Study: computers may be waste of class time

COMPUTERS and electronic devices have entered almost every part of our lives, including the classroom. But a new study discovers that introducing electronic gadgets into the classroom does not improve student performances at all.

On the contrary, the study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD, 經濟合作暨發展組織) shows that places that do not rely heavily on computers are among the top performers in international tests. Hong Kong is a typical example.

How did they know about this? First, they gathered information to find out how many minutes on average in one day a student uses a computer at school. Then they got information from an international test that checked how students perform in various subjects. By comparing the two sets of data, they discovered some connections between them.

The most amazing finding is that “students who use computers very frequently at school do a lot worse in most learning outcomes.” So, be careful!