Abductive science inquiry using mobile devices in the classroom

Recent advancements in digital technology have attracted the interest of educators and researchers to develop technology-assisted inquiry-based learning environments in the domain of school science education. Traditionally, school science education has followed deductive and inductive forms of inquiry investigation, while the abductive form of inquiry has previously been sparsely explored in the literature related to computers and education. We have therefore designed a mobile learning application ‘ThinknLearn’, which assists high school students in generating hypotheses during abductive inquiry investigations. The M3 evaluation framework was used to investigate the effectiveness of using ‘ThinknLearn’ to facilitate student learning. The results indicated in this paper showed improvements in the experimental group's learning performance as compared to a control group in pre-post tests. In addition, the experimental group also maintained this advantage during retention tests as well as developing positive attitudes toward mobile learning.     

Students' online interactive patterns in augmented reality-based inquiry activities

Inquiry learning has been developing for years and many countries have incorporated inquiry learning into the scope of K-12 education. Educators have indicated the importance of engaging students in knowledge-sharing activities during the inquiry learning process. In this study, a location-based augmented reality (AR) environment with a five-step guiding mechanism is developed to guide students to share knowledge in inquiry learning activities. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in terms of promoting the knowledge sharing behaviors of students, an experiment has been conducted in an elementary school natural science course. The participants were 57 fourth-grade students from an elementary school in Northern Taiwan, divided into an experimental group of 28 students who learned with the AR-based approach and a control group of 29 students who learned with the conventional in-class mobile learning approach. The students' learning behaviors, including their movements in the real-world environment and interactions with peers, were recorded. Accordingly, the learning patterns and interactions of the two groups were analyzed via lag-sequential analysis and quantitative content analysis. It was found that, in comparison with the conventional inquiry-based mobile learning activity, the AR-based inquiry learning activity is able to engage the students in more interactions for knowledge construction. The findings of this study provide guidance for helping teachers develop effective strategies and learning designs for conducting inquiry-based learning activities.     

An implementation of remote laboratory for secondary science education

This paper reports our classroom implementation of a new remote laboratory (RL) system, which was developed by using innovative ideas and methods for applying technology‐enhanced learning to secondary school science education (Grades 7–9 or Ages 12–14). The newly developed RL system, which involves 8 remote experiments, was tested with 32 secondary school students from a local public school in order to evaluate its usability, learning, and their perception. The present study was carried out by using a mixed research method, including a questionnaire survey (open‐ended questions) and interviews. The corresponding research tools were specifically developed to collect data on students' perceptions and the implementation issues of the RL system. The survey results revealed that there was no major refinement required for the RL system, which was good enough for further adoption in secondary science education because its methods used to conduct online experiments could (a) extend/enhance the existing practices (with virtual/simulation experiments only) of e‐learning and (b) largely induce students' favourable views and perceptions in their own learning. Besides, negative comments and suggestions for improvement were purposely collected during a follow‐up period with an aim to pinpoint any ways in which the RL system and its design could be refined. They turned out to be very minor and easily fixed, and so the refined RL system is educationally suitable for use in laboratory activities and demonstrations to enhance the learning and teaching of science within and outside the secondary school environment.     

Deconstructing and reconstructing: Transforming primary science learning via a mobilized curriculum

The history of science education reform has been fundamentally centered around science curriculum development and implementation. The advent of mobile technologies has necessitated a re-examination of how students could better learn science through these 21st century tools. Conventional teaching materials may not prepare students to learn the inquiry way and to become self-directed and social learners who could learn “everywhere and all the time (seamlessly)” using mobile technologies. This paper is based on our first year of work in our mobile learning research project in transforming primary three science lessons into a “mobilized” curriculum for a classroom context in which students routinely use mobile technologies. Using an exemplar fungi topic, we discuss our approach as well as experiences in deconstructing and reconstructing an existing curriculum through a co-design approach with teachers in a Singapore local school. In doing so, we make a contribution to the methodology for developing mobilized science curricula for in-class learning that also extends to out-of-class learning.     

