The effect of ICTs on academic achievement: the Conectar Igualdad programme in Argentina

The objective of this paper is to determine the “premium,” in terms of academic achievement, that accrues to student beneficiaries of the Conectar Igualdad programme with respect to students not participating in the programme. For this purpose, the propensity score matching (PSM) method is used. The programme is described, as is the theoretical framework used to define the explanatory factors of academic achievement, which may affect the likelihood of participation in the programme. The target population are 15-year-old students in Argentina. The study draws on data from the 2012 round of Programme for the International Student Assessment (PISA) tests. The findings indicate that there are statistically significant differences in average academic achievement associated with participation in the Conectar Igualdad programme.