The Impact of Computer Use on Literacy in Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Skills

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1 The Impact of Computer Use on Literacy in Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Skills Odette Radi Department of Science and Mathematics Education The University of Melbourne Parkville, 31, Australia Abstract This paper presents a pilot study. It was set to investigate a small sample of subjects in a junior high school on whether the increased use of computers, both in domestic and school environments, has affected the students development of literacy in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. This stemmed from personal observation as a classroom teacher in the computer studies area. Progressively, the availability of personal computers is increasing. Students began to display more interest in using the computers rather than reading and writing in class. Teachers also expressed their concern about the decline of literacy skills that our students are demonstrating through their submitted work. The data reveals that the majority of students under study have access to personal computers. They are more or less exploiting the hardware as well as the software applications without the assistance of computer manuals. They are spending more time at their workstations playing games rather than reading a variety of printed texts which might benefit the development of their basic comprehension and vocabulary skills. The parents responses were for and against the use of computers. The majority of them felt that their children were spending more time using the computer than reading any type of printed text. The high use of computers is not allowing their children to develop their literacy skills as expected at this age. Spending their time exploring the microelectronic medium is good for developing computer literacy but not language literacy. Nevertheless, the parents had been convinced of the necessity of technology in their domestic environment for their children s needs. This area requires further study on a wider scale for the vast advancement in computer use is still increasing. The transformation is occurring faster than the society can adapt to it.. Introduction This paper is based on a pilot study focusing on a small sample of 54 Year 8 students, aged 13 to 14 years in a coeducational, intermediate metropolitan school in Victoria, Australia. The study was set to measure whether the increased use of computers, both at home and at school, has affected the development of literacy in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. No other factors have been investigated, such as cultural background, family life, television time, sports activities, or Copyright 22, Australian Computer Society, Inc. This paper was presented at the Seventh World Conference on Computers in Education, Copenhagen, July 29 August 3, 21. Reproduction for academic, not-for profit purposes permitted provided this text is included. background history, nor have background samples been compared. Since computers began to play a major part in industry, changes began to take place in the school curriculum as well. Not every school was able to provide computer laboratories to cater for every student s learning needs. Gradually, parents obtained personal computers for their children to keep up with the vastly advancing technology. Schools began to network their classrooms and wire them up to the Internet. The purchasing of computers has dramatically increased. Computers in the education and domestic environments have become a common place for both teaching and learning. Our students need to develop and acquire computer skills in preparation for current and future employment with rapidly advancing technologies in the workplace. Purpose of the Study The main focus of the study stemmed from personal observation over years as a classroom teacher in the area of computer studies. With the increased use of computers in both domestic and school environments, students have displayed more interest in the use of computers. Their vocabulary and comprehension skills appear to have shifted emphasis from reading the printed text to the use of the electronic medium. This shift has had a bearing on the development of literacy skills that may decrease the influence of printed text. During this study, a national survey was released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 1997, and the results of the Survey of Aspects of Literacy (SAL) created a storm of controversy by revealing that a number of Australians, including 15 to 19 year olds, have demonstrated inadequate literacy skills (in reading and writing) (ABS Media Release 1997). The overall result indicated that reading and writing practices have changed through time. This change has been attributed to the influence of increased use of technology (Lo Bianco 1997). A literature review was carried out to investigate perspectives regarding the extent of computer use and the adequacy of literacy skills. There has been considerable disagreement on issues concerning the scale and pace of change that is likely to be associated with increased use of computers at home as well as in the education system (Beynon and Mackay 1993). The degree to which education participation incorporates computer use in all learning areas will depend on the educational and training

