Does technology help secondary students learn math? What a review of 44 studies says
Evidence level: Level 3 (temporary). Review of many studies: 44 studies from 37 articles. A review is only as strong as the studies it pools. Our automatic grading gives a review like this a temporary Level 3 until a person checks the studies inside it, so treat this grade as unconfirmed. A person's check could lower it. How we grade
Source: The Effectiveness of Technology Integration in Secondary Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis from an Activity Theory Perspective, Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 2026 (listed in ERIC as peer reviewed). We read the abstract, not the full paper.
The question
Does technology help secondary students do better in math, and when?
What the review found
The authors combined results from 44 studies. Across them, the authors report what they call a large, significant positive effect of technology integration on secondary students' math performance: an average effect size of g = 0.51, with a 95% confidence interval from 0.36 to 0.65. In plain terms, the reported average effect was about half a standard deviation, and the 95% confidence interval stayed above zero.
The benefit was not the same everywhere. The authors report that educational level, the role of the instructor and the learning environment were all linked to differences in how big the effect was.
What this means for you
- Technology can help in secondary math, but the review points to how it is used, including what the teacher does, as part of the story. Buying a tool is not the same as getting the average effect.
- The abstract does not tell us which tools were used or for how long. Those details decide whether this result fits your school.
- The abstract does not say how strong the 44 studies were. Read this result as promising, not as a guarantee, until the studies inside the review are checked.
What we have not checked
We have not yet read the full paper or graded the 44 studies inside it. Until we do, this stays a temporary Level 3.
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Reference
Zhang, Y., Gao, J., Huang, X., Li, S., Wu, M., Lin, Y., & Lobczowski, N. G. (2026). The effectiveness of technology integration in secondary mathematics: A meta-analysis from an activity theory perspective. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 26(3), Article 72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-026-00494-1