The Impact of Computer Use on Literacy in Reading Comprehensionand Vocabulary Skills

Odette RadiDepartment of Science and Mathematics Education

The University of MelbourneParkville 3010 Australia

oradioptusnetcomau

AbstractThis paper presents a pilot study It was set to investigate asmall sample of subjects in a junior high school on whether theincreased use of computers both in domestic and schoolenvironments has affected the studentsrsquo development of literacyin reading comprehension and vocabulary skills This stemmedfrom personal observation as a classroom teacher in thecomputer studies area Progressively the availability of personalcomputers is increasing Students began to display more interestin using the computers rather than reading and writing in classTeachers also expressed their concern about the decline ofliteracy skills that our students are demonstrating through theirsubmitted work

The data reveals that the majority of students under study haveaccess to personal computers They are more or less exploitingthe hardware as well as the software applications without theassistance of computer manuals They are spending more timeat their workstations playing games rather than reading a varietyof printed texts which might benefit the development of theirbasic comprehension and vocabulary skills

The parentsrsquo responses were for and against the use ofcomputers The majority of them felt that their children werespending more time using the computer than reading any type ofprinted text The high use of computers is not allowing theirchildren to develop their literacy skills as expected at this ageSpending their time exploring the microelectronic medium isgood for developing computer literacy but not language literacyNevertheless the parents had been convinced of the necessity oftechnology in their domestic environment for their childrenrsquosneeds

This area requires further study on a wider scale for the vastadvancement in computer use is still increasing Thetransformation is occurring faster than the society can adapt toit

Introduction

This paper is based on a pilot study focusing on a smallsample of 54 Year 8 students aged 13 to 14 years in a co-educational intermediate metropolitan school in VictoriaAustralia The study was set to measure whether theincreased use of computers both at home and at schoolhas affected the development of literacy in readingcomprehension and vocabulary skills No other factorshave been investigated such as cultural backgroundfamily life television time sports activities or

Copyright copy 2002 Australian Computer Society Inc Thispaper was presented at the Seventh World Conference onComputers in Education Copenhagen July 29ndashAugust 3 2001Reproduction for academic not-for profit purposes permittedprovided this text is included

background history nor have background samples beencompared

Since computers began to play a major part in industrychanges began to take place in the school curriculum aswell Not every school was able to provide computerlaboratories to cater for every studentrsquos learning needsGradually parents obtained personal computers for theirchildren to keep up with the vastly advancing technologySchools began to network their classrooms and wire themup to the Internet The purchasing of computers hasdramatically increased Computers in the education anddomestic environments have become a common place forboth teaching and learning Our students need to developand acquire computer skills in preparation for current andfuture employment with rapidly advancing technologiesin the workplace

Purpose of the Study

The main focus of the study stemmed from personalobservation over years as a classroom teacher in the areaof computer studies With the increased use of computersin both domestic and school environments students havedisplayed more interest in the use of computers Theirvocabulary and comprehension skills appear to haveshifted emphasis from reading the printed text to the useof the electronic medium This shift has had a bearing onthe development of literacy skills that may decrease theinfluence of printed text

During this study a national survey was released by theAustralian Bureau of Statistics in 1997 and the results ofthe lsquoSurvey of Aspects of Literacyrsquo (SAL) created astorm of controversy by revealing that a number ofAustralians including 15 to 19 year olds havedemonstrated inadequate literacy skills (in reading andwriting) (ABS Media Release 1997) The overall resultindicated that reading and writing practices have changedthrough time This change has been attributed to theinfluence of increased use of technology (Lo Bianco1997)

A literature review was carried out to investigateperspectives regarding the extent of computer use and theadequacy of literacy skills There has been considerabledisagreement on issues concerning the scale and pace ofchange that is likely to be associated with increased useof computers at home as well as in the education system(Beynon and Mackay 1993) The degree to whicheducation participation incorporates computer use in alllearning areas will depend on the educational and training

infrastructure However the diversity of literacy issuesincluding language and computer literacy is ofcontinuing interest especially in the way these literaciesaffect each other

