An analysis of the relationship of educational technology implementation level and student achievement

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between level of implementation of educational technology and student achievement. Previous investigations of this relationship have produced mixed results. Three research questions were developed. The first asked about a relationship between educational technology implementation and student achievement in reading, the second asked about a relationship between mathematics achievement and technology implementation, and the third questioned whether a relationship existed between social studies achievement and technology implementation.;The population was Texas public school campuses with grades 6-8. The units of analysis for the study were data aggregated at the campus level. The percentage of students passing the state-mandated standardized tests for eighth grade students for reading, mathematics, and social studies served as the dependent variables. The independent variables were based on four educational technology constructs. These four constructs were defined by the four domains on the Campus School Technology and Readiness (STaR) Chart. The Campus STaR Chart is a self-assessment instrument that serves as a measure of campus educational technology implementation. The four domains are: (1) teaching and learning, (2) educator preparation and development, (3) administration and support services; and (4) infrastructure for technology.;Control variables for the regression analyses were the percentage of students who were classified by the state as economically disadvantaged (SES), the percentage of students who were classified as limited English proficient (LEP), and the per pupil instructional expenditures per campus.;The results showed that educational technology implementation as measured by the Campus STaR Chart had no effect on student achievement in core academic areas (p>.05) when SES, LEP, and instructional expenditures were controlled. The areas of achievement in this study were limited to core subject areas, leaving other areas such as knowledge gained about technology open for additional investigation. Results of this study support the idea that level of technology implementation may enhance knowledge of technology without sacrificing academic achievement in core academic subjects.