How Are Computers Used?
Students’ reports on the frequency of computer use in science
class are presented in Exhibit
6.13. Internationally, very few students reported frequent
use of computers in any of the science subjects, although somewhat
greater use was found across the countries with general/integrated
science. Computer use was most frequent in the United States, where
21 percent of students reported using computers in science class almost
always or pretty often, compared with eight percent on average internationally.
Use among Benchmarking participants ranged from 12 percent in the
Chicago Public Schools to 35 percent in the Jersey City Public Schools.
Because the Internet provides a wealth of opportunities for students
to collect and analyze information, TIMSS began asking about students’
access to the Internet and whether they used the World Wide Web to
access information for science projects. The data in Exhibit
6.14 indicate great variation in Internet access across
countries and across the Benchmarking participants. Still, the international
averages show about one-quarter of the students with access to the
Internet at school. The international average for using the Internet
to access information for science class on even a monthly basis was
12 percent (less than half those reporting access). For the Benchmarking
jurisdictions, Internet access at school ranged from 31 to 32 percent
in Rochester and Chicago to 98 percent in First in the World and Naperville.
Jurisdictions reporting 30 percent or more of the students accessing
information for science class on a monthly basis were Connecticut,
Massachusetts, the Academy School District, the Delaware Science Coalition,
First in the World, Jersey City, Montgomery County, and Naperville.
In general, Internet use for science projects was more common among
Benchmarking participants than in any of the comparison countries.
