Yet the U.S. lags behind the Netherlands and Germany in the percent of homes with computers. And when American students do have computers in their homes, they are less likely to use them than are students in the other countries, except Japan. This pattern is important because much of what students learn about using computers occurs outside of school. While earlier studies found gender gaps in computer performance, no gender gap appears among U.S. students in either grade 8 or 11. This equalization occurs despite the gender gap in home technology.
American boys are more likely to have computers at home than are girls.
While girls use computers at home less than boys, they use them just as much as boys at school. Therefore, it may be the school that is compensating for the gender gap in home technology. Comparing ethnic groups in the United States on their practical computer knowledge, Native American, Hispanic, and African-American or black students tend to fall about 10 points lower than Asian American and white students in both the 8th and 11th grades. A somewhat similar pattern occurs for the percent of students with computers at home. Nevertheless, ethnic minorities in general are more likely to report using computers and receiving instruction in computing at school, which may be the result of programs such as Chapter I that have funded technology purchases for use by disadvantaged students.