In the United States, Jacob L. Vigdor and Helen F. Ladd, professors of public policy at Duke University, reported similar findings. Their National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, “Scaling the Digital Divide,” published last month, looks at the arrival of broadband service in North Carolina between 2000 and 2005 and its effect on middle school test scores during that period. Students posted significantly lower math test scores after the first broadband service provider showed up in their neighborhood, and significantly lower reading scores as well when the number of broadband providers passed four.
The Duke paper reports that the negative effect on test scores was not universal, but was largely confined to lower-income households, in which, the authors hypothesized, parental supervision might be spottier, giving students greater opportunity to use the computer for entertainment unrelated to homework and reducing the amount of time spent studying
Duke Law required that we have laptops. I used mine to play computer games during the lectures, when I was motivated enough to attend class.
I'm absolutely certain I played games during Amy Chua's lectures.
Interestingly, I don't think I played games during the public policy class I had. That one was actually somewhat interesting.
And yes, it had a negative impact on my test scores.
