ESRI research on effects of broadband in primary and post-primary schools in Ireland
Seán LyonsPresentation to INDIE, 3 March 2015
ESRI Programme of Research in Communications Research programme in its sixth year Part-funded by DCENR and ComReg Current research topics include
Identifying and measuring effects of broadband in primary and post-primary schools
Examining the effect of government-supported infrastructures on inward investment and on local competition in telecoms
Modelling the retail market for broadband service
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(A) Broadband for Primary Schools Mixed evidence from international research on effects of
broadband on student performance in primary schools DoES capital expenditure on ICT for schools was about
€13m between 2005 and 2008. “Broadband for Schools”“The Schools ICT Programme supports high quality teaching and learning and feeds into building a knowledge economy.” (DoES Capital Investment Programme 2012–2016.)
Quasi-experiment possible since initial programme overlapped with GUI data collection period
Questions:1. Was the internet used more in primary school
classrooms that received broadband for schools investment?
2. Do children in classes where the internet is used have higher academic performance?
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Research questions
Step 1 Hypothesis: better broadband service increases use of
internet in schools, possibly with a lag Thus probability of observing internet use in the classroom
will be positively affected by broadband availability, and this effect may increase with time since BB delivered
Other factors may affect probability of internet use too, e.g. BB quality (+), density of computers in school (+) and quality of computing facilities (+)
Step 2 Hypothesis: internet use in classroom improves academic
performance Other possible confounding factors such as child’s
socioeconomic background, home computer use, gender and home reading need to be incorporated
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Method and results
Econometric models estimated on linked data from Growing up in Ireland and DES
Having had Broadband for Schools service for at least 2 years was associated with more than doubling of classroom internet use
Classroom internet use associated with 8% higher reading test logit score and 13% higher maths test logit score Scale of maths model coefficient roughly equal to primary carer
getting degree rather than Leaving Cert No robust associations found with broadband speed or technology Expected associations with household income, parental education,
social class, intellectual disability Paper with Mary Silles (Hull U) and Richard Layte (TCD) forthcoming
in Economic & Social Review
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(B) Effect of 100Mb/s broadband in post-primary schools
Government has just completed implementation of a programme to install 100 Mbit/s broadband to post-primaries
Programme was developed to support various information society and educational objectives
In particular, expected to contribute to teaching and learning by supporting more and better use of ICT
Future development of ICT in education can be assisted by assessing measures such as this
Technical and qualitative studies provide some information, but there is also a role for rigorous quantitative evidence
By collecting structured data before and after rollout, effects can be quantified
ESRI working with DCENR, DES and PDST to do quantitative and mixed methods assessments
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Methodology and data
Overall Goal: identify and measure effects on teaching and learning of having better broadband connectivity
Also allow for other possible influences such as socioeconomic conditions
Sample: 436 post-primary schools in Ireland Sources:
Surveys of principals and teachers Interviews/focus groups in case study schools Administrative data
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Survey component
Two groups of schools: (Group 1, 2013) Dublin, Kildare, Meath and (Group 2, 2014) Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Limerick
2 surveys: Principal Survey Teacher Survey [English, Maths, Science/Biology]
Completion online or hard copy Background/demographic information ICT infrastructure in school Use of ICT E-learning plan Challenges re. internet Teaching approaches ICT-related skills Student engagement
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Mixed Methods Research
Qualitative Phase: In-depth interviews with a nationwide sample of (c.10) schools
covering opinions towards the benefits and barriers of ICT use in school since the installation of 100Mb broadband.
Interviews include people from every level of the school:
They provide detailed opinions on topics such as:
Principals Teachers
ICT Co-ordinators Students (Junior + Senior Cycle)
Benefits of ICT Barriers to ICT Digital Identity Teacher Training
Home-School Connectivity
ICT and School Ethos
Junior-Senior Cycle
Role of ICT Co-ordinator
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Administrative Data
Broadband speed before programme implemented and content filtering level applied
Socioeconomic background etc. of areas (ESRI) Administrative Data on second-level schools:
DEIS status School size School type (secondary, vocational, community/
comprehensive) Gender mix
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Attitudes Towards ICT
Vast majority of principals and teachers recognise the value of ICT: Value of computers/internet in teaching and learning ICT has changed the way teachers teach ICT is an important tool
Perceived Impact on student learning: Can enhance student participation Can enhance collaboration among students Assists in developing independent learning Positively impacts on student achievement
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Principals’ Views
High impact Significant Impact
Low Impact I don't foresee any notable
impact
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Expected Impact of High Speed Broadband on Teaching and Learning (Principals)
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Principals’ Views
strongly agree
agree neither agree/
disagree
disagree strongly disagree
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Teachers Recognise the Value of Com-puters/Internet in Teaching and Learning
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Current ICT Usage
Teachers use curriculum-relevant online resources for lesson preparation
In total: 74% frequently/always Greater in DEIS schools
Teachers use ICT to support a range of student learning styles
In total: 56% frequently/always Greater in Group 1 (Dublin area) schools
Students use ICT in classroom In total: 28% frequently/always in teachers’ main
subject Communicating with students/parents via email,
publishing students’ work online, using social networks in class, collaborate with other teachers and experts in other locations etc. don’t feature significantly
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Perceived Barriers
Internet availability/broadband (speed) Resources/equipment availability
Maintenance also a prominent concern (42% dissatisfied) Technical support; issue in a majority of schools (62%
consider technical support inadequate) Bigger concern in Group 2 (rural schools)
Teacher skills and confidence Principals: 54% insufficient ICT skills among teachers acts as
barrier to ICT usage 78% of teachers rate their ICT knowledge in main subject as
good or very good
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Principals’ Views
strongly agree
agree neither agree/
disagree
disagree strongly disagree
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Lack of Confidence among Teachers Using the Internet is a Barrier
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Teachers’ Views
strongly agree
agree neither agree/
disagree
disagree strongly disagree
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
I am Confident in Using the Internet to Meet Teaching Goals
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Composite Measures
Many factors in the survey give correlated results To allow for analysis of latent factors underlying these
answers, we carry out a factor analysis A range of composite factors is constructed, including
Use of ICT to support teaching Use of ICT to support individualised learning Sufficient resources, equipment? Sufficient skills, confidence? Internet availability? Sufficient tech support?
We then use regression analysis to see how use of ICT is associated with other factors and school characteristics
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Some early findings…
Across all schools vast majority are positive about the value and potential of ICT in teaching and learning Group 2 (rural) schools greater expectations re. student impact
More use in preparing lessons than in teaching/learning Teacher training positive assoc. with usage
Some variation in perceived barriers Differences across school contexts Positive role of planning and whole school approach
e-learning plans associated with greater ICT usage and more positive views of ICT value, supporting teaching and supporting learning diversity
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Next steps Mixed methods study in progress Post-installation wave of survey (Q2 2015) Analyse and write up results (Q3-Q4 2015) Present and publish results Future work
In education: Focus on remaining barriers? Primary school teaching and learning?
Other: Interested in collaborating on field experiments to measure effects of ICT on households and firms
Contacts: Seán Lyons, [email protected] (telecoms markets, broadband
adoption, effects); Selina McCoy, [email protected] (education) 21
Annex: School Profiles DEIS status: 28% DEIS
School Type: 23% girls’ secondary 17% boys’ secondary 16% coed secondary 33% vocational 10% community/comprehensive
School Size: 31% 600+ students 31% 400-599 students 29% 200-399 students 10% less than 200 students
E-Learning Plan: 41% of schools Connection speed: 18% connection speed lower than
10Mbps prior to broadband rollout
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