THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT 1

THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT 6

The Impact of Technology on Academic Achievement

Student

School of Education

Author Note

James W. Bland

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to James W. Bland. Email: [email protected]

The Impact of Technology on Academic Achievement

Very few elements have altered the course of the world as technology has. A few decades ago, if someone stated that they could communicate with someone in India from New York within seconds, they would have been ostracized. However, that is the reality we are living in now (Shin et al., 2020). Since the start of the new millennium, there has been an increase in technology use, extending to education. In the contemporary world, technology plays a vital role in academic achievement and has a vital impact. With this in mind, it is essential to evaluate the true impact of technology on academic achievement. There needs to be more clarity regarding this topic. For one, the definition of academic achievement has changed dramatically over time. A few years ago, artistry in forms such as content creation and music was hardly seen as academic achievement (Mandasari, 2020). Another area that necessitates further probing is the true impact of technology on education. Since the advent of the COVID-19 virus and the ensuing pandemic, academia has grown to heavily depend on technology (Rafiola et al., 2020). However, the impacts have yet to be seen whether they have a positive or negative impact, particularly regarding academic achievement. This shows that there needs to be more research into the actual connection between technology and academic achievement (Hwang et al., 2021). There is a need to investigate this phenomenon to find whether it is a causation or correlation effect.

Practices, Policies, or Procedures that Relate to the Topic

The phenomenon that makes this topic worthy of investigation is the prevalence of technology in recent years, particularly in education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was limited face-to-face interaction, which meant that education had to shift from its model towards the use of technology. Now, years after the pandemic’s end, education and academia heavily rely on technology (Mandasari, 2020). However, more is needed concerning the true impact of this on academic achievement. Society has yet to determine whether the introduction and extensive education use has had a net positive or negative impact on academic achievement. Another practice that necessitates research into the topic is the emergence of new educational models and practices. These include blended and adaptive learning platforms (Rafiola et al., 2020). More long-term research is needed into the effectiveness of these platforms in academia and whether they promote or hamper academic achievement.

Importance of the Topic

This topic is significant for a variety of reasons. The first is the extensive use of technology in academia. To truly understand how much technology has impacted academia, it is essential to imagine a world before technology (Mandasari, 2020). It seems like day and night when you imagine education devoid of technology. This is why the topic has attracted the interest of several scholars who wish to know more about the topic (Shin et al., 2020). This shows how vital technology is to education and how various stakeholders wish to identify the best way to use technology. However, one of the biases in the research into this topic is that they approach it from the perspective of the benefits and disadvantages of technology in education (Hwang et al., 2021). More effort is needed to identify the impact of technology on academic achievement and the many dimensions this entails (Mandasari, 2020). This topic presents a new avenue for understanding the impact of technology on academia as a whole and how we can leverage technology to improve academic performance.

Steps Taken to Address the Topic

Several steps have been taken to address technology’s impact on academic achievement (Hanham et al., 2021). The first step has been the thorough implementation of technology in education. Many educational institutions have made significant investments in ensuring they have educational systems as part of their operations. In addition, there have been many research and evaluation initiatives to evaluate the matter. For example, Seethamraju and Murthy (2023) did a longitudinal study to determine the impact of technology-enabled active learning on educators. The study concluded that factors such as teacher beliefs significantly influence the integration and use of technology in education. This is a new insight gained from research, which has helped to improve technology implications. This is an example of the research that has gone toward the topic and shows the steps that key stakeholders have taken to investigate the impact of technology on education by bringing more understanding to its implementation.

Biblical Worldview

The Bible says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (
King James Bible, 1769/2024, Proverbs 4:7). The Bible has always been clear on the need to protect children. In Psalm 127:3, the Bible says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” This shows how greatly the Lord values children. In education, children are the greatest benefactors. They are also the majority of the people affected by the education system. As such, it is vital to take every measure to protect them, especially things that they interact with daily. Every parent and society stakeholder would like to see their children succeed. This is why this topic is essential. While, as parents, we send our children to pursue wisdom and understanding as dictated by Proverbs 4:7, how they pursue knowledge must be investigated and evaluated to guarantee that they promote the child’s well-being and academic achievement.

References

Hanham, J., Lee, C. B., & Teo, T. (2021). The influence of technology acceptance, academic self-efficacy, and gender on academic achievement through online tutoring. 
Computers & Education, 
172, 104252.

Hwang, G. J., Wang, S. Y., & Lai, C. L. (2021). Effects of a social regulation-based online learning framework on students’ learning achievements and behaviors in mathematics. 
Computers & Education, 
160, 104031.

King James Bible. (2024). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/

(Original work published 1769)

Mandasari, B. (2020). The impact of online learning on students’ academic performance on a business correspondence course.
EDUTEC: Journal of Education and Technology, 
4(1), 98-110.

Rafiola, R., Setyosari, P., Radjah, C., & Ramli, M. (2020). The effect of learning motivation, self-efficacy, and blended learning on students’ achievement in the industrial revolution 4.0. 
International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 
15(8), 71-82.

Seethamraju, R. C., & Murthy, V. S. (2023). Impact of Technology-enabled Active Learning (TEAL) on Learning.

Shin, S., Brush, T. A., & Glazewski, K. D. (2020). Examining the hard, peer, and teacher scaffolding framework in inquiry-based technology-enhanced learning environments: impact on academic achievement and group performance. 
Educational Technology Research and Development, 
68, 2423-2447.