Observation Measures for Determining Attitudes and Competencies toward Technology

During the past quarter century major investments have been undertaken in most OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries to bring computers into classrooms. As a result of this effort a rapid improvement in student–computer ratios could be seen (see OECD, 2004, 2006). In most OECD countries primary as well as secondary schools have access to computers and educational software applications in their classes or in specially facilitated computer classrooms. In the United States the No Child Left Behind legislation puts forward the need to continue these efforts in the information technology (IT) sector and makes substantial funds available through a performance-based grant program (The White House, 2001). However, the grant program will also shift emphasis from ensuring access to IT to assessing the impact that technology has on classroom practices and on how much students learn at school (Dirr, 2003). Until recent years empirical research on the effects of IT on students’ attitudes and competencies could not provide a clear picture about the relationship between IT access and student academic achievement. The research studies show controversial results: For example, the 2006 OECD PISA report on computer attitudes declares an important effect on the extent of computer use and student performance in mathematics (OECD, 2006). Reanalysis of these results by the German PISA group showed