Assessing the impact of computer integration on students

This article reports a study designed to assess the effects of computer integration on students in terms of academic achievement and attitudes toward academic subjects and computers. Computer integration was perceived as a complex instructional system in which student learning is impacted by teachers, students, school administrative and technical support, computer hardware and software resources, and the computer lab and classroom settings. Eight teachers of four subjects at one high school participated in this study for seven months. A quasi-experimental design was used. Student achievement was assessed by teacher-made tests. Attitude was assessed as part of the student survey questionnaire using the instrument developed by Bear, Richards, and Lancaster (1987). In addition, three students from each integration class were interviewed. It was found that there was no significant effect of computer integration on achievement, and although positive attitude toward computers was high both before and after the integration period, there was no significant change in student attitude toward computers after the computer integration. Generally, students’ perceived using computers as having a positive effect on their learning. The methodological and instructional implications of the findings are discussed.