service at home. However, the presence of technology in the home did not always ensure high-quality access. White students and those in higher income households had more computers at home per family member, making it easier for them to access computers and the internet for schoolwork. Race and socioeconomic status also influenced the type of internet access students had at home. Although 80 percent of students who knew what type of internet they had at home reported having broadband or high-speed internet service, white and higher income students were more likely to have the highest quality service.
Students overwhelmingly believed that having access to computers and the internet at home helped them perform better in school. The relationships between grades, computer ownership, and time spent using technology demonstrated the positive effects technology may have on academic performance. Students who had access to more than one computer at home reported higher grades than those who had limited or no access to computers. While researchers and educators in the past were concerned that students used technology at home for recreational purposes at the expense of their education, this study did not reveal such worrying results. Though it was true that students who spent more time using computers and/or the internet for homework were more likely to make A’s or B’s in schools, time spent on social networking and entertainment did not significantly impact students’ grades.
Students in this survey had access to an incredible amount of technology in addition to computers and the internet. They used cell phones, iTouches, iPods, game systems, and other devices to connect to the internet at home. The prolific use of these technologies probably explains why students spend so much more time using technology at home for social networking and entertainment. Even while the students filled out the
surveys, they were text messaging their friends, or “multi-tasking” as one participant put it. In many schools today, it is acceptable and even expected for students to have
computers in class, but the use of cell phones in school is still shunned. Educators should take advantage of students’ easy access to these alternative technologies. How can cell phones, Nintendo Wii’s, and iPods be used to improve student learning? If students have access to the internet through alternative technologies but not through a computer, how can students use that access to their educational benefit?
Of course, educators must not assume all students have access to alternative technologies. This study shows that the high costs of computers and broadband internet prevented lower income households from obtaining those technologies to the same extent as their wealthier peers. Likewise, alternative technologies are expensive, and not all families and students can afford to spend an additional $30 a month for internet services on their cell phones. Therefore, educators must get to know their students, assess their information needs, and understand their access to computers, the internet, and alternative technology at home. This knowledge should shape how technology is taught in school, the availability of technology in school, and the type of assignments teachers give. If only 50 percent of a class has easy access to a computer and the internet at home, then teachers must plan assignments that do not require technology usage at home or allow class time for students to use school-provided technology.
Schools that have high percentages of students without quality access to
computers and/or the internet at home should establish plans for improving that access. Very few students in this survey were given school-owned computers or were allowed to check out laptops from their school library media centers. Providing technology to every student is expensive, and prohibitively so for many schools. However, simply having a
few laptops available for checkout in the school library media center could significantly benefit students and would be an interesting area for future study.
Even though the majority of students in this study had access to computers and the internet at home, they still accessed technology in other locations in order to do schoolwork. Students repeatedly responded that they used computers and the internet at their Boys and Girls Clubs and their public libraries for academic purposes. It would be ideal if all students had quality at-home access to computers and the internet, but some access at a library or a Boys and Girls Club is better than no access at all. Thus, these community centers play an important role in providing access to students and other people who have little access at home.
The results of this study suggest that the digital divide is shrinking, especially in middle and upper income households. However, minority and lower income students continued to have less access to computers and the internet at home. Teachers, school library media specialists, administrators, and community officials must be proactive in improving access for students and community members. Students must learn 21st Century skills to succeed in school and a technology-driven world, and they cannot learn how to use technology effectively if they do not have access to it. Schools could provide laptops to students, and school library media centers could offer extended hours and technology classes. Most importantly, educators must be aware of their students’ information needs and access capacities. Ninety-seven percent of students in this survey had access to a computer at home, and 80 percent had broadband or high-speed internet access.
However, there was still three percent of students with no computers and 20 percent of students with either dial-up services or no internet access. Those students have to learn 21st Century skills as well, so teachers and school library media specialists have to work
together to create meaningful, authentic lessons and assignments that teach technology and information skills without depending upon at-home access. Only then will the shrinking digital divide truly begin to close for all students.
