The Relationship between the Vocational School Students' Use of Information and Communication Technologies and Academic Achievement

Today, information and communication technologies (ICT) are developing rapidly. As a result, use of technology in education increase day by day. Individuals should no longer be those who memorize the information, they should be those who can structure information by using it actively and can solve the problems that are encountered. The researches show that technology usage in education forms a basis for using information effectively. In this regard, in order for the individuals to have the desired competence, they need to use ICT effectively. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the use of ICT and academic success. Correlational survey method was used in the study. Moreover, the levels of utilization of ICT by some demographic variables (gender, age, class, etc.) was designed according to according to the causal-comparative research model. There are 248 (145 female, 103 male) students in the study group. The data obtained from the students were analyzed and the findings were discussed by taking into consideration the sub dimensions of use of ICT which are knowledge acquisition, research and investigation, communication, self-expression and games and entertainment. According to the results, vocational school students’ utilization level of ICT differ significantly by class, gender, internet ownership, technological device ownership, time spent on the net, social media use. Furthermore, it is observed that the students’ utilization of ICT predict their academic success significantly. Moreover, it is deduced that only utilization of ICT for knowledge acquisition and research and investigation is a significant predictor for academic achievement