Can Information Technology Promote Academic Performance of School-aged Children? An Empirical Study Based on CEPS

Abstract

It is inconclusive whether the information technology can promote academic performance of school-aged children. Based on the China Education Panel Survey data provided by the NSRC, we used the method of quasi-experimental of propensity score matching to discuss the net effect of information technology on academic achievements. We found that: i) A significant difference existed in the academic performance between urban and rural school-aged children. The urban students were superior to those from the rural areas, whereas no positive correlation was found between the educational level and family economic condition; ii) Family human capital stock and family size (single child families) were positively correlated with internet usage, but the academic pressure reduced the probability of family Internet usage; iii) PSM revealed the negative impact of information technology on students’ achievements when stratified into urban versus rural, and poverty versus non-poverty. The improvement of Chinese and English was realized indirectly by changing reading habits, while mathematics was directly by taking effective learning time. Our findings implied that a three-party linkage among the government, the school, and the family is required to emphasize the instrumental rationality of the information technology, promote the formation of the Internet learning preference, and support the development of the information technology hardware.