Defining Language and Computer Literacies

There have been many attempts to define levels ofliteracy which have led to phrases such as functionalliteracy information literacy language literacy culturalliteracy critical literacy and so forth with an additionalterm of computer literacy (Diepenbrock 1999) Computerliteracy is more apparent in contemporary society Theacquisition of computer skills is as important as languageliteracy to parents students scholars educators andindustry

The distinction between the two is that computer literacyinvolves physical use of equipment (peripherals andsoftware applications) and language literacy is a broadterm used to indicate the importance and minimum abilityof individuals to read and write in a designated languageused in everyday life In current usage the term[language literacy] implies an interaction between socialdemands and individual competence Generally speakingthis involves a set of structures ranging from individualskills abilities and knowledge to social practices andfunctional competencies to ideological values andpolitical goals (Harris and Hodges 1995 140ndash143)

Language Literacy and the Impact of ComputerLiteracy

Literacy acquisition determines the relationship betweencognitive skills (perception and memory) and readingskills (decoding and comprehension) This can rangefrom lsquoword identification word recognitionrsquo anddecoding to understanding the intent of the person whowrote the passage The new Literacy Dictionary (Harrisand Hodges 1995 282ndash283) defines both wordrecognition and word identification as the process ofdetermining the pronunciation and some degree ofmeaning of an unknown word

The influence and impact of computers on childrenaccording to Chandler (1985) is based on the regularavailability of computers in domestic environmentsUndoubtedly when computers become more affordablemore children will begin their schooling already able touse a keyboard and a mouse but unable to write with apen Many groups in our society such as parents andemployers have expressed their concerns about theimportance of introducing computer literacy within theeducation system (Papert 1985) In response the schoolsbegan to equip their classrooms with computers andgradually encouraged their use in all subject areasAlongside this the parents also felt the need to purchasecomputers for their children

Beynon et al (1993) argued that by lsquotechnologizingrsquoschools are emphasising computer-pupil interactions thatare often characterising as progressive exploratory andchild-centred However this may paradoxically distanceand isolate the child from adequately developing

language literacy in order to fully function in a socialsetting

Research Methodology

The research and data gathering for this study was basedon ethnographic research The word ethnography literallymeans lsquowriting about peoplersquo In a broad senselsquoethnography encompasses any study of a group of peoplefor the purpose of describing their socio-cultural activitiesand patternsrsquo (Burns1997 297) Throughout the studythe research applied the ethnographic method to test thehypothesis by engaging in a variety of techniques andstrategies for the collection of data The fieldworkincorporated participant observation triangulationinterviewing surveying and qualitative analysis Theemphasis has also incorporated quantitative techniques ingenerating and developing the final analysis

The first technique of data collection involved participantobservation and note taking This was done in the Englishclasses away from computer equipment During thefieldwork the students felt comfortable participating inthe study with an investigator that they knew rather than atotal stranger The strategies employed were to observestudentsrsquo performance and participation in class activitiesunder different contexts and settings This type ofstrategy enabled me to observe and note studentsrsquobehaviour Notes were taken on studentsrsquo adaptability todifferent classroom settings and teaching strategies Bycontrast in teaching computer studies across the yearlevels (Years 7ndash10) the majority of the class time is spentin hands on practical work in a different settingmdashin thecomputer laboratory

Field notes were also recorded within the schoolenvironment Separation by gender was noticeable insideand outside the classrooms and seemed to be a social-cultural factor of the school community

The second ethnographic technique was to interview thestudents (participants) The interviews were based on thelength of period the students spent in front of thecomputer their reasons for having a computer and theirpreference of software applications The collected datawas used to validate the reliability of the literacyassessment and had been applied to the theoretical issuesas discussed in this paper Teacher interviews weredevised to establish the validity of computer impact onthe studentsrsquo development of literacy skills The emphasison language literacy has been directed and integratedthrough the use of computers and the availability ofsuitable software applications

Throughout the study a triangulation technique was alsoused to improve the validity of the data collected Aparentsrsquo survey was also conducted to validate further thedata provided by the students

A quantitative method was used to correlate the results ofadministered reading testsmdashas measured against thefrequency and type of computer use The assessment wasbased on a Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading

Vocabulary and Comprehension A and B prepared by theAustralian Council for Educational Research

