A laptop for every child? The impact of technology on human capital formation

Caroline Hall, Martin Lundin and Kristina Sibbmark

Labour Economics, 2021, vol. 69, issue C

Abstract: Children's learning environments are becoming increasingly technologically advanced. Many schools today provide a personal computer to each pupil for use both in the classroom and at home. We investigate how such 1:1-programs affect school performance in lower secondary school. By surveying schools in 26 Swedish municipalities regarding the implementation of 1:1-programs and combining this information with rich administrative data, we estimate the impact on educational outcomes using a difference-in-differences design. We find no effect on average performance on standardized tests in mathematics or language, nor on upper secondary school enrollment. However, 1:1-initiatives seem to increase inequality by worsening the performance among low-SES students.

Keywords: Technology; Computers; One-to-one; Student performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:69:y:2021:i:c:s0927537120301615

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101957

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