Computers and student learning : bivariate and multivariate evidence on the availability and use of computers at home and at school

We estimate the relationship between computers and students' educational achievement in the international student-level PISA database. Bivariate analyses show a positive correlation between achievement and computer availability both at home and at school. However, once we control extensively for family background and school characteristics, the relationship gets negative for home computers and insignificant for school computers. Thus, mere availability of computers at home seems to distract students from effective learning. But achievement shows a positive conditional relationship with computer use for education and communication at home and an inverted U-shaped relationship with computer and internet use at school.