Exploring the relationship between students' mathematics literacy and their access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICT): Using PISA 2012 data

A significant amount of resources are being spent for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility at schools and at homes, with the hope of increasing student outcomes. However, the relationship between ICT availability and use and mathematics literacy is far from being settled. Existing studies provide conflicting results related to this relationship. The Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) has been conducted five times from 2000 to 2012, to measure 15-year-old students' literacies in Reading, Mathematics and Science. PISA 2012 data provides information from nationally representative samples, for at least for 37 countries, which allows for testing the degree to which ICT availability and use predicts mathematics literacy. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between ICT availability, ICT use, and students' economic, socio and cultural status (ESCS) as predictor variables and mathematics literacy as criterion variable using the dataset of the PISA 2012 for 37 selected countries and economies. Multiple Linear Regression analyses were conducted in order to determine the degree of association between the criterion variable and the predictor variables. In order to find patterns of similarities and differences among the 37 countries in terms of regression coefficients strength of the ICT availability and use variables, the results of the analyses was explored. The index of students' ESCS exerted the most significant influence on mathematics literacy in all 37 countries, followed by ICT use at home variable that had a considerable impact on students' mathematics literacy in more than 65% the 37 selected countries. The conclusion is that as a key factor for improving mathematics literacy mean scores on PISA test at country level is to equitably distribute social capital on the schools, alternatively, less monies should be spent on school ICTs but on home ICTs through government subvention and subsidy programs.