1:1 mobile inquiry learning experience for primary science students: a study of learning effectiveness

This paper presents the findings of a research project in which we transformed a primary (grade) 3 science curriculum for delivery via mobile technologies, and a teacher enacted the lessons over the 2009 academic year in a class in a primary school in Singapore. The students had a total of 21 weeks of the mobilized lessons in science, which were co‐designed by teachers and researchers by tapping into the affordances of mobile technologies for supporting inquiry learning in and outside of class. We examine the learning effectiveness of the enacted mobilized science curriculum. The results show that among the six mixed‐ability classes in primary (grade) 3 in the school, the experimental class performed better than other classes as measured by traditional assessments in the science subject. With mobilized lessons, students were found to learn science in personal, deep and engaging ways as well as developed positive attitudes towards mobile learning.     

A mixed methods assessment of students' flow experiences during a mobile augmented reality science game

Current studies have reported that secondary students are highly engaged while playing mobile augmented reality (AR) learning games. Some researchers have posited that players' engagement may indicate a flow experience, but no research results have confirmed this hypothesis with vision‐based AR learning games. This study investigated factors related to students' engagement – as characterized by flow theory – during a collaborative AR, forensic science mystery game using mobile devices. School Scene Investigators: The Case of the Stolen Score Sheets is a vision‐based AR game played inside the school environment with Quick Response codes. A mixed methods approach was employed with 68 urban middle school students. Data sources included pre‐ and post‐surveys, field observations and group interviews. Results showed that neither gender nor interest in science was an important predictor of variability in flow experience. Gaming attitude uniquely predicted 23% of the variance in flow experience. Student flow experience features included a flash of intensity, a sense of discovery and the desire for higher performance. The findings demonstrated a potential for mobile AR science games to increase science interest and help students learn collaboration skills. Implications for future research concerning mobile AR science games are discussed.     

Investigating teachers' adoption of signature mobile pedagogies

This study investigated how teachers are using distinctive pedagogical features of mobile learning: collaboration, personalisation and authenticity. The researchers developed and validated a survey instrument based on these three established constructs (Kearney, Schuck, Burden, & Aubusson, 2012) and used it to interrogate current mobile learning practices in school and university education. This paper focuses on data from school teachers (n = 107). Findings indicated that teachers' perceptions of authenticity were high but aspects of online collaboration, networking and student agency were rated surprisingly lower than expected, given the rhetoric about enhanced connection and flexible learning opportunities afforded by mobile technologies. Device ownership was identified as one factor influencing adoption of these mobile pedagogies. Implications for effective use of handheld devices in teaching are addressed.     

A mobile gamification learning system for improving the learning motivation and achievements

This paper aims to investigate how a gamified learning approach influences science learning, achievement and motivation, through a context‐aware mobile learning environment, and explains the effects on motivation and student learning. A series of gamified learning activities, based on MGLS (Mobile Gamification Learning System), was developed and implemented in an elementary school science curriculum to improve student motivation and to help students engage more actively in their learning activities. The responses to our questionnaire indicate that students valued the outdoor learning activities made possible by the use of a smartphone and its functions. Pre‐ and post‐test results demonstrated that incorporating mobile and gamification technologies into a botanical learning process could achieve a better learning performance and a higher degree of motivation than either non‐gamified mobile learning or traditional instruction. Further, they revealed a positive relationship between learning achievement and motivation. The correlation coefficient for ARCS dimensions and post‐test shows that the ARCS‐A (attention) is greater than ARCS‐R, ARCS‐C and ARCS‐S. This means that the attention (ARCS‐A) of this system is an important dimension in this research. The results could provide parents, teachers and educational organizations with the necessary data to make more relevant educational decision.     

