National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement Report14: Using Digital Technologies for Teaching and Learning 2016– Key Findings

In 2016, the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) assessed student achievement at Year 4 and Year 8 in two learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) – technology and learning languages. This report provides findings on an additional area of research in 2016 – the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning. This study was added to NMSSA 2016 as it was a timely opportunity to obtain information about the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning – an emerging area of curriculum development for the Ministry of Education. As the new Digital Technologies Hangarau Matihiko curriculum had not been completed during the time of the study, the investigation was independent of the other learning areas. A section of the questionnaires administered to students, teachers and principals, asked them about the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning. Students were asked about their attitudes toward the use of digital technologies for learning, the opportunities to use digital technologies in school, and access to digital technologies at home. Teachers were asked about their attitudes to the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning, the opportunities for their students to use digital technologies in school, and their perceptions of the effects of using digital technologies for teaching and learning. Principals were asked about their perceptions of the effects of using digital technologies for teaching and learning, and the level of support for implementing digital technologies in school.