacy

The study of gender differences in academic achievement has been one of the core topics in education, especially because it may uncover possible gaps and inequalities in certain domains. Whereas these differences have largely been examined in traditional domains, such as mathematics, reading, and science, the existing body of empirical studies in the domain of ICT literacy is considerably smaller, yet abounds in diverse findings. One of the persistent findings however is that boys consider their ICT literacy to be higher than that of girls. This meta-analysis tests whether the same pattern holds for students’ actual performance on ICT literacy tasks, as measured by performance-based assessments. In total, 46 effect sizes were extracted from 23 empirical studies using a random-effects model. Overall, the gender differences in ICT literacy were significant, positive, and favored girls (g = + 0.12, 95 % CI = [0.08, 0.16]). This effect varied between studies, and moderation analyses indicated that the grade level students were taught at moderated its magnitude—effect sizes were larger in primary school as compared to secondary school. In conclusion, our findings contrast those obtained from previous meta-analyses that were based on self-reported ICT literacy and suggest that the ICT gender gap may not be as severe as it had been claimed to be.     

Digital equity in cultural context: exploring the influence of Confucian heritage culture on Hong Kong families

Our study examines digital equity in a cultural context. Many studies have used classic analytical variables such as socioeconomic status and gender to investigate the problem of unequal access to, and more recently differences in the use of, information and communication technology (ICT). The few studies that have explored cultural variables have usually focused on theory or considered culture as a background dimension. Our study’s central thesis is that cultural context plays a crucial role in shaping parents’ ICT-related child-rearing practices. In a case study of 22 Chinese students who share the Confucian heritage of Hong Kong, we demonstrate the importance of cultural dimensions of students’ ICT use, and examine how cultural values are associated with digital equity. Our findings reveal that Confucian values influence aspects of family/social relationships, in particular whether students receive adequate and appropriate ICT resources and use ICT effectively, which are essential aspects of digital equity.     

Dividing at an early age: the hidden digital divide in Ohio elementary schools

Computers are now a ubiquitous part of US elementary school education. With policy reports suggesting that inequities in information and communication technology (ICT) access across US schools are a thing of the past, investigating how such resources and their use may nonetheless continue to vary becomes all that much more important. Through a survey of a statistically representative sample of teachers in Ohio, this research examined computer use among third grade students, including in relation to an array of ICT resources and other key factors. The results indicated that such use was more sophisticated among students in affluent suburban schools when compared to students in all other locations, including various rural and urban locations. These differences were correlated with numerous ICT resource discrepancies. Overall, the discrepancies in ICT use and resources can be understood as not only symptomatic of persistent, broader social inequalities, but also factors that reinforce such inequalities as well.     

Information and Communication Technologies Usage by Students in an Israeli High School: Equity, Gender, and Inside/Outside School Learning Issues

This study describes and analyses a survey that was conducted with 384 students from grades 7–12 in a typical urban High School in Israel. The students reported on the extent and characteristics of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage within and beyond school time and location. Its focus is on (a) equity issues regarding the extent, purposes and scope of ICT usage and students self perception in ICT proficiency; (b) gender and age differences in ICT use; and (c) relationship between inside/outside school learning processes. The findings show that 10% of the students are non-users of ICT, two thirds are common-users and only 25% are skilled users. About half of the students use the Internet to some extent. Major Gender differences were found: in general, more boys used ICT more extensively than girls did. Differences among age groups were found mainly with respect to the use of complex applications, but not regarding Internet usage. These results are discussed in the light of the three focal issues: equity, gender, and integration of learning processes taking place within and outside school.     

First year university students’ self-perception of ICT skills: Do learning styles matter?

Do ICT skills of freshmen change in 6 months at the university? What is the contribution of learning styles (or patterns) to the explanation of the variance in self-perceived ICT skills and the possible change in these skills? And what is the contribution of learning styles and of gender, social class, and ICT course attendance to the explanation of the variance in these skills? To answer these questions, data were collected in a panel research project that recruited 714 freshmen at a large Belgian university. The data show that the ability of the students to maintain a computer and to develop a website improves at the university but not the ability to use the Internet or to apply basic ICT skills. The analyses show that there is a link, albeit weak, between learning styles and self-perceived ICT skills. Learning styles can partially explain differences between groups of students with different characteristics. The data show that having a certain learning style might influence the perception of students of their ICT skill, but learning styles do not allow one to predict the change in the self-perceived ICT skills of the students.     

Changes in the basic ICT skills of freshmen between 2005 and 2009: Who’s catching up and who’s still behind?

