Racial differences in information technology use in college

College Student Journal, June, 2003 by Lamont A. Flowers, Yanmei Zhang

Data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000) was used to describe the extent to which information technology use in college differed by race. Information technology use was defined as using the Internet for research purposes, using E-mail and chat rooms for school, using word processing and spreadsheet software, and programming in computer languages. Descriptive statistical data from the study showed there were racial differences in information technology use in college.

**********

Technological advances made in recent years have changed the landscape of American higher education in considerable ways. For example, information technology has made it possible to offer distance education opportunities to students thereby allowing colleges and universities to deliver instruction in real-time to remote areas. In addition, technological improvements made in the last decade have changed the way teaching occurs in college. In fact, today, many college faculty use some form of technology to teach courses and evaluate student performance (Ehrmann, 1995; Green, 1996; Kuh & Hu, 2001). Thus, in recent years, research on the impact of information technology use on student learning has increased. Flowers, Pascarella, and Pierson (2000), employing longitudinal data from the National Study of Student Learning, found that computer and E-mail use did not significantly impact learning outcomes for college students who attended four-year colleges; however, information technology use exerted a positive and significant influence on cognitive development in the first-year of college for two-year college students. Kuh and Hu (2001), analyzing responses from the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) from more than 18,000 undergraduates, found that computer use resulted in significant increases in student learning outcomes. Specifically, using a computer for word processing, using E-mail for school purposes, searching for information on the Internet, and using a computer to analyze quantitative information resulted in significant gains in science and technology knowledge, gains in vocational preparation, gains in personal and social development, and gains in writing and thinking skills. In addition, Kuh and Vesper (2001), who also analyzed data from the CSEQ, found that students who used computers and information technology more frequently made significantly greater progress in developing personal and social competencies and intellectual abilities than students who did not frequently use information technology in college.

To be sure, the impact of using information technology in college is well-documented, though somewhat inconsistent, and suggests that using information technology results in more pronounced gains in the development of cognitive skills in college even when background characteristics, institutional characteristics, and in-class and out-of-class experiences are statistically controlled (Flowers, Pascarella, & Pierson, 2000; Kuh & Hu, 2001; Kuh & Vesper, 2001). In addition, information technology use has even been shown to enhance students' social skills and related competencies in college (Kuh & Hu, 2001; Kuh & Vesper, 2001). While research has contributed to our understanding of the extent to which computer and information technology use yields significant gains in desired college outcomes, we do not understand the extent to which race influences information technology use in college (Ervin & Gilmore, 1999). Therefore, the primary purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the extent to which racial differences existed in the use of information technology and computers in college.

Methods

Data Source

Data for the present study was obtained from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000). The NPSAS:2000 is a nationally representative database designed to study how college students and their parents and guardians finance the costs of higher education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2001), "The sample represents about 16.5 million undergraduates, 2.3 million graduates, and 330,000 first-professional students enrolled between July 1, 1999 and June 30, 2000" (p. 1). Thus, the NPSAS:2000 student sample and institutional sample approximated the racial composition of college students (e.g., African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Hispanics, and Whites) and the institutional diversity of colleges and universities in the United States. The NPSAS:2000 instrumentation and variables used in the present study were accessed through the Internet using the Data Analysis System (http:Hwww.nces.ed.gov/das). The Data Analysis System (DAS), maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics, is a Windows-based program that provides access to survey data collected by the Department of Education. The DAS is designed to enable data analysts to produce tables or correlation matrices using the vast array of data resources on students at all educational levels (e.g., elementary, secondary, and postsecondary).