2 infrastructure. However, the diversity of literacy issues including language and computer literacy is of continuing interest, especially in the way these literacies affect each other. Defining Language and Computer Literacies There have been many attempts to define levels of literacy which have led to phrases such as functional literacy, information literacy, language literacy, cultural literacy, critical literacy and so forth, with an additional term of computer literacy (Diepenbrock 1999). Computer literacy is more apparent in contemporary society. The acquisition of computer skills is as important as language literacy to parents, students, scholars, educators and industry. The distinction between the two is that computer literacy involves physical use of equipment (peripherals and software applications) and language literacy is a broad term used to indicate the importance and minimum ability of individuals to read and write in a designated language used in everyday life. In current usage, the term [language literacy] implies an interaction between social demands and individual competence. Generally speaking, this involves a set of structures ranging from individual skills, abilities and knowledge, to social practices and functional competencies, to ideological values and political goals (Harris and Hodges 1995: ). Language Literacy and the Impact of Computer Literacy Literacy acquisition determines the relationship between cognitive skills (perception and memory) and reading skills (decoding and comprehension). This can range from word identification, word recognition and decoding to understanding the intent of the person who wrote the passage. The new Literacy Dictionary (Harris and Hodges 1995: ) defines both word recognition and word identification as the process of determining the pronunciation and some degree of meaning of an unknown word. The influence and impact of computers on children, according to Chandler (1985), is based on the regular availability of computers in domestic environments. Undoubtedly, when computers become more affordable, more children will begin their schooling already able to use a keyboard and a mouse but unable to write with a pen. Many groups in our society, such as parents and employers, have expressed their concerns about the importance of introducing computer literacy within the education system (Papert 1985). In response, the schools began to equip their classrooms with computers, and gradually encouraged their use in all subject areas. Alongside this, the parents also felt the need to purchase computers for their children. Beynon et al. (1993) argued that by technologizing, schools are emphasising computer-pupil interactions that are often characterising as progressive, exploratory and child-centred. However, this may paradoxically distance and isolate the child from adequately developing language literacy in order to fully function in a social setting. Research Methodology The research and data gathering for this study was based on ethnographic research. The word ethnography literally means writing about people. In a broad sense, ethnography encompasses any study of a group of people for the purpose of describing their socio-cultural activities and patterns. (Burns1997: 297). Throughout the study, the research applied the ethnographic method to test the hypothesis by engaging in a variety of techniques and strategies for the collection of data. The fieldwork incorporated participant observation, triangulation, interviewing, surveying and qualitative analysis. The emphasis has also incorporated quantitative techniques in generating and developing the final analysis. The first technique of data collection involved participant observation and note taking. This was done in the English classes away from computer equipment. During the fieldwork, the students felt comfortable participating in the study with an investigator that they knew rather than a total stranger. The strategies employed were to observe students performance and participation in class activities under different contexts and settings. This type of strategy enabled me to observe and note students behaviour. Notes were taken on students adaptability to different classroom settings and teaching strategies. By contrast, in teaching computer studies across the year levels (Years 7 1), the majority of the class time is spent in hands on practical work in a different setting in the computer laboratory. Field notes were also recorded within the school environment. Separation by gender was noticeable inside and outside the classrooms and seemed to be a socialcultural factor of the school community. The second ethnographic technique was to interview the students (participants). The interviews were based on the length of period the students spent in front of the computer, their reasons for having a computer and their preference of software applications. The collected data was used to validate the reliability of the literacy assessment and had been applied to the theoretical issues as discussed in this paper. Teacher interviews were devised to establish the validity of computer impact on the students development of literacy skills. The emphasis on language literacy has been directed and integrated through the use of computers and the availability of suitable software applications. Throughout the study, a triangulation technique was also used to improve the validity of the data collected. A parents survey was also conducted to validate further the data provided by the students. A quantitative method was used to correlate the results of administered reading tests as measured against the frequency and type of computer use. The assessment was based on a Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading

3 Vocabulary and Comprehension A and B prepared by the Australian Council for Educational Research. Results of the Study The students interviews revealed that 92% of students had access at home to a personal computer. No comparison was made between students who had home access to computers and those who did not. All students had access to school computers and to their friends computers when they were not at school. The interviews and parent survey identified what the students used the computers for and for how long. Parents were asked to estimate the hours per week that were spent on each use which they identified. The distribution of the results is shown in Figure 1. Data in Figure 1 indicates that 43 % of students are using their personal computers for both schoolwork and games comparing to 31% who were using it only for games. There is no comparison made of the amount of schoolwork output as measured against the amount of time playing games. Only 2% of students use their personal computers purely for schoolwork. This suggests that many students at this age are inclined to use their personal computer for amusement only. Number of Students Games Games and Internet W, games and Internet Work Figure 1: Use of Personal Computers Work and games Another point was raised that computers are limited and do not allow for additional personal creativity to our work. The students also stated that they only used the features and tools included in the program for work presentation. The computers process the information faster than we can. Therefore, computer allows us to do our work quicker and easier. The students are realising and discovering the instructions are repetitive without additional reading while playing games or reading over their own work. Another feature that was investigated was how frequently the students are using their personal computers at home. Table 1 illustrates the frequencies of the usage of computers: 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 home managed to use their friends computers when time permits. Their main uses were working on group projects and playing games. However, 54% of students used their personal computers on a daily basis. They mainly played games and surfed the Internet. Simultaneously, the students comments were that they are not learning much from using the computer for their use of vocabulary is changing. Especially, when they are chatting electronically to people Games Not applicable around the world they use abbreviations like u instead of you, 4 rather than for; many other words are abbreviated in this manner. This is a new language that the students are learning which could influence their basic vocabulary skills. Moulton- Graham (1997) points out that when we are surrounded by print as well as by sound, we are part of a reading and writing community and our literacies are social practices. When it comes to printing text, specifically in electronic communication, the print is becoming ad-speak and therefore unconventionally spelt. The results of the Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading Vocabulary and Comprehension were as follows. The mean scores of the percentile were calculated for the two parts of Reading Vocabulary A and B. Then the correlation coefficients were calculated. The results are presented in Figure 2. Figure 2 indicates that there is a negative correlation between the results of the administered tests and the time

