Impact of Using ICT for Learning Purposes on Self-Efficacy and Persistence: Evidence from Pisa 2018

In recent years, the use of information and communication technology (ICT) has meant that learning is no longer limited to the school. In order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal 4, that is, to ensure quality education for all, to make educational resources and online learning are indispensable, and to access these resources anytime, anywhere through the Internet. In addition, the global pandemic of COVID-19 has made online education more necessary than ever before. Where and how ICT is used may have an impact on the components of motivation, such as self-efficacy and persistence. In this study, we quantified the impact of ICT utilization on the two components of self-efficacy and persistence. The effects of ICT use on both components were analyzed from the data taken from the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) administered to 15-year old students. The results revealed that students who frequently utilized ICT for the purpose of out-of-school learning, particularly for activities related to school projects, exhibited significantly higher levels of self-efficacy and persistence. The frequency of ICT usage for in-school learning revealed no effect on any of the two above components. In addition, utilization of ICT for recreational purposes outside of school showed significantly lower values in the area of persistence. These results indicate that it is important to set tasks that provide a continuum of ICT use, both in and out of school, in order to motivate learners. This has important implications for the design of learning in online education. Furthermore, it suggests that teachers should design exploratory type lessons that focus on strengthening students' desire to learn outside of class.