In the last decade, ICT use has expanded enormously in most Western countries. In line with this development, we hypothesised that freshmen at university would not only have mastered more ICT skills, but would also use computers more often than their counterparts of 5 years previously. To compare students’ opinions and behaviour between 2005 and 2009, responses to two online questionnaires (N = 714 in 2005 and N = 1529 in 2009) offered at a large university were compared. The main variables of the Technology Acceptance Model (as well as facilitating factors, study motivation and some contextual variables) were used as predictors to explore the possible changes between 2005 and 2009 in the mastering of 19 ICT skills, and the frequency of the use of computers for six different tasks. The results of the study show that freshmen became more proficient in some ICT skills, while proficiency in other skills did not change or even dropped. Gender is still an important factor to predict ICT skills and the frequency of using computers, but it is shown that for some skills female students have caught up with their male counterparts.     

Achievement Emotions and Academic Performance: Longitudinal Models of Reciprocal Effects

A reciprocal effects model linking emotion and achievement over time is proposed. The model was tested using five annual waves of the Project for the Analysis of Learning and Achievement in Mathematics (PALMA) longitudinal study, which investigated adolescents’ development in mathematics (Grades 5–9; N = 3,425 German students; mean starting age = 11.7 years; representative sample). Structural equation modeling showed that positive emotions (enjoyment, pride) positively predicted subsequent achievement (math end‐of‐the‐year grades and test scores), and that achievement positively predicted these emotions, controlling for students’ gender, intelligence, and family socioeconomic status. Negative emotions (anger, anxiety, shame, boredom, hopelessness) negatively predicted achievement, and achievement negatively predicted these emotions. The findings were robust across waves, achievement indicators, and school tracks, highlighting the importance of emotions for students’ achievement and of achievement for the development of emotions.     

Access and perceived ICT usability among students with disabilities attending higher education institutions

An increasing number of students with disabilities are attending higher education. These students might face various difficulties coping with academic skills and with learning methods compared to students without disabilities. Integrating information and communication technologies (ICTs) in academic studies may be effective and constructive for students with and without various disabilities, as ICTs can provide students with adaptive ways to compensate for disabilities and enable them to improve learning. The present study examined students’ knowledge of and accessibility to ICTs and it examined students’ perceptions of the ICTs used by professors teaching in a face-to-face traditional postsecondary educational institute (in Canada) and a distance/blended learning higher education institute (in Israel). The sample included 309 Canadian students and 963 Israeli students who completed questionnaires regarding ICT usage, accessibility, and perceived use by professors. Findings reveal that Israeli students reported higher use and greater accessibility of ICTs and they also reported higher use of ICTs by professors. For both groups of students – those with and without LD/ADHD - accessibility to ICTs was predicted by self-reported knowledge and use of ICTs, professors’ ICT use, gender and nationality. The study’s findings and its implications are likely to be important for promoting access to ICTs for students with and without disabilities in both the traditional higher education modality and in distance/ blended learning contexts.     

Subgrouping of readers based on performance measures: a latent profile analysis

By using latent profile analysis eight stable and interpretable subgroups of readers were identified. The basis for subgrouping was different performance measures with four aspects of reading in focus: reading of continuous texts, reading of document texts, word reading and reading speed. Participants were 9-year-old Swedish students included in the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Reading Literacy Study in 1991 (n = 4,184) and in 2001 (n = 5,099). The eight subgroups were compared on different background variables, such as gender, language at home, and cultural and socioeconomic factors. It was concluded that latent profile analysis proved to be a feasible methodology. The even performance profiles of good and average readers imply that reading is a skill with a high degree of transfer and generality. Several subgroups of poor readers with more heterogeneous performance patterns could be identified. The three most stable subgroups proved to be comprised of high performers, poor comprehenders and dyslexic students.     

ICT learning experience and research orientation as predictors of ICT skills and the ICT use of university students

Since our first studies of information and communications technology (ICT) skills and ICT use at universities in 2004, ICT and its use by students has changed greatly. In order to obtain a more detailed picture of ICT skills, we first construct a new instrument to measure the self-perception of ICT skills (49 items) and of ICT use (53 items) by students. This allows us to find some patterns for ICT skills and ICT use. In order to explain these patterns, two basic hypotheses are formulated. The first suggests that positive ICT learning experiences at home, in school, and with peers could contribute to mastering a higher level of ICT skills and more frequent use of ICT among bachelor’s students, a hypothesis that aligns with Dewey’s learning theory. The second hypothesis suggests that there is a similarity between the characteristics of information systems and scientific research, and that students who identify more with scientific research would be more likely to have greater ICT skills and a higher frequency of ICT use. Both hypotheses are tested among bachelor’s students, using some important contextual variables (gender, domain of study, ICT course in secondary school or at university, and education level of parents). It can be concluded that there is a relationship between the ICT learning experience and the research-oriented identity commitment of bachelor’s students on the one hand, and their command of ICT skills and the frequency of use of computers, ICT instruments, and ICT programs on the other.     

