Abstract:

The increased hype and hope surrounding the advent of low-cost computing devices, specifically targeted at rural children, calls for scientifically established research to test its impact on education. The study aims at using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve the cognitive empowerment of children through an ICTs in education intervention designed to influence three community aspects of unbiased access, local language, and teacher training. The Extended Technology-Community-Management model is used to establish these community aspects, in addition to literature review and formative findings used to support these claims.

The impact assessment was guided by the cognitive component of the Psychological Empowerment theory, assessed student learning by focusing on three variables of computer self-efficacy, technological literacy and functional literacy. Using quantitative pre- post- intervention surveys, we conducted fieldwork from May 2010 to June 2010 to carry out a quasi-experiment among 77 children, test group (n=46) and control group (n=31), from primary schools in the Himalayan regions of Uttaranchal, India. The ICTE intervention participants in the test group interacted with the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) laptops for a period of four weeks. The results of the two survey questionnaires completed by all children and 5 teachers (T:4, C:1), including descriptive statistics, reliability, exploratory factor analysis, and t-tests, were analyzed. Preliminary findings indicate significantly greater changes in test variables for children exposed to the OLPCs than those of the control group.

Keywords:

Low-cost computers, Learning in primary schools, Technology for Development, Asia, Experiment.