Results of "2023 Fact-finding Survey on Children's Utilization of ICT"
About 80% of School Children Enjoy Classes Using ICT Devices
Most children use ICT for "inquiry-based learning" and "cooperative learning";
Frequent users are more likely to appreciate the benefits of ICT
The Institute of Social Science, the University of Tokyo (Location: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President: Teruo Fujii) and the Benesse Educational Research & Development Institute (BERD) launched a joint research project to clarify the present aspects of "Everyday Life and Learning of Children" in 2014. The BERD is an in-house think tank of Benesse Corporation (Headquarters: Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Hitoshi Kobayashi). The project has been conducting a longitudinal survey on approximately 21,000 parent-child pairs for nine years, starting in 2015. The samples comprise children in the 1st through 12th grade (i.e., elementary school: 1st to 6th grade; junior high school: 7th to 9th grade; senior high school: 10th to 12th grade) and their parents.
In 2023, from February to March, we conducted the "2023 Fact-finding Survey on Children's Utilization of ICT," targeting 9,182 children in the 4th through 12th grade who have been participating in this project. An increasing number of schools have introduced ICT devices in classrooms through the GIGA School Program initiated by the Japanese government. "GIGA" stands for Global and Innovation Gateway for All, aiming to provide "one device per child with a high-speed network in schools." In addition, more and more children are using ICT devices such as PCs, tablets, and smartphones outside school. The use of ICT devices is spreading among young children more than ever. Based on such situations, we conducted an online questionnaire survey to understand children's attitude and usage of ICT devices and also to seek better ways to utilize ICT in education.
We analyzed the data with a specific focus on children's usage of ICT devices. The result showed that about 80% of children answered they "enjoy classes using ICT devices." Children have a positive attitude toward the use of ICT. We also found that children who often receive teachings on ICT usage are more likely to appreciate the usefulness of ICT. This result indicates that teachers' assistance is essential to enhance children's learning with ICT devices. However, more than 50% of children have experienced troubles using ICT devices, such as "eye fatigue," "Internet connection failures," and "worry about damaging ICT devices." We hope our survey results will contribute to finding better ways to utilize ICT devices in and out of schools.
Survey results are summarized as follows:
- Frequency of ICT usage About 30% of children answered they "use ICT devices five days a week (almost daily)"
- As for the frequency of using ICT devices at school, about 30% of children answered, "5 days a week (almost daily)," and about 20% answered "3-4 days a week". Overall, 4th through 6th grade students use ICT devices more frequently compared to senior high school students. Figure 1
- Attitude toward ICT usage: About 80% of children answered they "enjoy classes using ICT devices"
- About 80% of children answered they "enjoy classes using ICT devices." Furthermore, about 60% answered they "want more classes using ICT devices" (the sum of "Strongly agree" and "Somewhat agree"). There is no difference whatsoever in terms of basic academic performance; however in the aspect of usage, a significant difference exists. Figures 2-1 & 2-2
- Purposes for ICT usage: About 90% of children use ICT devices for "inquiry-based learning," and more than 60% of children use them for "cooperative learning," such as to "form and convey own thoughts to others" and "share ideas with peers"
- 87.1% of children answered they "use ICT devices for inquiry-based learning," and more than 60% of children for "cooperative learning," such as to "form and convey own thoughts to others" and "share ideas with peers." Meanwhile, there are variations in children's purposes for using ICT depending on educational stages. For example, elementary school students are more likely to use ICT to "study school subjects," while high school children are more likely to use ICT to "memorize learning contents." Figure 3
- Appreciating the benefits of ICT usage: More than 70% of children appreciate the benefits of ICT, such as "easier to gain access to learning contents," "easier to understand learning contents," and "easier to study efficiently."
- More than 70% of children feels that using ICT has positive effects on their learning. For example, they think ICT makes it "easier to gain access to learning contents," "easier to understand learning contents," "easier to study efficiently," and "more productive when studying as a group." In addition, children who use ICT devices frequently are likely to value benefits of ICT. Figure 4
- Existence of issues: Over 50% of children have troubles and concerns, such as "eye fatigue," "Internet connection failures," and "worry about damaging ICT devices"
- More than 50% of children answered they "have concerns" using ICT devices, such as "eye fatigue," "Internet connection failures," and "worry about damaging ICT devices." In addition, children who don't use ICT devices frequently are more likely to have concerns such as "not knowing how to use certain functions" and "feeling reluctant when typing letters." Figure 5
- Teachers' involvement: Children who often receive teachings when using ICT devices are more likely to appreciate the benefits of ICT
- Children who receive teachings, such as "how to use ICT devices," "how to look for and collect information," and "rules and manners for using ICT devices," are more likely to appreciate the benefits of ICT. Figure 6
- The usage rate of PCs and tablets in the classroom rapidly increased from 56.9% in 2020 to 81.4% in 2021 and to 86.4% in 2022. Supplemental Data (obtained from the "Parent-Child Survey on Children's Life and Learning")
