Computer Technology and Human Learning: Review of Recent Quantitative Syntheses
Genevieve Marie Johnson and Julia Ann Johnson
A substantial amount of research on the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction has accumulated during past decades. Because technology evolves rapidly, generalization of past research conclusions to current educational practice is not appropriate. This paper reviews nine quantitative syntheses, published between 2001 and 2005, of the effectiveness of computer technology relative to traditional classroom instruction. While experimental studies with large sample sizes are prerequisite to determination of cause and effect, reviewed syntheses were not consistently of such research design. Nonetheless, the studies collectively reported effect sizes that suggest the superiority of instructional applications of computer technology in many areas including: foreign language learning, higher-level thinking skills, reading, writing, spelling, science, and mathematics.