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Education Statistics Quarterly
Vol 1, Issue 3, Topic: Elementry and Secondary Education
Student Computer Use
 
 
This article was originally published as an Indicator of the Month, taken from The Condition of Education: 1998. The sample survey data are from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the U.S. Census Bureau's October Current Population Survey (CPS).
 

Computers have become an essential tool in our society. Early exposure to computers may help students gain the computer literacy that will be crucial for future success in the workplace. Access to computers at school and at home allows students to retrieve information, manipulate data, and produce results efficiently and in innovative ways. Examining the extent to which students have access to computers at school and at home may be an indicator of how well prepared students will be to enter an increasingly technological workplace.
  • Between 1984 and 1996, the percentage of 4th-, 8th-, and 11th-graders who reported using a computer at school at least once a week increased substantially.
  • The youngest students were more likely than older students to report that they used computers at school. In 1996, 72 percent of 4th-graders reported using a computer at school at least once a week, compared to 47 percent of 8th-graders and 50 percent of 11th-graders. However, 8th- and 11th-graders were more likely than 4th-graders to report using computers every day.
  • In 1996, 79 percent of 4th-graders, 91 percent of 8th-graders, and 96 percent of 11th-graders reported using a computer at home or at school to write stories or papers, a substantial increase from 1984. The percentage of students who used a computer to learn things also increased between 1984 and 1996 for all three grades.
  • Students from high-income families were more likely to report using a computer at home or at school than students from low-income families. Between 1984 and 1993, the percentage of students who reported using a computer at school increased by similar amounts across family income levels. However, the increase in the percentage of students who used a computer at home was higher for students from families with higher incomes.
Percentage of students who reported using a computer at school, by grade and frequency of use: 1984-96
Percentage of students who used a computer at home or at school, by grade and reason for use: 1984-96

Percentage of students who used a computer at home or at school, by grade and reason for use: 1984-96
Percentage of students who used a computer at home or at school, by grade and reason for use: 1984-96

NOTE: Details may not add to 100.0 due to rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP 1996 Trends in Academic Progress (NCES 97-985).

Percentage of students who reported using a computer

Percentage of students who reported using a computer at school at least once a week, by grade
Percentage of students who reported using a computer at school at least once a week, by grade

Percentage of students who reported using a computer at home or at school, by grade and reason for use: 1984-96
Percentage of students who reported using a computer at home or at school, by grade and reason for use: 1984-96

Percentage of students in grades 7-12 who used a computer at school or at home, by family income: October 1984,1989, and 1993
Percentage of students in grades 7-12 who used a computer at school or at home, by family income: October 1984,1989, and 1993

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP 1996 Trends in Academic Progress (NCES 97-985); and data from U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey (CPS), October (various years).

Data sources: NAEP 1996 Trends in Academic Progress (NCES 97-985); and the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS), October (various years).

For technical information, see

Wirt, J., Snyder, T., Sable, J., Choy, S.P., Bae, Y., Stennett, J., Gruner, A., and Perie, M. (1998). The Condition of Education: 1998 (NCES 98-013).

For complete supplemental and standard error tables, see either

Author affiliations: J. Wirt and T. Snyder, NCES; J. Sable, Y. Bae, and J. Stennett, Pinkerton Computer Consultants, Inc.; S.P. Choy, MPR Associates, Inc.; and M. Perie and A. Gruner, American Institutes for Research.

For questions about content, contact John Wirt (john.wirt@ed.gov).

To obtain this Indicator of the Month (NCES 1999-011), call the toll-free ED Pubs number (877-433-7827) or visit the NCES Web Site (http://nces.ed.gov).


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