Results of the Study

The studentsrsquo interviews revealed that 92 of studentshad access at home to a personal computer Nocomparison was made between students who had homeaccess to computers and those who did not All studentshad access to school computers and to their friendsrsquocomputers when they were not at school

The interviews and parent survey identified what thestudents used the computers for and for how long Parentswere asked to estimate the hours per week that were spenton each use which they identified The distribution of theresults is shown in Figure 1

Data in Figure 1 indicates that 43 of students are usingtheir personal computers for both schoolwork and gamescomparing to 31 who were using it only for gamesThere is no comparison made of the amount ofschoolwork output as measured against the amount oftime playing games Only 2 of students use theirpersonal computers purely for schoolwork This suggeststhat many students at this age are inclined to use theirpersonal computer for amusement only

Figure 1 Use of Personal Computers

Another point was raised that computers are limited anddo not allow for additional personal creativity to ourwork The students also stated that they only used thefeatures and tools included in the program for workpresentation The computers process the informationfaster than we can Therefore computer allows us to doour work quicker and easier The students are realisingand discovering the instructions are repetitive withoutadditional reading while playing games or reading overtheir own work

Another feature that was investigated was how frequentlythe students are using their personal computers at home

Table 1 illustrates the frequencies of the usage ofcomputers

FREQUENCY OF USE Total

1-2 times 2

3 times a week 6

4 times a week 2

5 Days a week 7

Every 2nd day 7

Every Day 53

Every Weekend 2

No 11

Once a month 2

Once a week 2

Twice a week 6

Table 1 Frequency of Computer Use

Students with no access to personal computers at homemanaged to use their friendsrsquo computers when timepermits Their main uses were working on group projectsand playing games However 54 of students used their

personal computers on a dailybasis They mainly played gamesand surfed the InternetSimultaneously the studentsrsquocomments were that they are notlearning much from using thecomputer for their use ofvocabulary is changingEspecially when they arechatting electronically to peoplearound the world they useabbreviations like u instead ofyou 4 rather than for many otherwords are abbreviated in thismanner This is a new languagethat the students are learningwhich could influence their basicvocabulary skills Moulton-Graham (1997) points out thatwhen we are surrounded by printas well as by sound we are part

of a reading and writing community and our literacies aresocial practices When it comes to printing textspecifically in electronic communication the print isbecoming ad-speak and therefore unconventionally spelt

The results of the Progressive Achievement Tests inReading Vocabulary and Comprehension were asfollows The mean scores of the percentile werecalculated for the two parts of Reading Vocabulary A andB Then the correlation coefficients were calculated Theresults are presented in Figure 2

Figure 2 indicates that there is a negative correlationbetween the results of the administered tests and the time

0

5

10

15

20

25

Games Games andInternet

W gamesand

Internet

Work Work andgames

Games Notapplicable

Nu

mb

er

of

Stu

den

ts

Figure 2 Vocabulary A and B and Mean Hours perWeek Spent at Computer

spent on the computer For all students together thecorrelation was -032 The boysrsquo correlation was ndash045boys do spend more time on the computer than the girlsand their reading vocabulary is poorer The resultsindicate that more non-school use of computers is notassisting them to develop further their literacy skills

The Reading Tests A and B results are illustrated inFigure 3

Figure 3 Reading Comprehension A and B and MeanHours per Week Spent at Computer

Figure 4 Parentsrsquo Opinions on the Benefits of RegularComputer Use

The boys also demonstrated weakerresults than the girls in theircomprehension test with acorrelation of -035 In contrast thegirls demonstrated bettercomprehension skills than the boysOn the scatter plot graph themajority of the boys fall into thesame pattern Frequent computeruse has suggested a negativeimpact on the development of theirreading comprehension skills

In this pilot study the teachers andparents also expressed theirconcern about the studentsrsquocapability of exploiting their skillsin the electronic medium They are

knowledgeable in this area at a very young age Their useof computers has not been counter-productive in areaswhere basic learning skills should be developing

The parents were asked whether their childrenrsquos use ofcomputers was hindering or enhancing their readingcomprehension and vocabulary skills Their responses areshown in Figure 4

