Technology use in schools and by families in 2016: A look at preparedness for 2020

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Education, Schooling

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic resulted in nearly all teachers being required to engage in remote instruction, with 76 percent doing so for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year and 23% continuing for the summer (Herbert, Goodrich, and Namkung, 2020). Moreover, there were differences in how remote learning was conducted by urbanicity. Suburban teachers reported holding more live meetings than rural teachers; teachers in cities did not differ from other groups (Herbert, Goodrich, and Namkung, 2020). Olmstead (2013) found that parents and teachers preferred to communicate via email, though language was sometimes a barrier. Parents also reported checking school and class websites. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011) study provides an opportunity to examine the technology use in classrooms, students’ use at home, and parents in communication with schools to get a sense of how prepared communities were for remote learning.

The ECLS-K:2011 is a longitudinal study of a nationally representative sample of children who were in kindergarten in the 2010-2011 school year. In fifth grade, students were asked to report on their frequency of electronic communication (emailing, texting, or messaging) as well as the frequency of playing online games and using social networking sites. Teachers reported on technology in the classroom, particularly the presence and use of a whiteboard. Parents were asked if they communicated with the school through a computer, and if they went online to check their children’s grades and assignments. Data were collected from rural areas, as well as towns, cities and suburban areas.

Analyses were conducted using Stata 15, incorporating the complex design of the survey to produce appropriate population estimates and standard errors. Group comparisons and T-tests were used to identify significant differences in estimates across groups.

The presence and use of a whiteboard proved a good indicator of classroom technology use. Overall, teachers in cities more often reported not having a whiteboard, or rarely using one, and less often reported using one frequently (see Table 1). Of parents that use computers to get information from schools, they did not differ much in their use by locale, though parents in cities were more likely to say that they did not use a computer to communicate with their child’s school (24% to 14%). Interestingly, students did not vary systematically in their use of electronic communication, online gaming and social media by urbanicity. Although, students in rural areas were more likely to report engaging in online gaming never or up to a few times a week than students in cities and suburbs (see Table 2). Fifth graders engaged in electronic communication more often than they did online gaming or social media.

For our final analyses, we will explore the extent to which teachers, parents and students were online and using technology, making the switch to remote learning easier.

Authors

• Jodi Jacobson Chernoff, American Institutes for Research - Maryland
  Presenting Author

• Shannon Russell, American Institutes for Research -Virginia
  Non-Presenting Author