Caribbean Studies Internal Assessment

An Investigation of The Jamaica Information Services Tablets In

Schools Project Has it Been Worth It?

Name: Rojay Beharie

Date: April 18, 2016

Acknowledgements
Thanks to all the kind students who took the time to respond to my questionnaires and those who
participated in the interviews. Special thanks to Ms. Rumbolt for guiding me along the way.

Table of Contents

Introduction and Purpose of Research4-6

Literature Review..7-9
Data Collection Sources10-11
Presentation of Findings12-17
Interpretation OF Findings18
Discussion Of Findings..19-20
Conclusion/Limitations/Recommendations......21
Bibliography22
Appendix..23-25

Introduction and Purpose of Research

Background to research:
In April of 2013, Phillip Paulwell, the current Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and
Mining, announced his plans for the Tablets In Schools pilot project at the 2013/2014 budget
presentation. The main goal of this project was to provide assistance to schools which had
displauyed poor academic performance over the past few years. In his presentation, he
announced that the total cost of the pilot project would be approximately $1.4 billion JMD and
would affect over 600,000 children and teachers across the island. This topic presents a simple
case of whether or not the pupils on which this study will be based have been negatively or
positively affected by the project.

Rationale of Research:
The e-Learning Jamaica Company, which is funded by the Universal Service Fund, spent
approximately $1.4 billion JMD on the implementation of the Tablets In Schools pilot project.
This large amount of money could have been used for other and arguably more important
projects such as creating jobs or helping to reduce the countrys debt. Therefore it is imperative
that the responses that will be received from the students being used as the research sample
justify the amount of money that was spent on the Tablets In Schools project.

Objectives of Research:

To ascertain the negative and positive effects of the Tablets In Schools project on the
sample population.

To gauge the effectiveness of the project in improving the academic performance of the

students in the sample population.

To discover the knowledge possessed by the students in the sample population regarding
the operation and usage of the tablets to supplement their academics.

Research Questions:
1. What are tablet computers?
2. Do tablet computers provide more learning opportunities for students?
3. What exactly are tablet computers capable of? (in terms of enhancing students learning
ability)
4. Do the tablets handed out to the children have any security features?
5. Is there a system in place which can monitor the students activity on the tablets?

Educative Value of Research:

The data collected in this study can be used by anyone wishing to discover whether or not the
Tablets In Schools project has been effective in carrying out its intended purposes and possible
reasons why the project failed or succeeded in doing so.

Delimitations:

The data collected was lkimited only to that which could be used to determine the positive and
negative effects on the students in the sample population. The age of the participants was limited
to only those between the ages of 13 and 18. Finally, the sample size only included students from
five schools involved in the project.

Definitions of Key Terms:

Tablet: a mobile computing device that has a flat, rectangular form like that of a magazine or
pad of paper, that is usually controlled by means of a touch screen, and that is typically used for
accessing the Internet, watching videos, reading electronic books, etc.. (tablet.(n.d).in MerriamWebsters online dictionary(11th ed.). Retrieved from: http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/tablet)
Pilot Poject: an activity planned as a test or trial. (retrieved from:
http://www.audioenglish.org/dictionary/pilot_project.htm)

Literature Review
6

As the world continues to advance, the need for skilled and well educated workers increases
every day. The gaining a proper education is, now more than ever, paramount to ensuring that
children are prepared to contribute positively to their respective societies. This ever-growing
need for education also creates a need for efficient, modern teaching methods which can keep up
with the ever growing volume of information that children need to learn in order to obtain their
education. To do this, the Jamaican government has implemented the Tablets in Schools
programme. This programme seeks to provide needy students with the latest cutting edge tablet
technology which they can then utilize to supplement their academics. In an article published by
Alecia Smith-Edwards entitled Government Gets Ready to Roll Out Tablets in Schools Project
on the website jis.gov (2014, June 12th), the official website of the Jamaica Information Service,
State Minister for Science, Technology, Energy and Mining at the time, Hon. Julian Robinson,
had informed that schools and parents have been sensitized in the use and care of tablets; a Tablet
in Schools Policy Manual has been developed; and teachers have been trained in basic
Information and Communications Technology skills. The article goes on to describe the full
extent of the programmes reach by stating: The one-year pilot will be implemented in 38
educational institutions and will see the distribution of tablets to benefit 24,000 students and
1,200 teachers in six pre-primary schools, 13 primary schools, five all age and junior high
schools, 12 high schools, one teachers college, and one special education institution.. Similarly,
in another article published on jis.gov (2014, Nov 13th) by Chris Patterson entitled Parents to
Pay Minimal Fee for Tablet Computers After Pilot, the new Minister of Science, Technology,
Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, reported that under the next phase of the Tablets in
Schools initiative, beneficiaries will be required to pay a minimal fee for the devices that will be
provided to the students and staff of the various institutions. The article also reports that students