Study Limitations
Like all studies, this one had limitations. First, all information in the surveys was self-reported, which could lead to inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the data. Second, the racial composition of the participants was extremely homogenous, making it difficult to draw valid conclusions about the relationship between race and at-home access. Third, this study intended to target lower income students in order to assess their access to technology at home, but the majority of the participants reported their parents or guardians had a college diploma, indicating they were from middle or high income households. Fourth, this study only used quantitative methods to collect data. While the surveys yielded informative and useful results, they would have been strengthened by qualitative methods like interviews with students, teachers, and librarians. Finally, the most significant drawback of this study was the small participant population. Due to the transitory nature of the Boys and Girls Clubs, it was difficult to reach a large number of teenage students. Furthermore, random sampling was impossible because of the small number of Clubs operating in the study’s area. Because the participant number was so low and heavily skewed towards African American students, it was difficult to draw valid correlations between independent variables like age, race, and socioeconomic status and dependent variables like internet usage and information skills.
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Appendix A3
COMPUTERS AND SCHOOL
1. Does your school let you take laptops home?
□ No
□ Yes
2. Can you check out laptops from your media center to take home overnight?
□ No
□ Yes
3. On average, how many hours a week do you use a computer (but not the internet) at home to do school work?
□ 0
□ 1-3 hours
□ 4-6 hours
□ 7-9 hours
□ 10 hours or more
4. On average, how many hours a week do you use the internet at home to do school work? □ 0 □ 1-3 hours □ 4-6 hours □ 7-9 hours □ 10 hours or more COMPUTERS AT HOME
5. How many computers (including laptops and desktops) do you have in your house?
□ 0
□ 1
□ 2-3
□ More than 3
COMPUTERS AND YOU
13. On average, how many hours a day do you use your computer or the internet at home for school work?
□ 0 hours
□ 1-2 hours
□ 3 or more hours
14. On average, how many hours a day do you use your computer or the internet at home for social networking (Facebook, MySpace, etc)?
□ 0 hours
□ 1-2 hours
□ 3 or more hours
15. On average, how many hours a day do you use your computer or the internet at home for entertainment (playing games, searching the internet, email, chatting)?
□ 0 hours
□ 1-2 hours
□ 3 or more hours
16. How would you describe your computer skills?
□ Poor (I don’t know anything)
□ Average (I can do what I need to do)
□ Advanced (I can teach someone else)
17. How would you describe your internet skills?
□ Poor (I never find what I need)
□ Average (I find what I need sometimes)
□ Advanced (I almost always find what I need)
3
The original survey was one page, front and back. Questions 1-9 and 13-22 were on the front of the survey. Questions 10-12 and 23-24 were on the back.
6. What kind of internet do you have at home? □ None □ Dial-up □ Broadband/high-speed □ Don’t know
7. Do you have wireless access in your home?
□ No
□ Yes
8. How many people use the computers and the internet in your house? (leave this blank if you don’t have computers or the internet at home)
□ 1-2
□ 3-4
□ 5 or more people
9. How many people live in your house?
□ 1-3
□ 4-6
□ 7-9
□ 10 or more
10. How hard is it for you to get access to computers or the internet at home?
□ Impossible
□ Very hard
□ Not a problem
□ Easy
□ Very easy
11. Other than computers, what devices do you use to access the internet at home?
□ Cell phone
□ Game system (Xbox, Wii, Play Station, etc)
□ Other ___________________
18. Do you think having a computer at home helps you perform better in school?
□ No
□ Yes
19. Do you think having the internet at home helps you perform better in school?
□ No
□ Yes
THE BASICS
20. What is your gender?
□ Male
□ Female
21. What is your race?
□ White
□ Black/African American
□ Asian (includes Southeast Asian and Indian)
□ Latino/Hispanic
□ Multiracial
22. What is your parents’/guardians’ highest level of education?
□ Didn’t graduate from high school
□ High school diploma or equivalent (GED)
□ Some college
□ College diploma
23. What grade are you in? _____ 24. What grades do you get in school?
□ Mostly D’s and F’s
□ Mostly C’s
□ Mostly B’s
12. Other than school and home, where do you go to access computers or the internet for school work? (check all that apply)
□ The public library
□ A friend or family member’s house
□ Work
□ The Boys and Girls Club