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By Jo Best, 30 August 2005 17:00

NEWS Using computers at home helps kids do better at school, according to a new report from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) - although it's the fairer sex that is making the best use of computers for education.

The study, conducted by academics from Leeds and Sheffield, found that maths results in particular were boosted by the presence of a computer in the home.

However, having a computer at home doesn't always help. The report found that the more pupils used ICT equipment during leisure time, the less likely they were to use it for schoolwork.

It said: "The more time pupils spend playing computer games, the less time they may have available for other tasks, including homework and study. Some children reported pretending to their parents that they were using the home computer for educations purpose when they were actually using it for 'fun'."

Most of those pupils putting their home computers to academic use were female, while male students tended to use their PCs for leisure use.

"Girls were more likely to use home computers for school work than boys... reflecting their more conscientious attitude to education rather than a preference for ICT." Boys, however, had more access to IT and used it more for fun.

This, according to the DfES, could lead to a gender digital divide. "This has implications for the gender educational gap as the research also showed that high levels of leisure use of ICT was correlated with a negative impact on educational attainment," the report said.

The DfES recommended redirecting boys' love of IT towards using their computers for work rather than play, in order to combat a potential digital gender divide.

Although girls outstripped boys on using IT for schoolwork, the next generation of techies look to be as male as ever.

"The only subject in which boys are more likely than girls to use a home computer for school work was ICT - a subject they enjoy," the report said.