will be relived from the purchasing of text books as they would be provided free of cost in a
digital format on the tablets. From these two articles it can be garnered that the government has
seemingly put a commendable amount of thought and resources into the project and have also
sought to maximize the positive impact that the tablets would possibly have on the students.
However, neither of the articles could provide any information on what ill effects the project
could bring, despite there being an obvious need for such information by anyone reading these
articles.
Phillip Paulwell, in an article published in the Jamaica Gleaner (2015, Dec 4th) entitled Paulwell
Reviews Tablets In Secondary Schools, stated that "Reading has improved tremendously in
addition to attendance in primary schools, however, we are going to need some time to think
things through in terms of how we deal with the high school students as they are preoccupied
with pornography and other things," He goes on to say As such, I don't believe that it would be
wise to expand the programme. Instead, we have to see how best we can iron things out so as to
allow a smooth process," The statements reported in this article do not appear to show the same
enthusiasm as what was displayed in the first two articles which were previously mentioned.
These statements suggest that while improvements have been made in basic areas such as
reading and school attendance, the government may have overlooked the possibility that the
students would not use the tablets for their intended purposes and the very clear dangers that this
would pose not only to the students education but to the students themselves. In his statement,
he mentioned pornography but left the :other things upo to the imagination of the reader. This
statement suggests that he did not wish to share what those other things were, leaving the
reader to assume that whatever the students were viewing were too scandalous to even name. In
another article posted on the website mstem.gov.jm, (the official website of Jamaicas Ministry

of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining) entitled Government Reviews Tablets In Schools
Pilot Project, it is reported that a review of the project had taken place. It reports: there were
improvements in the following areas: students ability to learn at their own pace and
independently, increase in students interest in school work, students use of tablets for research
as well as completion and submission of assignments, reading and writing skills, student
engagement, enthusiasm by learners and classroom behavior. Some of the shortcomings
were: Students ability to access non educational sites and adult content, students changing
password/codes to avoid parental interference and lack of restricted access to downloading of
content and apps. The common issue seems to be the extent to which the children are able to
access pornography, therefore it can be deemed as a major issue. The improvements highlighted
by the JIS article were not mentioned by minister Paulwell, this may be due to coincidence or
were not deemed important enough to be mentioned at the time. Regardless, it is evident from
these articles that the Tablets in Schools Programme has had various effects on the children
who were given tablets, both positive and negative.

Data Collection Sources

Research Design:
This project will involve methods of applied research which will be used in gathering and
analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from the sample population, however, it is important
to note that the data which will be used to confirm whether or not the Tablets In Schools project
was successful will be centered around factual, raw statistics gathered from the questionnaire, as
this will provide the clearest view of the negative and positive effects of the Tablets In Schools
project.
Methods of Data Collection:
The main methods of data collection that will be used in this project are a simple questionnaire
and an interview with a small portion of the sample population. The questionnaires will be used
to gather quantitative data on the effects of the tablets on the academic performance of the
students in the sample population. The interviews will seek to ascertain the students opinion on
the ways in which the tablets have helped them or have been a detriment to them. Due to time
constraints, only five interviews were planned.
Selection of Sample:
The sample population comprises of students from the following schools: St. James High,
Cambridge High, Central High, Cavaliers All Age and Glenmuir High. Five (5) students from
each school were chosen randomly to make up the sample population. This method of sampling
is known as Random Sampling and can be described as a sampling method wherein every
member of a particular group has an equal chance to be chosen as part of the sample population
This sampling method was chosen as it creates the most accurate representation of the target

10

population and it also eliminates any sampling bias which may have occurred if another method
was used.
Collection of Data:
The study was carried out over a 3 month period from January 2016 to April 2016. Respondents
were given a time limit of two weeks to fill out the questionnaires. This length of time was given
so that the students had enough time to ensure that the answers they gave were as accurate as
possible. The main issue that was encountered was the large distance between the respondents
and the researcher, as all the students attend schools in other parishes. This obstacle was
circumvented by distributing the questionnaires through email and conducting the interviews
through online private messaging applications, all of which allow respondents to reply in real
time.
Analysis and Presentation of Data:
The data received from the sample population will be analyzed based on the negative and
positive effects that it may incur. Using basic charts and graphs, the data will be presented in a
simple, easy to comprehend manner. This will ensure that the data is not misinterpreted or
misrepresents the true findings of this project.

