The impact of ICT on pupil performance

The results of this study show that pupils, teachers as well as parents
assess that ICT has a positive impact on improving the pupils’
learning. What then are the areas in which the use of ICT has a
significant impact and where does it have no impact?
• ICT impact is assessed by teachers to be strongest on subject-
related performance.
• Learning basic skills such as reading and writing is another
area where a positive impact of ICT is experienced
• ICT is seen by teachers to be a valuable tool to support differentiation.
The use of ICT to support differentiation also
has a positive impact; this study shows that the majority of
teachers have experienced that ICT has a positive impact
on both academically strong and academically weak pupils.
• Avoiding exclusion is still an issue with the use of ICT in
schools. The study indicates that girls, as well as pupils with
other native languages, are more dependent on learning
ICT at school.
• According to pupils they generally use the computer more
outside school than in school, but there are differences in
what types of ICT competences they learn each place.
Standard office programmes are learned in school, the rest
outside school.

These key results are presented in depth in Chapter 4 ‘Impact of
ICT on pupil performance’.
Impact of ICT on teaching and learning processes
Results from E-learning Nordic 2006 show that ICT generally has a
positive impact on the teaching and learning situation. However,
some people expected that ICT could in some ways revolutionise
the teaching and learning processes at school, and compared with
this view, the impact must be seen as more limited.
• On the average, half of the teachers had used ICT between
1 and 5 hours the week before they answered the questionnaire
• Generally, the pupils would like to use computers more in
school than they do now.
• The results indicate that the pupils and teachers who use
ICT the most are also the ones who experience the greatest
impact.
• Use of stationary computers and internet is firmly rooted in
the school, but new technologies are also getting a foothold.
Digital cameras, mobile phones and chat have entered
the schools. The results indicate that the use of these new
technologies support teachers in differentiating their teaching.
• ICT does not revolutionise teaching methods. The teachers
are mostly focused on using ICT to support the subject content.
• Pupils are far more often consumers than producers when
using ICT, and they work more often individually than together.
• Still, the impact of integrating ICT in teaching can be
measured in pupil engagement, differentiation, creativity
and a less waste of time.
• The impact of ICT is very dependent on how it is used.
• Many headmasters view ICT as a valuable tool for pedagogical
development but fewer actually experience this impact.