55 of parents felt that regular use of computers washindering the development of their children literacyskills by contrast 30 felt that it was enhancing their

learning outcomes whereas 15remained undecided

Some teachers are also findingtheir students are reading less thanthey used to The students are moreinterested in playing games Oneparticular teacher commentedWhen I take them to the library fora research project the studentsrsquopreference is to use the computersrather than reading books Someteachers commented thatcomputers have had an impact onreading comprehension andvocabulary skills They are turningto computers when opportunityarises specifically using the

Internet This leads students to comprehension problemsIt is the lack of concentration the students aredisplaying in any comprehension activities

Conclusion

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the development ofreading vocabulary and comprehension skills thatvary between the boys and the girls in the sameage group This suggests that the computers mighthave a negative impact on young people who arestill in a process of learning and developing their

basic language literacy skills Their preference for usingcomputers is far greater than for reading and writing Theweekly average of personal computer use was found to be14 hours This is only home use without taking intoaccount the hours spent at computers at school Some

Left Blank 15

Hindering55

Enhancing 30

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Hours per week

Me

an

Vo

ca

bu

lary

sco

re

BoysGirls

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 10 20 30

Hours per week

Me

an

Co

mp

reh

en

sio

n s

co

re

BoysGirls

students are spending around 30 hours per week surfingthe Internet and playing games

Students often do not require instructions to operateelectronic devices Nowadays the majority of ourstudents do have access to personal computers at homeHowever the schools always seem to be the main targetfor any raised issue concerning the young

Primary and junior secondary students are still in theprocess of developing mentally and physically If schoolsdo not adapt to meet the needs of reading and writing agrowing number of parents will feel alienated by theinadequacies of schooling The lack of talking andlistening of oracy will also create problems in aclassroom situation Goss (1997) argues that the use ofcomputers still requires adequate literacy skills to enablestudents and others to interpret the messages looking forseveral possible meanings fully participating in readingand writing Literacy is a continuous learning process itdoes not stop at the primary or secondary school Thisstudy also needs a follow up in the domestic environmentwhere high use of personal computers is taking place

The important part of human life is when basic skilllearning occurs in the early years The emphasis oflearning today has shifted from literacy to technologybased on the current trends of society and the globaleconomy We have to create a balance to succeed in theteaching of both computer and language literacies Thisarea needs continuous study for technology is advancingand implying changes to all aspects of life

References

AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONALRESEARCH (1997) Progressive Achievement Testsin Reading Comprehension and VocabularyMelbourne ACER

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (1997)Australiansrsquo Literacy Skills Put to the TestsHttpwwwstatisticsgovauwebsitedbs0125nsf(Latest+Release)1OpenDocument

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (1996)Aspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia1996 Catalogue Number 42280 CanberraCommonwealth of Australia

BEYNON J and MACKAY H (1993) MoreQuestions Than Answers In Computers intoClassrooms More Questions Than Answers JBEYNON and H MACKAY (eds) London TheFalmer Press 1ndash18

BURNS R (1997) Introduction to Research MethodsThird Edition Australia Addison Wesley Longman

CHANDLER D (1985) Computers and Literacy InComputers and Literacy D Chandler and SMARCUS (eds) Philadelphia Open University Press1ndash11

DIEPENBROCK C (1999 May) Literacy Definitionshttp1297160115CourseDoesCOMM_30373037handoutsWebpageslitdefhtml 1ndash2

GOSS S (1997 November 25) Learning MoreAboutmdashLiteracy and Access Much More thanReading and Writing Melbourne The Age Education15

HARRIS T and HODGES R (1995) The LiteracyDictionary The Vocabulary of Reading and WritingInternational Reading Association USA

LO BIANCO J (1997) Public Policy and LiteracyResearch Data Will Knowing Lead to Doing InAspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia1996 W MCLENNAN (ed) Australian Bureau ofStatistics Australia Catalogue Number 4228080ndash88

MOULTON-GRAHAM K (1997 October 7) LiteracyDown to a Tee Melbourne The Age EducationSection 2

PAPERT S (1985) Computers for Children In TheInformation Technology Revolution T Forester (ed)Basil Blackwell 229ndash241

Vocabulary and Comprehension A and B prepared by theAustralian Council for Educational Research

