MSU study: Screen time aids learning, but gender gaps remain – Michigan State University

Report on Digital Media’s Role in Advancing Sustainable Development Goals for Education and Gender Equality

Executive Summary

A study from Michigan State University provides critical insights into the relationship between unstructured digital media use and academic achievement, with significant implications for United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report analyzes the study’s findings, focusing on its alignment with SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The research challenges the prevailing assumption that non-educational screen time is inherently detrimental, revealing a nuanced landscape where digital engagement can foster skills essential for modern education, while also highlighting gender-based disparities that must be addressed.

Fostering Digital Literacy for SDG 4: Quality Education

The study demonstrates that unstructured digital activities, contrary to common perception, contribute positively to educational outcomes by building essential digital skills. This aligns with SDG 4’s target of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

• Challenging Conventional Views: The research refutes the dominant perspective that all non-educational screen time negatively impacts academic performance.
• Development of Digital Skills: Time spent on social media and video games was found to substantially contribute to the development of digital competencies.
• Positive Impact on Academic Achievement: These acquired digital skills were identified as strong predictors of higher academic performance, as measured by SAT scores, across various subjects. This suggests that digital engagement can be a valuable, informal pathway to achieving educational goals.

Analyzing Disparities in the Context of SDG 5: Gender Equality

A primary concern raised by the study relates to a significant gender gap in the benefits derived from digital media use, directly impacting the objectives of SDG 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

• Disproportionate Benefits for Boys: The indirect positive relationship between digital skills and academic achievement was substantially larger for boys in reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Narrowing Gaps in Literacy: Unstructured digital media use helped narrow the achievement gap where girls traditionally lead, such as in reading and writing, by allowing boys to develop relevant skills.
• Widening Gaps in Numeracy: The study indicates that these digital activities may deepen existing disparities in mathematics, where boys often have an advantage. This trend could perpetuate the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, a key challenge for gender equality.
• Offsetting Negative Effects: While a small, direct negative relationship was found between social media use and achievement for girls, the benefits gained through digital skill development were found to outweigh this effect.

Recommendations for SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to ensure that the educational benefits of digital media are distributed equitably, in accordance with SDG 10, which aims to reduce inequality within and among countries.

1. Re-evaluate Educational Policies: Educational frameworks should move beyond a purely restrictive view of screen time and instead recognize the skill-building potential of unstructured digital engagement.
2. Promote Inclusive Digital Activities: Initiatives are needed to address gender stereotypes in digital spaces, particularly in gaming, to encourage broader participation and skill development among girls in areas that correlate with mathematical proficiency.
3. Develop Targeted Digital Literacy Programs: To mitigate the widening math gap, educational programs should focus on ensuring girls acquire a diverse range of digital skills that support performance across all academic domains, not just literacy.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The article is fundamentally about educational outcomes. It examines the relationship between digital media use, the development of digital skills, and academic achievement, which is measured by SAT scores. The core discussion revolves around how different types of activities (structured vs. unstructured, digital vs. in-person) impact students’ learning and performance, which is central to ensuring quality education.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  A significant portion of the article is dedicated to analyzing the “significant gender gap” in how digital media use affects academic achievement. It explicitly compares the outcomes for boys and girls, noting that boys experience larger benefits. The text discusses how these differences might narrow the gap in reading and writing but deepen disparities in math, potentially perpetuating the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. This directly addresses the goal of achieving gender equality in education and future career opportunities.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article touches upon this goal by highlighting how certain trends could “perpetuate broad inequalities.” The specific inequality discussed is the gender disparity in math skills and subsequent representation in STEM careers. By examining how digital media use might widen this gap, the research implicitly calls for attention to reducing inequalities between genders within the educational system and beyond.

Specific Targets Identified

1. Target 4.1: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

   The study’s focus on academic achievement in students from grades 8-11, measured through SAT scores, directly relates to the “effective learning outcomes” part of this target. The analysis of how digital media use impacts these scores is an investigation into factors affecting the quality and equity of secondary education.

2. Target 4.4: Substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

   The article explicitly identifies “digital skills” as a key outcome of unstructured time spent on social media and video games. It states that these skills “were strong predictors of performance across academic domains.” This aligns perfectly with the target’s emphasis on acquiring relevant technical skills for the modern world.

3. Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

   The research investigates the role of information and communication technology (digital media) and its differential impact on girls’ and boys’ academic achievement. While the findings show a complex relationship, with some negative effects for girls, the analysis is directly relevant to understanding how technology can be leveraged (or how its current use can be adjusted) to ensure it contributes to, rather than detracts from, the empowerment and equal opportunity of girls and women, especially concerning STEM-related skills.

Indicators Mentioned or Implied

1. Academic Achievement Scores (SAT scores)

   The article explicitly uses SAT scores as the primary measure of “academic achievement.” This serves as a direct indicator for measuring progress towards the “effective learning outcomes” mentioned in Target 4.1.

2. Level of Digital Skills

   The study identifies “digital skills” as a crucial intermediary factor linking digital media use to academic success. While not quantified with a specific metric in the article, the presence and level of these skills are treated as a key indicator of preparedness and a measure of progress towards Target 4.4.

3. Gender Gap in Academic Performance and STEM Representation

   The article repeatedly refers to the gender gap in math, reading, and writing scores. It also implies the “underrepresentation of women and STEM careers” as a broader indicator of inequality. These serve as indicators for measuring progress (or lack thereof) towards gender equality in education (Target 5.b) and reducing broader inequalities (SDG 10).

Summary Table of Findings

Source: msutoday.msu.edu