11

Presentation of Findings
The data collected during research is presented using appropriate figures below. It must be noted
that of the 25 respondents, 11 were boys and 14 were girls.

12

Fig 1. Bar Graph Showing Average Grade of Students Over The

Research Period

13

76%
74%
72%
70%
68%
Boys

66%

Girls

64%
62%
60%
58%
56%
Sept

October

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

The average grade for boys over this period was approximately 66% while the average grade for
girls was approximately 71%.

14

Fig 2. Bar Graph Showing Average Grades of Students The Year

Before The Research Began

80%
70%
60%
50%
Boys

40%

Girls
30%
20%
10%
0%
Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

The average grade for boys during this period was 63% while the average grade for girls was
69%.
15

Fig 3. Pie Chart Showing Students who Received Training on The

Proper Use of Their Tablets

17

Trained

Untrained

Of the 25 respondents, 17 said that they received training on how to use their tablets while 8 said
they did not receive any training.

16

Fig 4. Pie Chart Showing How Students Rated Their Ability to

Utilize Their Tablets Properly

Extent To Which Students Are Able to Utilize Their Tablets

Very Poor

Poor

Adequate
7

17

Above Average
Excellent

Only 3 students said they were poor or very poor in utilizing their tablets properly.

18

Fig 5. Pie Chart Showing Students Opinion on How The Tablets

Have Affected Their Learning

How Students' Feel About Their Tablets

Created a Distraction

Enhanced Learning

12

No Effect

Most students claimed that the tablets have enhanced their learning.

19

Fig 6. Bar Graph Showing How Often Students Used Their Tablets While In
Class

Very Often

Often

Not So Often

Rarely

Most students stated that they rarely use their tablets in class.

20

10

Interpretation Of Findings
The data collected from question 1 (as shown in figure 3) is very important to the conclusion
which will be made at the end of this project. It is of paramount importance that the students be
instructed on the basic operation of their new devices. Basic operations such as browsing the
internet, accessing the built-in software and navigating the various screens of the device will all
contribute massively to what purpose the students use the tablets for and whether they will be
confident in using it to supplement their studies. The data gathered shows that 8 of the 25
respondents did not receive any instruction from their school on how to use the tablets they
received. The trend data in figures 2 and 3 suggest that the average grades of the students
increased after they received their tablets. In the year before the research began, the average
grades of the girls and boys were 63% and 69% respectively, but would rise to 66% and 71% at
the end of the research period.

21

The data collected in question 2 assessed the students overall ability to utilize their tablets
efficiently. Of the 25, 8 stated rated their ability as Excellent, 7 were above average, 7 were
adequate, 1 was poor and 2 were very poor. Figure 6 showed how often the students used their
tablets while they were in class. The data shows that of the 25 students, 9 rarely used their tablets
in class, 7 used them often, 7 used them not so often and 2 rarely used them. Finally, in figure 5,
the data shows how \the students feel about the impact of the tablets on their school work. Of the
25 students, 12 stated that the tablets enhanced their learning, 7 stated that they were a distraction
and 6 stated that the tablets had no effect on their schoolwork.

Discussion Of Findings
Before the Tablets In Schools project began, it was hoped that the project would improve the
academic performance of the students who were chosen to take part in the project. The
government spent approximately $1.4 billion JMD to ensure that the project was implemented as
smoothly and swiftly as possible. The findings of this project have shed light on whether or not
the project has been a success. After receiving the tablets, there was an overall increase in the
average grades of the respondents. This may or may not have been as a result of the tablets
themselves, as when the respondents were asked to rate their ability to utilize the tablets
properly, the data was scattered across all possible options. It must also be noted that only 2 of
the 25 students said that they used their tablets very often while in class, hence their grades
received in class may not have anything to do with the tablets themselves. When asked about
how they feel the tablet has impacted their learning, 12 of the 25 responded by saying that the

