Is the use of ICTs related to academic performance in technological education? A case study in the rural sector

The relationship between ICT proficiency and academic performance (AR) of 148 students of an Ecuadorian Technological Institute, located in a rural sector, was studied. The Cuestionario de Competencias Tecnológicas de los alumnos/as (Llorente Cejudo & Cabero Almenara, 2010), adapted from Aranda Garrido et al. (2019), made up of 56 items, was used. Four dimensions were analyzed: Basic knowledge in the management of technological tools - BKTT; Medium knowledge in the management of technological tools - AVKTT; Advanced knowledge in the management of technological tools - ADKTT; and the Use and knowledge of technological laboratories and virtual teaching (UKTLVT). The AR was classified ordinally in 5 levels ranging from Excellent to Deficient. Jamovi 2.5.6 software was employed for descriptive and inferential calculations. Frequencies, percentages, and centralized (mean) and dispersion (standard deviation) measures were explored. Correlation was based on Spearman's test. Relationships were also explored at the dimension level, and between these and the AR variable. The results of ICT proficiency, their degrees of proficiency and AR reveal a panorama where gaps emerge that need to be filled. The majority of students reflect a medium level of mastery for tasks typical of advanced, medium and low levels of work. The percentages of high mastery varied inversely with the degree of demand, being higher for lower level tasks, but decreasing markedly when the complexity increases. Significant relationships were identified at the intramodel level, but this was not appreciated at the variable level, which is not consistent with those reported in the existing literature.