Less Computer Technology in Lower Grades Could Reverse Plummeting Reading Scores

Helen Lee Bouygues developed the Reboot Foundation in 2018 to "increase the teaching of critical thinking in schools and by parents at home." In 2019, The Reboot Foundation published a study which found a negative tie between the use of tablets in school and fourth-grade reading scores. "Fourth-grade students who reported using tablets in 'all or almost all' classes scored 14 points lower on the reading portion of a test administered by the federal government than students who reported 'never' using classroom tablets. That’s the equivalent of a year of education or an entire grade level." Older students did better. The study showed that eighth graders who used computers in their research projects "had higher reading test scores than those who didn’t use computers for research." Also, previous research has "generally shown more promise for education technology in math than in reading," the author reported. The results of this study confirm my suspicion that the use of computers in the lower grades is much less effective from a developmental perspective and therefore, less appropriate developmentally, than using them in the higher grades. I notice as a literacy tutor in an elementary school that the school text books have a lot of references to "higher level thinking skills" in texts for the lower grades, that is, say first through as high as fifth grade, or, shall we say through age 11. I am a devoted believer in Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, summarized below. In Piaget's Theory, the Sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years), is characterized by learning through senses and actions; the Preoperational stage (2 to 7 years), is marked by symbolic thought and egocentrism; the Concrete Operational stage (7 to 11 years), is where logical thinking and conservation are developed; and the Formal Operational stage (12 years and onward), which allows for abstract, hypothetical, and philosophical thinking. Children start kindergarten at the age of 5 or 6 usually, first grade, 6 or 7, second grade, 7 or 8, third grade, 8 or 9, fourth grade, 9 or 10, fifth grade 10 or 11, and sixth grade 11 or 12. In other words, this whole notion of "higher level thinking skills" really can wait until about fifth grade, or at least well into age 11. The exact ages vary somewhat, but this is a general estimate. You can see that according to this framework, abstract, hypothetical and philosophical thinking are really not developmentally appropriate until about the age of 12; that is, not until they are about in the sixth grade. So, my hunch is that they should stick to basics in the first through fifth grades. They are in the stage of Concrete Operations during all these grades (ages 7-11). More research is needed in this area before our nation's educational elite are likely to pay attention, but if students' reading scores keep plummeting, perhaps some education leaders will reconsider this emphasis on Internet Technology in the early and middle elementary grades, return to basics, and teach children how to read, write and think logically, until they are developmentally ready for "higher level thinking skills." I have no doubt that, not only would test scores increase, but so would the overall academic success of students. https://reboot-foundation.org/ "Research shows lower test scores for fourth graders who use tablets in schools: Reboot Foundation questions the use of technology in education" by Jill Barshay, The Hetchinger Report, June 10, 2019. https://hechingerreport.org/research-shows-lower-test-scores-for-fourth-graders-who-use-tablets-in-schools/#:~:text=A%20Reboot%20Foundation%20report%20finds,older%20students%20could%20be%20beneficial.