Researchers – and practitioners alike – have long wondered whether technology positively impacts the education of disadvantaged students. Giorgio Di Pietro and Jonatan Castaño Muñoz’s recent meta-analysis added an important link. Their work not only adds nuance to the discussion but also provides concrete recommendations for policy and practice.

The analysis includes 740 effect measures from 72 studies conducted between 2000 and 2023. The authors focused on a broad group: students in less developed countries and disadvantaged people in wealthier regions. The general picture? Technology appears to have a modest but statistically significant positive effect on the school performance of these groups.

However, not all technology is the same. Initiatives focused on computer-supported learning and behavioural interventions – such as sending motivational messages to parents – score better than programs that only provide technology. What is striking is that both forms of intervention have comparable effects. This suggests that you should not only offer technology but that technology should, above all, activate it.

Another striking result is the subject difference: technology seems slightly more effective in mathematics and science than in the humanities. This is not surprising, given the possibility of training arithmetic and science skills interactively via digital tools.

Di Pietro and Castaño Muñoz also point to challenges. For example, programs must be tailored to the needs of disadvantaged students, who often have a lower level of digital skills. Without guidance or clear instructions, technology can lose its potential. In addition, structural problems, such as unstable internet connections in developing countries, must be addressed.

This study highlights the promise of technology and the responsibility to deliver on that promise. It requires investment in both technology and support. If successful, technology can play a key role in reducing educational inequalities.

Abstract of the study:

This paper presents a meta-analysis that investigates the impact that the educational use of digital technologies has on less advantaged students’ achievement. We use a comprehensive definition for this group of students that includes all students in less developed countries as well as more disadvantaged students in more developed countries. 740 estimates from 72 studies employing experimental and quasi-experimental research designs are collected. Overall, educational technology initiatives are found to have a small, positive, statistically significant effect that remains even after correcting for publication bias. Additionally, our results indicate that computer-assisted learning and behavioural interventions are more effective in raising the achievement of less advantaged students than simple access to technology. Interestingly, the effect of these two interventions appears to be of a similar magnitude. Finally, the use of digital technologies is associated with slightly greater achievements in math and science than humanities.