A quantitative and qualitative study of computer technology and student achievement in mathematics and reading at the second- and third-grade levels: A comparison of high versus limited technology integration

The purpose of this study is to (1) examine the effects of classroom computers on student achievement; and (2) examine the attitudes of teachers regarding the effects of computer on student achievement.;The student sample consisted of 142 second and third grade students selected from the Redding School District, Redding, California. Half of the students were selected from high-technology classrooms and half were selected from limited technology classrooms. The researcher attempted to select an equal number of subjects by gender and socioeconomic status.;Raw and scaled scores from the selected students' 1999 Stanford-9 tests were collected. Descriptive statistics and a One-Way Analysis of Variance were used to compare and analyze the differences in second and third grade student scores for the high and limited-technology samples. A One-Way Analysis of Covariance was used to determine the effects of additional independent variables such as gender and socioeconomic status on student achievement.;Both quantitative and qualitative data from this study suggested that computer technology does have a positive effect on student achievement. The results of the analysis showed no statistically significant differences in student achievement between students in high versus limited-technology classrooms. Analysis of Covariance indicated other findings that provide significant information about the effects of gender and socioeconomic status on student achievement. There was a significant difference in second grade math scores with boys scoring at a significantly higher level than girls. When examining second grade reading scores, high SES students again scored significantly higher than low SES students. Third grade reading scores also showed high SES students scoring significantly higher than low SES students.;Despite the lack of statistically significant differences between high and limited-technology samples, there were mean differences throughout the study that favored high-technology classrooms. The data consistently revealed lower SES students, particularly males, having higher mean scores in high-technology classrooms than in limited-technology classrooms in both grade levels.