Results of the Study

The studentsrsquo interviews revealed that 92 of studentshad access at home to a personal computer Nocomparison was made between students who had homeaccess to computers and those who did not All studentshad access to school computers and to their friendsrsquocomputers when they were not at school

The interviews and parent survey identified what thestudents used the computers for and for how long Parentswere asked to estimate the hours per week that were spenton each use which they identified The distribution of theresults is shown in Figure 1

Data in Figure 1 indicates that 43 of students are usingtheir personal computers for both schoolwork and gamescomparing to 31 who were using it only for gamesThere is no comparison made of the amount ofschoolwork output as measured against the amount oftime playing games Only 2 of students use theirpersonal computers purely for schoolwork This suggeststhat many students at this age are inclined to use theirpersonal computer for amusement only

Figure 1 Use of Personal Computers

Another point was raised that computers are limited anddo not allow for additional personal creativity to ourwork The students also stated that they only used thefeatures and tools included in the program for workpresentation The computers process the informationfaster than we can Therefore computer allows us to doour work quicker and easier The students are realisingand discovering the instructions are repetitive withoutadditional reading while playing games or reading overtheir own work

Another feature that was investigated was how frequentlythe students are using their personal computers at home

Table 1 illustrates the frequencies of the usage ofcomputers

FREQUENCY OF USE Total

1-2 times 2

3 times a week 6

4 times a week 2

5 Days a week 7

Every 2nd day 7

Every Day 53

Every Weekend 2

No 11

Once a month 2

Once a week 2

Twice a week 6

Table 1 Frequency of Computer Use

Students with no access to personal computers at homemanaged to use their friendsrsquo computers when timepermits Their main uses were working on group projectsand playing games However 54 of students used their

personal computers on a dailybasis They mainly played gamesand surfed the InternetSimultaneously the studentsrsquocomments were that they are notlearning much from using thecomputer for their use ofvocabulary is changingEspecially when they arechatting electronically to peoplearound the world they useabbreviations like u instead ofyou 4 rather than for many otherwords are abbreviated in thismanner This is a new languagethat the students are learningwhich could influence their basicvocabulary skills Moulton-Graham (1997) points out thatwhen we are surrounded by printas well as by sound we are part

of a reading and writing community and our literacies aresocial practices When it comes to printing textspecifically in electronic communication the print isbecoming ad-speak and therefore unconventionally spelt

The results of the Progressive Achievement Tests inReading Vocabulary and Comprehension were asfollows The mean scores of the percentile werecalculated for the two parts of Reading Vocabulary A andB Then the correlation coefficients were calculated Theresults are presented in Figure 2

Figure 2 indicates that there is a negative correlationbetween the results of the administered tests and the time

0

5

10

15

20

25

Games Games andInternet

W gamesand

Internet

Work Work andgames

Games Notapplicable

Nu

mb

er

of

Stu

den

ts

Figure 2 Vocabulary A and B and Mean Hours perWeek Spent at Computer

spent on the computer For all students together thecorrelation was -032 The boysrsquo correlation was ndash045boys do spend more time on the computer than the girlsand their reading vocabulary is poorer The resultsindicate that more non-school use of computers is notassisting them to develop further their literacy skills

The Reading Tests A and B results are illustrated inFigure 3

Figure 3 Reading Comprehension A and B and MeanHours per Week Spent at Computer

Figure 4 Parentsrsquo Opinions on the Benefits of RegularComputer Use

The boys also demonstrated weakerresults than the girls in theircomprehension test with acorrelation of -035 In contrast thegirls demonstrated bettercomprehension skills than the boysOn the scatter plot graph themajority of the boys fall into thesame pattern Frequent computeruse has suggested a negativeimpact on the development of theirreading comprehension skills

In this pilot study the teachers andparents also expressed theirconcern about the studentsrsquocapability of exploiting their skillsin the electronic medium They are

knowledgeable in this area at a very young age Their useof computers has not been counter-productive in areaswhere basic learning skills should be developing

The parents were asked whether their childrenrsquos use ofcomputers was hindering or enhancing their readingcomprehension and vocabulary skills Their responses areshown in Figure 4

