Casual Effects of Computer Availability at Home on Grade 4 Reading Achievement Estimated from Country-Level Longitudinal Data

• The main purpose of the study is to investigate possible effects of home computer use on the reading achievement of grade 4 students. In previous research both negative and positive effects have been reported, but these contradictory findings are likely to be due to selection bias in the observational or quasi-observational designs that have been used. The current study takes advantage of the trend design of the PIRLS study, which allows for a difference-in-difference approach to estimation which controls for within-country selection bias, time-invariant country-level omitted variables, and random errors of measurement in independent and dependent variables. The study is based on data from The IEA Ten-Year Trend Study with 9 participating countries and the PIRLS 2001, 2006 and 2011 studies with 36, 45 and 47 participants. Fixed effects regression estimation techniques based on micro-data are used. This allows estimation of main effects of home computer use, and of interaction effects with both student characteristics (gender and socio-economic status) and country characteristics (level of economic development). Preliminary analyses of main effects investigating two time-points at a time indicate negative effects of home computer on the reading achievement of Grade 4 students.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

PIRLS

home computer use

reading literacy

causal inference

difference-in-difference

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)