The Impact of Home Internet Access on Test Scores By Steve Macho

Chapter 2:

Background

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This notion is central to the assumption that students with Internet access at home have the potential to perform better than those without Internet access. Levin and Arafeh go on to state:

Students told us they complete their schoolwork more quickly; they are less likely to get stymied by material they don’t understand; their papers and projects are more likely to draw upon up-to-date sources and state-of-the-art knowledge; and, they are better at juggling their school assignments and extracurricular activities when they use the Internet. In essence, they told us that the Internet helps them navigate their way through school and spend more time learning in depth about what is most important to them personally. (Levin & Arafeh, 2002, p. ii)

These findings reinforce the assumption that there is an advantage for students with access to the Internet and qualify the adeptness of the students by referring to them as Internet-savvy . This is another important factor in the argument that the students with Internet at home will perform differently because their additional exposure to the Internet will result in greater familiarity with the Internet and hence, more adept usage.

Levin and Arafeh (2002) classified the students in this study as having five different metaphors for describing their use of the Internet for schoolwork: as virtual textbook and reference library, as virtual tutor and study shortcut, as virtual study group, as virtual guidance counselor, and as virtual locker, backpack, and notebook.

Internet Access at Home and Student Use

The next three figures presented, Figure 1, Internet use among children at home / any location, 2001 as a percent of U.S. population; Figure 2, Internet use by age and location, 2001; and Figure 3, Internet use among 10 to 17 year olds by income and location, 2001, are reproduced from the U.S. Department of Commerce. All three of these figures were constructed with data from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and U.S. Department of Labor Employment Standards Administration (ESA), U.S. Department of Commerce, using U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Supplements.