Findings from the Teaching, Learning, and Computing Survey: Is Larry Cuban Right?

By H. Becker. 2000

587 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Cuban (1986; 2000) has argued that computers are largely incompatible with the requirements of teaching, and that, for the most part, teachers will continue to reject their use as instruments of student work during class. Using data from a nationally representative survey of 4th through 12th grade teachers, this paper demonstrates that although Cuban correctly characterizes frequent use of computers in academic subject classes as a teaching practice of a small and distinct minority, certain conditions make a big difference in the likelihood of a teacher having her students use computers frequently during class time. In particular, academic subject-matter teachers who have at least five computers present in their classroom, who have at least average levels of technical expertise in their use, and who are in the top quartile on a reliable and extensive measure of constructivist teaching philosophy are very likely to have students make regular use of computers during class. More than 3/4 of such teachers have students use word processing programs regularly during class and a majority are regular users of at least one other type of software besides skill-based games. In addition, other factors-such as an orientation towards depth rather than breadth in their teaching(perhaps caused by limited pressures to cover large amounts of content) and block scheduling structures that provide for long class periods-are also associated with greater use of computers by students during class. Finally, the paper provides evidence that certain approaches to using computers result in students taking greater initiative in using computers outside of class time-approaches consistent with a constructivist teaching philosophy, rather than a standards- based, accountability-oriented approach to teaching. Thus, despite their clear minority status as a primary resource in academic subject classroom teaching, computers are playing a major role in at least one major direction of current instructional reform efforts.

Subfields: Education, Gender Studies

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/9be4ebea4f744e4a6fe98bca1c449f6f081bc7eb

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Education

In Gender Studies

Citations in the corpus

Creating a Framework for Research on Systemic Technology Innovations (2004, unknown): “The technologies that are most used in schools are general-purpose tools that were developed for businesses, such as word processors and web browsers (Becker, 2000).”
New Technology and Digital Worlds: Analyzing Evidence of Equity in Access, Use, and Outcomes (2010, background): “For example, students per computer ratio was identified a decade ago as a key factor influencing how well computers are deployed for teaching and learning at schools (Becker, 2000a), yet household members per computer ratio has not yet been seriously analyzed as a factor affecting home computer use.”
Can we teach digital natives digital literacy? (2012, background): “Research (Becker 2000; Cuban, 2001; Kozma, 2003; Ng & Gunstone, 2003; Romeo, 2006; Strategic ICT Advisory Service, 2009) has indicated that the level of ICT integration and its impact in classroom curricular remain low.”
Technology and its impact in the classroom (2004, background): “With technology being in its infancy at this present school, few teachers are proficient enough to use technology in meaningful and appropriate ways (Becker, 2000).”
Which factors obstruct or stimulate teacher educators to use ICT innovatively? (2008, background): “However, the influence of teachers’ pedagogical approach is more limited than is often suggested in the research literature (e.g., Becker, 2000).”
The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review (2018, background): “According to Becker (2000), computers are regarded as an important instructional instrument in language classes in which teachers have convenient access, are sufficiently prepared, and have some freedom in the curriculum.”
Social Capital and the Diffusion of Innovations Within Organizations: The Case of Computer Technology in Schools (2004, background): “A few studies have highlighted the importance of social contexts, social processes, and social support in teachers’ uses of computers (Becker 2000; Sandholtz & Ringstaff 1996; Schofield 1995; Zhao et al. 2002), but there has been little theory or empirical research on the social processes that…”
Beliefs about teaching and uses of technology among pre‐service teachers (2008, background): “Ravitz and Becker (2000) suggested that technology use by teachers was related to teachers’ belief in more student-centred classroom practices.”
The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework (2014, background): “This type of knowledge is distinctly different from basic technical knowledge and linked to teacher ef ﬁ cacy, a necessary component of technology integration (Becker, 2000 ; Dawson, 1998 ) .”
Factors contributing to teachers' successful implementation of IT (2002, background): “Perhaps what made these four schools successful can best be synthesised using Becker's notion of personal investment (Becker, 2000).”
Teacher perspectives on integrating ICT into subject teaching: commitment, constraints, caution, and change (2005, background): “The research additionally highlights the importance of personal factors associated with higher levels of computer use by teachers (Becker 2000).”
Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning: current knowledge gaps and recommendations for future research (2007, background): “…computer laboratories (Lowther et al., 2003) • Lack of access to technology • Putting technology into the classrooms rather than in centralized locations (Becker, 2000) • Rotate students through the small number of classroom (Sandholtz et al., 1997) • Lack of time • Teachers collaborate to create…”
Factors Affecting Technology Uses in Schools: An Ecological Perspective (2003, background): “Despite the generous investment in, and increased presence of, computers in schools (Anderson & Ronnkvist, 1999; Becker, 2000a; Cattagni & Farris, 2001), computers have been found to be unused or underused in most schools (Becker, 2001; Cuban, 1999, 2001; Loveless, 1996; Zhao, Pugh, Sheldon, &…”