The Attitudes of Physical Education and Sport Students towards Information and Communication Technologies

Studies that examine the attitudes toward information and communication technologies (ICT) among physical education and sport students, pre-service teachers and teachers are fairly limited, even though the investments in information and communication technologies at schools and universities have reached an efficient level. This study investigates the attitudes of physical education and sport students and pre-service teachers towards ICT, and the relationship between their attitudes and certain variables such as age, gender, departments, computer familiarity, frequency of computer use and computer ownership. Computer attitude scales were administered to 337 students and pre-service teachers of physical education and sports, and the data collected were analyzed statistically. It was found that the students and pre-service teachers of physical education and sports have positive attitudes toward information and communication technologies, and there are significant correlations between their attitudes and certain variables such as gender, grade, computer ownership, and computer instruction. Recommendations are provided.     

Ethnic Differences in Associations Among Popularity,Likability, and Trajectories of Adolescents' Alcohol Use and Frequency

Two‐part latent growth models examined associations between two forms of peer status (popularity, likability) and adolescents' alcohol use trajectories throughout high school; ethnicity was examined as a moderator. Ninth‐grade low‐income adolescents (N = 364; M_age = 15.08; 52.5% Caucasian; 25.8% African American; 21.7% Latino) completed sociometric nominations of peer status and aggression at baseline, and reported their alcohol use every 6 months. After controlling for gender, aggression, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, popularity—but not likability—prospectively predicted alcohol use trajectories. However, these effects were moderated by ethnicity, suggesting popularity as a risk factor for alcohol use probability and frequency among Caucasian and Latino, but not African American adolescents. Results suggest that developmental correlates of peer status should be considered within cultural context.     

The immigrant paradox and math self-concept: An SES-of-origin-country hypothesis

The immigrant paradox is the phenomenon where recent immigrants have better outcomes than individuals from native-born families. Although limited past research has shown the paradox to exist for math self-concept, neither its exact nature nor a theoretical explanation for its existence have been reported. Using Australian cohort data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003 (N = 12,551) and 2012 (N = 14,481), we first establish that immigrant students have higher math self-concepts than native students, controlling for gender and absolute parental socioeconomic status (SES), and show that it is similar to—albeit weaker than—the expectation-achievement gap. We then provide an SES-of-origin-country hypothesis as a contextual explanation for this effect; we show that the immigrant paradox for both math self-concept and educational expectations substantially reduces when accounting for parents' SES relative to their country-of-origin. Our findings suggest that the paradox for math self-concept and educational expectations may partly result from immigrant parents’ socioeconomic advantage in their home countries.     

An interactive learning environment designed to increase the possibilities for learning and communicating about radioactivity

Information and communication technology (ICT) is a natural part of most people's everyday life, and has also been introduced in schools. Previous studies have tended to focus on issues related to competency of teachers and lack of computer technology in schools. Focus now seems to be moving towards studies that help us understand how ICT may be used to enhance students learning. This article explores the learning environment Radioactivity from the Norwegian Viten project in order to provide insights into how features of the environment may influence student learning. A characteristic of the features of Radioactivity is provided and discussed in light of a set of quality principles for digital learning resources developed by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency.     

The Use of Anatomical Dissection Videos in Medical Education

Dissection videos are commonly utilized in gross anatomy courses; however, the actual usage of such videos, as well as the academic impact of student use of these videos, is largely unknown. Understanding how dissection videos impact learning is important in making curricular decisions. In this study, 22 dissection videos were created to review structures identified in laboratory sessions throughout the Organ Systems 1 (OS1), 2 (OS2), and 3 (OS3) courses. Dissection videos were provided to 201 first-year medical students, and viewing data were recorded. Demographic data for age and gender identity were also collected from students. Overall, there was a significant decrease in total views (P = 0.001), the number of students who pressed play (P < 0.001), and the number of students who viewed ≥ 90% of the total length of videos (P < 0.001) from OS1 to OS3. The total adjusted time spent viewing videos was not significantly different between individual OS courses. There were some instances where significant differences existed in examination performance between those who did and did not view videos, and by time spent viewing videos. There were no significant differences in time spent viewing videos by gender. Together these data suggest that students may utilize dissection videos more at the beginning of a dissection course, although they remain an important resource throughout the year for a subset of students.     

