The Use of Technology for Literacy Development

Reporting Summative Assessment Findings to Stakeholders
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Reporting Summative Assessment Findings to Stakeholders
The summative assessment data for 2012-2013 and 2013-2014, which formed the auxiliary analysis sample for the study, provides critical insights into technology's impact on student literacy learning. The Success for All SFA aims to improve elementary children’s reading (of kindergarten to Grade 6) by combining an averagely challenging reading program and whole-school/institutional reform elements and underscoring ongoing learning improvement, enhanced through computerized small-group tutoring and individual tutoring (Quint, 2016). In particular, the SFA facilitator in each of the 19 program schools administered the elementary students with vocabulary and comprehension subsets of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test (GMRT) in the spring of 2013 and 2014, respectively. The Decision Information Resources DIR then collected the Students' scores of the subsets and the respective state readings of achievement test scores and demographic data. Consequently, the findings showed the vocabulary scaled score of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading tests to be 13 in 2013 compared to 14 in 2014. In contrast, the reading comprehension scores were also 13 and 14 in 2013 and 2014, respectively (Quint, 2016). Furthermore, the combined vocabulary and comprehension scores also show a similar significant improvement of 13 to 14 in 2013 and 2014. Similarly, the State Reading Test Z-Score is 13 and 14 for the 2013 and 2014 classes, respectively. Therefore, given the significant improvement of the SFA's vocabulary and comprehension scores, it is undeniable that technology enhances students' literacy learning.
The conclusion is in line with the current research evaluating the impact of ICT in enhancing student literacy and learning outcomes. For example, a 2018 study by Hu et al. assessed the relationship and impact of IT on students' Math, reading/comprehension, and scientific literacy at both student and national levels. On the federal level, the results indicated that the ICT levels of a country positively impact students' academic performance. Furthermore, the results showed that ICT skills positively impacted students' literacy levels in Math, reading or comprehension, and science after controlling for ICT accessibility and application or use (Hu et al., 2018). Hence, the findings imply that students from schools or nations with higher skills in information technology are more likely to perform better in reading and comprehending subjects like Mathematics and Sciences. However, on the contrary, access to and usage of ICT facilities did not significantly correlate with students’ literacy levels in Math, reading and comprehension, and Sciences after controlling for overall ICT skills (Hu et al., 2018). Moreover, the mean ICT availability in schools, including computers with an internet connection, positively correlated with students’ literacy levels in Math, Sciences, Reading, and comprehension. Thus, the study demonstrates that ICT availability in schools plays a crucial role in shaping student literacy levels and academic performance, although not at individual levels. However, the availability of ICT facilities at home negatively correlated with reading and academic performance in Math and Science. Therefore, parents and guardians must appropriately monitor and guide students' use of ICT facilities and online resources for both informative, educative, and leisure or entertainment purposes.
The SFA's findings in state reading and comprehension test Z-scores provide a ground for re-evaluating the impact of ICT access and ICT skills. Hu et al. (2018) show that ICT access and ICT skills have controversially differing effects on basic literacy, scientific literacy, and overall academic performance. ICT skills significantly positively impacted reading, mathematics, and science literacy and performance when controlling for ICT access. In contrast, ICT access did not positively correlate with literacy and performance levels when controlled for ICT skills. The primary reason would relate to the easy accessibility of ICT facilities due to the respective decline of the facilities’ prices and increased ICT investment in many countries and schools; hence students can easily integrate ICT into their learning and daily lives (Hu et al., 2018). However, given the situation, successful ICT integration in education is better determined by foundational digital skills rather than ICT facilities' accessibility, availability, or richness. Consequently, national or institutional ICT skills greatly enhance students' literacy and academic performance. As a result, educators and education policymakers should emphasize improving learners' ICT skills for better literacy and educational outcom...