The use of technology has become an integral part of life at work, at school, and at home throughout the 21st century and, in particular, during the coronavirus pandemic.
In this post, the second in a three-part series, we present results from the NAEP TEL and ICILS student questionnaires about students' experience and confidence using technology (see the first post for more information about these assessments and their results). These results can help to inform education systems that are implementing remote learning activities this school year.
Uses of information and communication technologies (ICT) for school
Both NAEP TEL and ICILS collected data in 2018 on U.S. eighth-grade students' uses of ICT in school or for school-related purposes.
According to the NAEP TEL questionnaire results, about one-third of U.S. eighth-grade students reported that they used ICT regularly (i.e., at least once a week) to create, edit, or organize digital media (figure 1). About a quarter used ICT regularly to create presentations, and 18 percent used ICT regularly to create spreadsheets.
According to the ICILS questionnaire results, 72 percent of U.S. eighth-grade students reported that they regularly used the Internet to do research, and 56 percent regularly used ICT to complete worksheets or exercises (figure 2). Forty percent of eighth-grade students regularly used ICT to organize their time and work. One-third regularly used software or applications to learn skills or a subject, and 30 percent regularly used ICT to work online with other students.
Confidence in using ICT
Both the 2018 NAEP TEL and ICILS questionnaires asked U.S. eighth-grade students about their confidence in their ICT skills. NAEP TEL found that about three-quarters of eighth-grade students reported that they were confident that they could—that is, they reported that they “probably can” or “definitely can”—compare products using the Internet or create presentations with sound, pictures, or video (figure 3). Seventy percent were confident that they could organize information into a chart, graph, or spreadsheet.
ICILS found that 86 percent of U.S. eighth-grade students reported that they knew how to search for and find relevant information for a school project on the Internet (figure 4). Eighty-three percent knew how to both upload text, images, or video to an online profile and install a program or app. About three-quarters of eighth-grade students knew how to change the settings on their devices, and 65 percent knew how to edit digital photographs or other graphic images.
Years of experience using computers
In the 2018 ICILS questionnaire, U.S. eighth-grade students were also asked how many years they had been using desktop or laptop computers. One-third of eighth-grade students reported using computers for 7 years or more—that is, they had been using computers since first grade (figure 5). This finding was similar to results from the Computer Access and Familiarity Study (CAFS), which was conducted as part of the 2015 NAEP. The CAFS found that in 2015, about 35 percent of eighth-grade public school students reported first using a laptop or desktop computer in kindergarten or before kindergarten.
Nineteen percent of eighth-grade students reported that they had used computers for at least 5 but less than 7 years. However, 9 percent of eighth-grade students had never used computers or had used them for less than one year, meaning they had only started using computers when they reached eighth grade.
Overall, responses of eighth-grade students showed that some had more years of experience using computers than others. Although there were differences in students' use of ICT for school-related purposes, most students felt confident using ICT.
It should be noted that the data presented here were collected in 2018; any changes since then due to the coronavirus pandemic or other factors are not reflected in the results reported here. The NAEP TEL and ICILS samples both include public and private schools. Data reported in the text and figures are rounded to the nearest integer.
Resources for more information:
- NAEP TEL: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/tel/
- NAEP TEL student questionnaire: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/about/pdf/bgq/student/2018_sq_student_tel_g8.pdf
- ICILS: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/icils/icils2018/theme1.asp
- ICILS student questionnaire:
https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/icils/pdf/icils2018ms_student_questionnaire_en_us.pdf - Comparison of NAEP TEL and ICILS assessment frameworks: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/tel/pdf/tel_icils_study.pdf
- “First Use of Computer” (NCES indicator): https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2017/2017098/ind_14.asp
By Yan Wang, AIR, and Taslima Rahman, NCES