55 of parents felt that regular use of computers washindering the development of their children literacyskills by contrast 30 felt that it was enhancing their

learning outcomes whereas 15remained undecided

Some teachers are also findingtheir students are reading less thanthey used to The students are moreinterested in playing games Oneparticular teacher commentedWhen I take them to the library fora research project the studentsrsquopreference is to use the computersrather than reading books Someteachers commented thatcomputers have had an impact onreading comprehension andvocabulary skills They are turningto computers when opportunityarises specifically using the

Internet This leads students to comprehension problemsIt is the lack of concentration the students aredisplaying in any comprehension activities

Conclusion

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the development ofreading vocabulary and comprehension skills thatvary between the boys and the girls in the sameage group This suggests that the computers mighthave a negative impact on young people who arestill in a process of learning and developing their

basic language literacy skills Their preference for usingcomputers is far greater than for reading and writing Theweekly average of personal computer use was found to be14 hours This is only home use without taking intoaccount the hours spent at computers at school Some

Left Blank 15

Hindering55

Enhancing 30

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Hours per week

Me

an

Vo

ca

bu

lary

sco

re

BoysGirls

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 10 20 30

Hours per week

Me

an

Co

mp

reh

en

sio

n s

co

re

BoysGirls

students are spending around 30 hours per week surfingthe Internet and playing games

Students often do not require instructions to operateelectronic devices Nowadays the majority of ourstudents do have access to personal computers at homeHowever the schools always seem to be the main targetfor any raised issue concerning the young

Primary and junior secondary students are still in theprocess of developing mentally and physically If schoolsdo not adapt to meet the needs of reading and writing agrowing number of parents will feel alienated by theinadequacies of schooling The lack of talking andlistening of oracy will also create problems in aclassroom situation Goss (1997) argues that the use ofcomputers still requires adequate literacy skills to enablestudents and others to interpret the messages looking forseveral possible meanings fully participating in readingand writing Literacy is a continuous learning process itdoes not stop at the primary or secondary school Thisstudy also needs a follow up in the domestic environmentwhere high use of personal computers is taking place

The important part of human life is when basic skilllearning occurs in the early years The emphasis oflearning today has shifted from literacy to technologybased on the current trends of society and the globaleconomy We have to create a balance to succeed in theteaching of both computer and language literacies Thisarea needs continuous study for technology is advancingand implying changes to all aspects of life

References

AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONALRESEARCH (1997) Progressive Achievement Testsin Reading Comprehension and VocabularyMelbourne ACER

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (1997)Australiansrsquo Literacy Skills Put to the TestsHttpwwwstatisticsgovauwebsitedbs0125nsf(Latest+Release)1OpenDocument

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (1996)Aspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia1996 Catalogue Number 42280 CanberraCommonwealth of Australia

BEYNON J and MACKAY H (1993) MoreQuestions Than Answers In Computers intoClassrooms More Questions Than Answers JBEYNON and H MACKAY (eds) London TheFalmer Press 1ndash18

BURNS R (1997) Introduction to Research MethodsThird Edition Australia Addison Wesley Longman

CHANDLER D (1985) Computers and Literacy InComputers and Literacy D Chandler and SMARCUS (eds) Philadelphia Open University Press1ndash11

DIEPENBROCK C (1999 May) Literacy Definitionshttp1297160115CourseDoesCOMM_30373037handoutsWebpageslitdefhtml 1ndash2

GOSS S (1997 November 25) Learning MoreAboutmdashLiteracy and Access Much More thanReading and Writing Melbourne The Age Education15

HARRIS T and HODGES R (1995) The LiteracyDictionary The Vocabulary of Reading and WritingInternational Reading Association USA

LO BIANCO J (1997) Public Policy and LiteracyResearch Data Will Knowing Lead to Doing InAspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia1996 W MCLENNAN (ed) Australian Bureau ofStatistics Australia Catalogue Number 4228080ndash88

MOULTON-GRAHAM K (1997 October 7) LiteracyDown to a Tee Melbourne The Age EducationSection 2

PAPERT S (1985) Computers for Children In TheInformation Technology Revolution T Forester (ed)Basil Blackwell 229ndash241