The role of the Internet in teachers’ professional practice: activities and factors associated with teacher use of ICT inside and outside the classroom

Evidence shows that teachers’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the classroom is still limited in variety and frequency. However, their use of ICT outside the classroom, while more frequent, has been less studied. Our research aims to identify personal factors associated with teachers’ ICT use inside and outside the classroom. Data from a questionnaire administered to a nationwide sample of 6932 teachers in Chile was used to characterise their activities and perceptions associated with ICT. Multiple regression analyses were applied to determine relationships between them. The findings show first, that teachers use ICT more frequently outside the classroom for class preparation; second, that their perceptions of ICT impact on professional practice is the main factor associated with their use of ICT inside and outside the classroom; third, that less experienced teachers use communication tools with colleagues and students more often; and finally, that there is a need to examine teachers’ use of (ready-made) Internet resources.     

中国四省市学生ICT胜任力的表现及影响因素——基于PISA 2015 ICT精熟度问卷数据的分析

信息素养是学生生存和发展的基本素养,对信息通信技术(ICT)的胜任力是反映学生信息素养的重要指标。基于PISA 2015中的ICT精熟度问卷数据,对中国四省市学生的ICT胜任力表现进行分析,考查中国学生的ICT资源、ICT使用情况以及ICT兴趣对其ICT胜任力的影响。结果发现:中国四省市学生的ICT胜任力在参测的48个国家和地区中排名靠后;不同性别、不同年级学生的ICT胜任力存在显著差异;家庭ICT资源对学生ICT胜任力有显著的正向预测作用;学生在学校使用ICT越多、在家使用ICT做作业越多,学生的ICT胜任力越高;学生的ICT兴趣越高,他们的ICT胜任力越高,学生的ICT兴趣对他们的ICT胜任力影响最大。为了提高我国学生的ICT胜任力,教育行政部门、学校、教师应充分重视ICT教育,完善ICT素养测评体系;扩大对ICT资源的投入,为学生更多地接触电子设备提供条件;加大ICT和电子设备的使用频率,在教育实践中逐步融入信息素养教育;着力培养学生对信息技术的兴趣,提高他们的ICT胜任力。     

Family Concerns Surrounding Kindergarten Transition: A Comparison of Students in Special and General Education

Kindergarten transition is considered an important developmental milestone for children and families. Children with disabilities may be especially vulnerable during transition and may lack academic and behavioral readiness skills essential for kindergarten. Family concerns surrounding children’s transition were explored in 132 students (n = 29 special education; n = 103 general education) preparing to enter kindergarten. Caregivers responded to a survey on family experiences and involvement in transition and reported on the degree to which they were concerned about kindergarten transition. Caregivers of special education students reported significantly more concerns surrounding their child’s behavior, communication, academic readiness, and overall readiness for kindergarten than did caregivers of general education students. Implications for supporting children and families during transition are discussed.     

Urban Middle School Students’ Stereotypes at the Intersection of Sexual Orientation,Ethnicity, and Gender

Heterosexual urban middle school students’ (N = 1,757) stereotypes about gender typicality, intelligence, and aggression were assessed. Students (M_age = 12.36 years) rated Facebook‐like profiles of peers who varied by gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Several hypotheses about how the gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation of target peers intersect to shape stereotypes were tested. As predicted, a peer's sexual orientation determined stereotypes of gender typicality, with gay and lesbian students viewed as most atypical. As expected, ethnicity shaped stereotypes of intelligence, with Asian American students seen as most intelligent. Gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation independently and jointly affected stereotypes of aggression. These results demonstrate the value of an intersectional approach to the study of stereotypes. Implications for future research and practice are offered.     

Social representations and uses of technologies of African high-school students

ABSTRACT

This article examines social representations of information and communications technologies (ICT) in high school students in Niamey, Niger, and explores whether these representations are determined by training in and regular use of ICT. A sample of 50 students attending two lycées1 was studied. Only one lycée offered computer courses. The results of semi-directed interviews show that whether or not they took computer courses, the students developed social representations of ICT. These representations were associated with favourable attitudes toward computer and Internet use at school. The chi-square test hypothesis shows that students’ social representations of ICT were not determined by training in ICT.