Does Public Investment in ICTs Improve Learning Performance? Evidence From Italy

This article provides a detailed and robust estimate of the impact of three different digital technologies (interactive whiteboards, wireless connections, and mobile devices) on Italian language and mathematics performance in lower secondary schools in Italy. Our analysis of longitudinal data from 2010 to 2014 shows that no significant effects emerge at a national level from increased stocks of any of the three technologies, confirming the existing literature. However, when controlling for geographical area, we show that all three technologies had a positive effect on mathematics results in the north of Italy, with a detrimental effect in the south. We find that the positive effect in the north was driven by low-attaining schools, while the negative impact in the south was driven by higher attaining schools. No effects were found on Italian language performance, except for a slightly positive impact in the lowest-achieving schools in all geographical areas. The significance of these results is discussed with regards to future public intervention and research in this field.

This paper estimated "the effect of the increase in schools’ stock of three specific technologies (IWBs, Wi-Fi connection, and mobile devices) on learning outcomes in mathematics and Italian language, controlling for fixed effects. The results show that at a national level no significant impact emerges for any of the three technologies considered. These results challenge the—often implicit—assumption that the provision of ICT exerts an important influence on school learning levels. At first sight, it appears that policies aimed at the rapid introduction of ICTs in schools are not avoiding the destiny of every tool in the history of school technology, that is, of failing to fulfill the expectations they had fostered (Cuban, 1986). This is all the more relevant in the light of experimental research showing that other kinds of educational interventions (e.g., self-reported grades, classroom discussion, self-questioning) show a greater impact on learning (see Hattie, 2009). [...] However, the second part of our study adds relevant detail that shows how this general finding conceals different impacts in the different subgroups of our sample. Indeed, an analysis by geographical areas shows that—as far as mathematics is concerned—schools in northern Italy seem to benefit from the increase of their technology stock, with no significant results emerging in the center, and even a negative effect being visible in the south of Italy. In this way, in poorer areas of the country, technology seems to be not only irrelevant but even detrimental to learning outcomes. (Gui et al., 2018, pp. 153-154)