22

tablets enhanced their learning, but is this really so? Ultimately, the grades of the students are the
deciding factor of whether or not the Tablets In Schools project can be deemed a success. After
receiving their tablets, the average grade for males only rose by 3%, from 66% to 69%, while the
average grade for females rose from 69% to 71%, a mere 2% increase. Such small margins of
increase may stem from a number of contributing factors, none of which may necessarily be the
implementation of the Tablets In Schools project. As was mentioned previously in the Literature
Review section of this project, the government had done an investigation into the Tablets in
Schools project and in their rep[ort it was stated: there were improvements in the following
areas: students ability to learn at their own pace and independently, increase in students interest
in school work, students use of tablets for research as well as completion and submission of
assignments, reading and writing skills and student engagement. This project has found no
evidence of any comprehensive facts or figures which prove the Tablets In Schools project to be
worth $1.4 billion JMD. With the large amount of money that was spent on this project, it was
expected that a much greater increase in students grades would be seen. Therefore, there is no
possible way to justify the amount of money which was spent and the data suggests that the same
effect maybe have been achieved if a much less expensive program had been undertaken.

23

Conclusion/Limitations/Recommendations
Conclusion:
The Tablets In Schools project has failed to show any comprehensive data which could be used
to deem it as a successful project. The students provided data which pointed to a lack of
effectiveness, something which must be present if a $1.4 billion JMD project is to have a chance
at becoming a success. It is therefore concluded the Tablets In Schools project has not been
worth the money that was spent in order to carry out its implementation.
Limitations:
As previously mentioned, the main issue that was encountered was the large distance between
the respondents and the researcher. This made communication difficult, but was circumvented by
communicating over sites such as Facebook. This study falls short in examining cause for the

24

failure of the Tablets in Schools project, as this study was intended to only determine whether or
not the project has been successful.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that a greater importance be placed on properly training all students to use
their tablets as this creates an equal opportunity for each student to make proper use of their
tablets. It is also recommended that the children be required to bring their tablets to school and
use them in class under the supervision of their teachers. This will ensure that all students are
using their tablets in a manner which will aid their academics.

Bibliography
(tablet.(n.d).in Merriam-Websters online dictionary(11th ed.). Retrieved from:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tablet)
http://www.audioenglish.org/dictionary/pilot_project.htm
http://jis.gov.jm/government-gets-ready-roll-tablets-schools-project/ (2014, June 12) (SmithEdwards. A)
http://jis.gov.jm/parents-pay-minimal-fee-tablet-computers-pilot/ (2014, November 14)
(Patterson. C)
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20151204/paulwell-reviews-tablets-secondary-schools
Jamaica Gleaner (2015,December 4) (n.a.)
http://mstem.gov.jm/?q=government-reviews-tablets-schools-pilot-project (n.d.) (n.a.)
25

Interview Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What are your feelings towards the Tablets In Schools Project?

In what ways do you think the project will benefit you school?
How will you use your new tablet to supplement your schoolwork?
What new opportunities have been opened to you since you received your tablet?
How will your tablet benefit your parents?

26

Questionnaire
Please circle your answers.
1. Were you given any training on how to use your new tablets to supplement your work at
school?
Yes
No
2. Choose the option which describes your ability to utilize your tablet to assist you in your
schoolwork.
Very Poor

Poor

Adequate

Above Average

Very Good

3. For what purposes do you utilize your tablet while at school?

Educational Purposes
Other (Please state) _______________________
4. Are you supervised by your parents/guardians when using the tablet at home?
Yes

No

5. How often do you use your tablet in class?

Rarely
Not so often
Often
Very often
6. Does your school provide internet services for your tablet?
Yes

No

27

7. Compared to your previous years without the tablet, how would you say the tablet has
affected your efficiency in completing school work?
Increased
Decreased
Roughly the same
8. Please choose the extent to which you have been prepared by your school for the
responsibility of taking care and maintaining of your tablet.
Very poorly prepared
Adequately prepared
Was not prepared.
9. Please circle the following issues which you have encountered while using your tablet.
You may skip this question if you have not experienced any of the issues listed.
Freezing
Non-responsive screen
Overheating
Long loading times
Fast battery drain
Connectivity Issues
Application Crashes
10. Please select the option which best describes how the tablet has affected your attitude
towards your schoolwork.
It has created a distraction

It has enhanced your learning experience

no real effect on your schoolwork

28

It has had