Impact of a Technology After-School Program on Middle School Students and Their Families From Underserved Communities

• In Event: Contemporary Analyses of Context and Integration in Educational Technology

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a mixed-method study aimed at understanding the impact of a ten-week, after-school program that teaches computer skills to middle school students from underserved communities in a large southern US state. The research examined program participants’ computer self-efficacy beliefs and the impact of the home computer and Internet access provided through the program on participants and their families. Results indicated most participants’ computer self-efficacy beliefs increased but was not statistically significant. Program increased their confidence in computers, but their perception of program computer’s quality and Internet connectivity was uneven. The findings suggest that program’s efforts are laudable, but it needs to reinvent itself to bridge the divide in a digital world moving beyond desktop computers.

Authors

• Ravi Narayan, The University of Texas - Austin

• Joan E. Hughes, The University of Texas - Austin