Title of Study:  Laptops and Fourth-Grade Literacy: Assisting the Jump over the Fourth-Grade Slump

Author(s): Kurt Suhr, David Hernandez, Douglas Grimes, Mark Warschauer

Summary:
This study investigated the efficacy of a 1:1 laptop program on reading development in upper elementary students, with a focus on the transition from learning to read to reading to learn that often results in the slowdown in literacy development known as the fourth-grade slump.

Sponsoring entity(s): Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative at Boston College

Date conducted: 2010

Location of the study: This study can be accessed through the Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment website.

Setting(s) addressed:

• Classroom
• Home use of laptops

Targeted population(s):

• Upper elementary

Primary sources of evidence used in the study or report:

• California Standards Test (CST) language arts scaled scores
• Student and teacher surveys
• Teacher interviews
• Classroom observations
• Teacher and student document artifacts

Primary Technology Application(s) Addressed:

• Laptop computers

Major education topic(s) addressed:

• Reading
• Writing

Major findings/conclusions:

• Teachers reported high levels of student engagement in the laptop classrooms, and about 80% of students reported schoolwork was more interesting when using their laptops.
  
  
• Students in the laptop program improved their CST language arts scores in both the first and second year of the laptop program, but the difference in improvement from the control group was not statistically significant.
  
  
• Students in the laptop program significantly outperformed the control group in two of the five subtests – literary response and analysis and writing strategies after two years in the program.