Relationship of technology skill competencies and reading and math standardized test scores

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between technology skills and academic achievement among eighth-grade students. Previous studies investigated the relationship between the use of technology as a teaching tool and student outcomes, but none had specifically examined students' technology skill competencies with their reading and math scores on standardized tests. Three research questions were developed regarding: (1) the relationship between students' scores on a technology skills assessment and their scores on standardized reading and math tests, (2) if there was a difference in technology skills between students with both school and home computer access and students with only school computer access, and (3) the relationship between students' technology skills and the number of technology courses taken in middle school. The population consisted of all eighth-grade students in one middle school in a school district located in a Midwestern state. Students were placed into five subgroups based on their reading and math scores: (a) above grade level in both reading and math, (b) above grade level in reading, but below grade level in math, (c) below grade level in reading, but above grade level in math, (d) below grade level in both reading and math, and (e) right at grade level in both reading and math. A total of 25.8% of the target population, 87 students, was included in the quantitative causal-comparative study. The study found that there was a significant correlation between students' technology skills and their reading and math scores on standardized tests. Statistical tests showed that as either the reading or math score increased, the technology skill score would as well. However, it should be noted that the reading scores had much stronger correlations to the technology skills test than the math scores. The study also discovered those students who had computer access both at home and at school had a considerably higher technology score than those students who only had computer access at school. In addition, the study found that as the number of technology courses taken during middle school increased, the technology skill test score increased as well.