4 Mean Vocabulary score Figure 2: Vocabulary A and B and Mean Hours per Week Spent at Computer spent on the computer. For all students together the correlation was The boys correlation was.45; boys do spend more time on the computer than the girls and their reading vocabulary is poorer. The results indicate that more non-school use of computers is not assisting them to develop further their literacy skills. The Reading Tests A and B results are illustrated in Figure 3: Mean Comprehension score Hours per week Hours per week Figure 3: Reading Comprehension A and B and Mean Hours per Week Spent at Computer Boys Girls The boys also demonstrated weaker results than the girls in their comprehension test with a correlation of In contrast, the girls demonstrated better comprehension skills than the boys. On the scatter plot graph, the majority of the boys fall into the same pattern. Frequent computer use has suggested a negative impact on the development of their reading comprehension skills. In this pilot study, the teachers and parents also expressed their concern about the students capability of exploiting their skills in the electronic medium. They are knowledgeable in this area at a very young age. Their use of computers has not been counter-productive in areas where basic learning skills should be developing. The parents were asked whether their children s use of computers was hindering or enhancing their reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. Their responses are shown in Figure 4. 55% of parents felt that regular use of computers was hindering the development of their children literacy skills; by contrast 3% felt that it was enhancing their learning outcomes, whereas 15% remained undecided. Boys Girls Some teachers are also finding their students are reading less than they used to. The students are more interested in playing games. One particular teacher commented When I take them to the library for a research project, the students preference is to use the computers rather than reading books. Some teachers commented that computers have had an impact on reading comprehension and vocabulary skills. They are turning to computers when opportunity arises, specifically, using the Internet. This leads students to comprehension problems. It is the lack of concentration the students are displaying in any comprehension activities. Left Blank 15% Hindering 55% Enhancing 3% Figure 4: Parents Opinions on the Benefits of Regular Computer Use Conclusion Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the development of reading vocabulary and comprehension skills that vary between the boys and the girls in the same age group. This suggests that the computers might have a negative impact on young people who are still in a process of learning and developing their basic language literacy skills. Their preference for using computers is far greater than for reading and writing. The weekly average of personal computer use was found to be 14 hours. This is only home use without taking into account the hours spent at computers at school. Some

5 students are spending around 3 hours per week surfing the Internet and playing games. Students often do not require instructions to operate electronic devices. Nowadays, the majority of our students do have access to personal computers at home. However, the schools always seem to be the main target for any raised issue concerning the young. Primary and junior secondary students are still in the process of developing mentally and physically. If schools do not adapt to meet the needs of reading and writing, a growing number of parents will feel alienated by the inadequacies of schooling. The lack of talking and listening, of oracy, will also create problems in a classroom situation. Goss (1997) argues that the use of computers still requires adequate literacy skills to enable students and others to interpret the messages, looking for several possible meanings, fully participating in reading and writing. Literacy is a continuous learning process; it does not stop at the primary or secondary school. This study also needs a follow up in the domestic environment where high use of personal computers is taking place. The important part of human life is when basic skill learning occurs in the early years. The emphasis of learning today has shifted from literacy to technology, based on the current trends of society and the global economy. We have to create a balance to succeed in the teaching of both computer and language literacies. This area needs continuous study, for technology is advancing and implying changes to all aspects of life. GOSS, S. (1997, November 25): Learning More About Literacy and Access: Much More than Reading and Writing. Melbourne, The Age. Education: 15. HARRIS, T. and HODGES, R. (1995): The Literacy Dictionary: The Vocabulary of Reading and Writing. International Reading Association. U.S.A. LO BIANCO, J. (1997): Public Policy and Literacy Research Data: Will Knowing Lead to Doing? In Aspects of Literacy: Assessed Skill Levels Australia W. MCLENNAN (ed). Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia. Catalogue Number 4228.: MOULTON-GRAHAM, K. (1997, October 7): Literacy Down to a Tee. Melbourne The Age. Education Section: 2. PAPERT, S. (1985): Computers for Children. In The Information Technology Revolution. T. Forester (ed). Basil Blackwell: References AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH. (1997): Progressive Achievement Tests in Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary. Melbourne, ACER. AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS. (1997): Australians Literacy Skills Put to the Tests. (Latest+Release)/1?OpenDocument AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS. (1996): Aspects of Literacy Assessed Skill Levels Australia Catalogue Number Canberra, Commonwealth of Australia. BEYNON, J. and MACKAY, H. (1993): More Questions Than Answers. In Computers into Classrooms: More Questions Than Answers. J. BEYNON and H. MACKAY (eds). London, The Falmer Press: BURNS, R. (1997): Introduction to Research Methods. Third Edition, Australia, Addison Wesley Longman. CHANDLER, D. (1985): Computers and Literacy. In Computers and Literacy. D. Chandler and S. MARCUS (eds). Philadelphia, Open University Press: DIEPENBROCK, C. (1999, May): Literacy Definitions. andouts/webpages/litdef.html.: 1 2.