The influence of the home learning environment on middle school students' use of ICT at school

The increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools has been largely explored in relation to how students’ use ICT at school. In addition students’ lives and experiences with technology beyond school have also begun to be explored. However, the nexus between the two is still an underdeveloped research area. Anecdotally we know that technology use either at home or at school affects the other. This paper reports on a contemporary case study-using structural equation modeling (SEM) - of students’ ICT use for school and home and their self-perceived competence with technology across the domains of home and school. The study found that students who learn to use certain forms of technology at home bring that “home learning” to school and vice versa. From an educational perspective teachers should therefore not be underestimating the value of the technologies that students are using at home for pleasure for use in the classroom. Furthermore the study found that schools played a major role in enhancing students’ confidence around using ICT whilst the home environment provided opportunities to practice with that technology and facilitate technology-enhanced communication. Both the home and school domains enhanced the students’ ICT skills and had the effect of making the student a more independent learner and user of technology.