The impact of digital device usage on educational achievement

: evidence from PISA data

Abstract

Our study explores the relationship between digital device usage and educational achievement, aiming to bring clarity to the mixed findings from previous literature on this topic. By analyzing data from the OECD9s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2009 and 2018 editions, we investigate how digital device usage during and outside classroom lessons impacts educational achievement across three subjects. Our methodology is based on a similar approach used by Falck et al. (2018), using a Correlated Random Effects model (CRE) estimated through Seemingly Unrelated Regressions (SUR). This model allows us to exploit the within-student between-subject variation to control for unobserved student characteristics. Our findings suggest a subject-specific effect, meaning that the impact varies across subjects and whether digital device usage occurs during classroom or outside classroom lessons. We find evidence indicating that not using digital devices incurs a penalty for students, suggesting that the impact of digital device usage depends more on its presence than the amount of time spent using them. Additionally, our results suggest that digital devices can provide additional support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds or those with lower academic performance.

Date of Award	10 May 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Hugo Reis (Supervisor)