Figure 2 Vocabulary A and B and Mean Hours perWeek Spent at Computer

spent on the computer For all students together thecorrelation was -032 The boysrsquo correlation was ndash045boys do spend more time on the computer than the girlsand their reading vocabulary is poorer The resultsindicate that more non-school use of computers is notassisting them to develop further their literacy skills

The Reading Tests A and B results are illustrated inFigure 3

Figure 3 Reading Comprehension A and B and MeanHours per Week Spent at Computer

Figure 4 Parentsrsquo Opinions on the Benefits of RegularComputer Use

The boys also demonstrated weakerresults than the girls in theircomprehension test with acorrelation of -035 In contrast thegirls demonstrated bettercomprehension skills than the boysOn the scatter plot graph themajority of the boys fall into thesame pattern Frequent computeruse has suggested a negativeimpact on the development of theirreading comprehension skills

In this pilot study the teachers andparents also expressed theirconcern about the studentsrsquocapability of exploiting their skillsin the electronic medium They are

knowledgeable in this area at a very young age Their useof computers has not been counter-productive in areaswhere basic learning skills should be developing

The parents were asked whether their childrenrsquos use ofcomputers was hindering or enhancing their readingcomprehension and vocabulary skills Their responses areshown in Figure 4

55 of parents felt that regular use of computers washindering the development of their children literacyskills by contrast 30 felt that it was enhancing their

learning outcomes whereas 15remained undecided

Some teachers are also findingtheir students are reading less thanthey used to The students are moreinterested in playing games Oneparticular teacher commentedWhen I take them to the library fora research project the studentsrsquopreference is to use the computersrather than reading books Someteachers commented thatcomputers have had an impact onreading comprehension andvocabulary skills They are turningto computers when opportunityarises specifically using the

Internet This leads students to comprehension problemsIt is the lack of concentration the students aredisplaying in any comprehension activities

Conclusion

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the development ofreading vocabulary and comprehension skills thatvary between the boys and the girls in the sameage group This suggests that the computers mighthave a negative impact on young people who arestill in a process of learning and developing their

basic language literacy skills Their preference for usingcomputers is far greater than for reading and writing Theweekly average of personal computer use was found to be14 hours This is only home use without taking intoaccount the hours spent at computers at school Some

Left Blank 15

Hindering55

Enhancing 30

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Hours per week

Me

an

Vo

ca

bu

lary

sco

re

BoysGirls

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 10 20 30

Hours per week

Me

an

Co

mp

reh

en

sio

n s

co

re

BoysGirls

students are spending around 30 hours per week surfingthe Internet and playing games

Students often do not require instructions to operateelectronic devices Nowadays the majority of ourstudents do have access to personal computers at homeHowever the schools always seem to be the main targetfor any raised issue concerning the young

Primary and junior secondary students are still in theprocess of developing mentally and physically If schoolsdo not adapt to meet the needs of reading and writing agrowing number of parents will feel alienated by theinadequacies of schooling The lack of talking andlistening of oracy will also create problems in aclassroom situation Goss (1997) argues that the use ofcomputers still requires adequate literacy skills to enablestudents and others to interpret the messages looking forseveral possible meanings fully participating in readingand writing Literacy is a continuous learning process itdoes not stop at the primary or secondary school Thisstudy also needs a follow up in the domestic environmentwhere high use of personal computers is taking place

The important part of human life is when basic skilllearning occurs in the early years The emphasis oflearning today has shifted from literacy to technologybased on the current trends of society and the globaleconomy We have to create a balance to succeed in theteaching of both computer and language literacies Thisarea needs continuous study for technology is advancingand implying changes to all aspects of life

References

AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONALRESEARCH (1997) Progressive Achievement Testsin Reading Comprehension and VocabularyMelbourne ACER

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (1997)Australiansrsquo Literacy Skills Put to the TestsHttpwwwstatisticsgovauwebsitedbs0125nsf(Latest+Release)1OpenDocument

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (1996)Aspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia1996 Catalogue Number 42280 CanberraCommonwealth of Australia

BEYNON J and MACKAY H (1993) MoreQuestions Than Answers In Computers intoClassrooms More Questions Than Answers JBEYNON and H MACKAY (eds) London TheFalmer Press 1ndash18

