MANAGING THE IMPLEMENTATION IN SCHOOLS OF ICT AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOL STUDENTS

The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching is a goal that education systems across the world strive for, in both developed and developing countries. However, ICT integration has not been found prevalent and consistent in empirical studies in the past three decades. Although many of these studies have examined the application of ICT and its effects on teaching and the achievement of learning objectives, empirical information is still lacking on the relationship between ICT integration and the ability to realize its potential benefits regarding students’ achievement. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to review the current empirical research examining the impact of ICT implementation in schools on students’ academic achievements. The conclusion drawn from empirical research findings in the past two decades is that they tend to be consequential to the research approach from which they derive, and that a robust and distinct effect of ICT application on students’ academic achievement cannot be determined. Additionally, findings reinforce the claim that the greatest impact on students’ academic outcomes following the use of ICT is not significantly influenced by internal factors in students, but more by factors related to the teachers, the learning environment and opportunities and the school administration. Furthermore, a large proportion of these factors are, in turn, a subject of a certain cultural and social context. Consequentially, the association between ICT integration in a given educational system and the expected results of the process, is the product of a complex relationship between many factors, educational, cultural and social, and a successful ICT assimilation process has to be one that takes these factors into account. These findings highlight the need for further empirical research that will expand the current theoretical and practical knowledge on this issue. In addition, these findings need to be taken into account by policymakers as well as education professionals.