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- Executive Summary
- Reader's Guide
- Introduction
- Section 1: Student Use of Digital Learning Resources Outside of the Classroom
- Section 2: Barriers in Student Access to Digital Learning Resources Outside of the Classroom
- Section 3: Challenges Faced by Students Who Lack Access to Digital Learning Resources Outside of the Classroom
- Section 4: Impact of Access to Digital Learning Resources Outside of the Classroom on Instructional Practices of Educators
- Section 5: Challenges Faced by Students Who Lack Access to Digital Learning Resources Outside of the Classroom
- References
- Appendix A: Guide to Data Sources for Indicators
- Appendix B: Definitions
- Appendix C: Reference Tables
- List of Figures
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Indicator 13: Ownership of Digital Devices
In 2015, higher percentages of 8th- and 12th-grade public school students (98 percent each) than 4th- grade students (95 percent) reported owning or sharing a digital device at home such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Prior research has found that a student's success in using digital learning resources in the classroom is related to their level of practice and knowledge of these resources at home (Henderson 2011). However, students have varying degrees of access at home to digital devices, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones. The Computer Access and Familiarity Study (CAFS) was designed to measure student access to and familiarity with technology. The CAFS was conducted as part of the 2015 National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) and administered to public school students in grades 4, 8, and 12.
This indicator uses the CAFS to examine the percentages of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade public school students with their own or a shared digital device at home, by selected student or school characteristics. In 2015, higher percentages of 8th- and 12th-grade public school students (98 percent each) than 4th-grade students (95 percent) reported owning or sharing a digital device at home. At grades 8 and 12, few measurable differences were found by student and school characteristics because almost all public school students reported that they owned or shared a digital device at home.
Figure 13.1. Percentage of 4th-grade public school students who reported that they owned or shared a digital device at home, by selected student and school characteristics: 2015
‡ Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
NOTE: Digital devices include desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: American Institutes for Research, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Validity Studies Panel, Initial Tables From the 2015 Computer Access and Familiarity Study. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 218.40.
At grade 4, the percentage of public school students who reported owning or sharing a digital device at home varied by students' sex, race/ethnicity, English language learner (ELL) status, disability status, eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, and school locale. In 4th grade, a higher percentage of female students (96 percent) than male students (94 percent) owned or shared a digital device. The percentage of 4th-grade students who reported owning or sharing a digital device at home was higher for Asian students (99 percent) than for students of any other racial/ethnic group. In addition, a higher percentage of White students (97 percent) than Hispanic (94 percent) and Black students (93 percent) owned or shared a digital device. The percentage of 4th-grade students who reported owning or sharing a digital device at home was higher for non-ELL students (96 percent) than for ELL students (91 percent), and also was higher for students without a disability (95 percent) than for students with a disability (92 percent).
In addition, a higher percentage of students not eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (98 percent) than students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (93 percent) reported owning or sharing a digital device at home. The percentage of students who reported owning or sharing a digital device at home also varied based on the locale in which their school was situated (i.e., located in a city, suburb, town, or rural area). A higher percentage of 4th-grade students in suburban schools (96 percent) than in city schools (94 percent) reported owning or sharing a device at home.
Figure 13.2. Percentage of 8th-grade public school students who reported that they owned or shared a digital device at home, by selected student and school characteristics: 2015
‡ Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
NOTE: Digital devices include desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: American Institutes for Research, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Validity Studies Panel, Initial Tables From the 2015 Computer Access and Familiarity Study. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 218.40.
At grade 8, differences in the percentages of students who reported that they owned or shared a digital device at home were also found by students' sex, race/ethnicity, disability status, eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, and school locale. Similar to the pattern observed at grade 4, a higher percentage of 8th-grade female students (99 percent) reported owning or sharing a digital device at home than their male peers (98 percent). Higher percentages of Asian and White students (99 percent each) than of Hispanic students (98 percent) reported owning or sharing a digital device at home. In addition, the percentage of Asian students was higher than the percentage of students of Two or more races (95 percent).
Consistent with patterns at grade 4, the percentage of 8th-grade students who reported owning or sharing a digital device was higher for students without a disability (99 percent) than for students with a disability (96 percent), and was higher for students not eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (99 percent) than for students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (98 percent). With respect to school locale, a higher percentage of 8th-grade students in rural schools (99 percent) than in city schools (98 percent) reported owning or sharing a device at home.
Figure 13.3. Percentage of 12th-grade public school students who reported that they owned or shared a digital device at home, by selected student and school characteristics: 2015
‡ Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
NOTE: Digital devices include desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.
SOURCE: American Institutes for Research, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Validity Studies Panel, Initial Tables From the 2015 Computer Access and Familiarity Study. See Digest of Education Statistics 2016, table 218.40.
At grade 12, few measurable differences were found by student and school characteristics. Higher percentages of White students and students of Two or more races (99 percent each) than of Black students (97 percent) reported owning or sharing a digital device at home. In addition, a higher percentage of students not eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (99 percent) than students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (97 percent) reported owning or sharing a digital device at home.
Reference Tables
- Table 13.1. (Digest table 218.40) Percentage of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade public school students with their own or a shared digital device at home, by selected student and school characteristics: 2015