BURNS R (1997) Introduction to Research MethodsThird Edition Australia Addison Wesley Longman

CHANDLER D (1985) Computers and Literacy InComputers and Literacy D Chandler and SMARCUS (eds) Philadelphia Open University Press1ndash11

DIEPENBROCK C (1999 May) Literacy Definitionshttp1297160115CourseDoesCOMM_30373037handoutsWebpageslitdefhtml 1ndash2

GOSS S (1997 November 25) Learning MoreAboutmdashLiteracy and Access Much More thanReading and Writing Melbourne The Age Education15

HARRIS T and HODGES R (1995) The LiteracyDictionary The Vocabulary of Reading and WritingInternational Reading Association USA

LO BIANCO J (1997) Public Policy and LiteracyResearch Data Will Knowing Lead to Doing InAspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia1996 W MCLENNAN (ed) Australian Bureau ofStatistics Australia Catalogue Number 4228080ndash88

MOULTON-GRAHAM K (1997 October 7) LiteracyDown to a Tee Melbourne The Age EducationSection 2

PAPERT S (1985) Computers for Children In TheInformation Technology Revolution T Forester (ed)Basil Blackwell 229ndash241

students are spending around 30 hours per week surfingthe Internet and playing games

Students often do not require instructions to operateelectronic devices Nowadays the majority of ourstudents do have access to personal computers at homeHowever the schools always seem to be the main targetfor any raised issue concerning the young

Primary and junior secondary students are still in theprocess of developing mentally and physically If schoolsdo not adapt to meet the needs of reading and writing agrowing number of parents will feel alienated by theinadequacies of schooling The lack of talking andlistening of oracy will also create problems in aclassroom situation Goss (1997) argues that the use ofcomputers still requires adequate literacy skills to enablestudents and others to interpret the messages looking forseveral possible meanings fully participating in readingand writing Literacy is a continuous learning process itdoes not stop at the primary or secondary school Thisstudy also needs a follow up in the domestic environmentwhere high use of personal computers is taking place

The important part of human life is when basic skilllearning occurs in the early years The emphasis oflearning today has shifted from literacy to technologybased on the current trends of society and the globaleconomy We have to create a balance to succeed in theteaching of both computer and language literacies Thisarea needs continuous study for technology is advancingand implying changes to all aspects of life

References

AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONALRESEARCH (1997) Progressive Achievement Testsin Reading Comprehension and VocabularyMelbourne ACER

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (1997)Australiansrsquo Literacy Skills Put to the TestsHttpwwwstatisticsgovauwebsitedbs0125nsf(Latest+Release)1OpenDocument

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (1996)Aspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia1996 Catalogue Number 42280 CanberraCommonwealth of Australia

BEYNON J and MACKAY H (1993) MoreQuestions Than Answers In Computers intoClassrooms More Questions Than Answers JBEYNON and H MACKAY (eds) London TheFalmer Press 1ndash18

BURNS R (1997) Introduction to Research MethodsThird Edition Australia Addison Wesley Longman

CHANDLER D (1985) Computers and Literacy InComputers and Literacy D Chandler and SMARCUS (eds) Philadelphia Open University Press1ndash11

DIEPENBROCK C (1999 May) Literacy Definitionshttp1297160115CourseDoesCOMM_30373037handoutsWebpageslitdefhtml 1ndash2

GOSS S (1997 November 25) Learning MoreAboutmdashLiteracy and Access Much More thanReading and Writing Melbourne The Age Education15

HARRIS T and HODGES R (1995) The LiteracyDictionary The Vocabulary of Reading and WritingInternational Reading Association USA

LO BIANCO J (1997) Public Policy and LiteracyResearch Data Will Knowing Lead to Doing InAspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia1996 W MCLENNAN (ed) Australian Bureau ofStatistics Australia Catalogue Number 4228080ndash88

MOULTON-GRAHAM K (1997 October 7) LiteracyDown to a Tee Melbourne The Age EducationSection 2

PAPERT S (1985) Computers for Children In TheInformation Technology Revolution T Forester (ed)Basil Blackwell 229ndash241