Can technologies make a difference for hospitalized youth: Findings from research

Children and youth who are hospitalized for a short or long term become socially isolated from their family, school and classmates. As their isolation increases, so does their vulnerability as a result of disrupted schooling. Research studies suggest different ways of using technologies to overcome this isolation and support children during this critical time of their lives. With technology for children in hospitals becoming increasingly commonplace, evaluating how it is used and its impact on children's learning and well‐being is necessary. In this paper, we systematically evaluated existing research on use of technologies for communication, support and educational purposes and its contribution to the well‐being of hospitalized children. A rigorous selection process yielded 14 research articles meeting the following criteria: empirical studies, using technologies for network of support, targeting hospitalized children and adolescents and targeting learning or social and emotional well‐being in the last decade. This review indicates that the use of technologies with children and youth in hospitals generally increased their potential for learning and improved connectivity with school. Our findings revealed that implementing digital pedagogies and creating online communities were helpful but underutilized features in the research.     

Understanding mobile technology-fit behaviors outside the classroom

An increase in mobile device usage among college students has been documented in different countries. We provide a solid theoretical and empirical foundation for mobile learning in the context of distance education, and more guidance in terms of how to utilize emerging mobile technologies and to integrate them into their teaching more effectively. This research focuses on a deeper understanding of how learners use mobiles as learning tools outside the classroom. Our results are based on a specific population drawn from two different countries, in which the US (United States) population reflected students from the education field, while the students from Israel are drawn more from the engineering and science fields. The findings of this study contribute to the generalizations to the education field and information system designers who need to analyze and design mobile-learning (m-learning) applications to be used outside the classroom.     

“Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)” for seamless science inquiry in a primary school

This paper reports a one-year study on the project of “Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for seamless science inquiry” in a primary school in Hong Kong. BYOD in this study refers to “the technology model where students bring a personally owned mobile device with various apps and embedded features to use anywhere, anytime for the purpose of learning”. The study aims at investigating (a) what advancement of content knowledge students made in their science inquiry in a seamless learning environment supported by their own mobile device; (b) how the students advanced their content knowledge in science inquiry; and (c) what students' perception is regarding their learning experience supported by their own mobile devices. The topic of inquiry was “The Anatomy of Fish”. Data collection included pre- and post-domain tests, self-reported questionnaire, student artifacts, class observations and field notes. Content analysis and a student artifact tracing approach were adopted in the data analysis to examine and trace students' knowledge advancement. The research findings show that the students advanced their understanding of the anatomy of fish well beyond what was available in the textbook and they developed positive attitude toward seamless science inquiry supported by their own mobile devices.     

Learning in a u-Museum: Developing a context-aware ubiquitous learning environment

Context-awareness techniques can support learners in learning without time or location constraints by using mobile devices and associated learning activities in a real learning environment. Enrichment of context-aware technologies has enabled students to learn in an environment that integrates learning resources from both the real world and the digital world. Although learning outside of the traditional classroom is an innovative teaching approach, the two main problems are the lack of proper learning strategies and the capacity to acquire knowledge on subjects effectively. To manage these problems, this study proposes a context-aware ubiquitous learning system (CAULS) based on radio-frequency identification (RFID), wireless network, embedded handheld device, and database technologies to detect and examine real-world learning behaviors of students. A case study of an aboriginal education course was conducted in classrooms and at the Atayal u-Museum in Taiwan. Participants included elementary school teachers and students. We also designed and used a questionnaire based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) theory to measure the willingness for adoption or usage of the proposed system. The experimental results demonstrated that this innovative approach can enhance their learning intention. Furthermore, the results of a posttest survey revealed that most students' testing scores improved significantly, further indicating the effectiveness of the CAULS.     

A contextual game-based learning approach to improving students' inquiry-based learning performance in social studies courses

Inquiry-based learning, an effective instructional strategy, can be in the form of a problem or task for triggering student engagement. However, how to situate students in meaningful inquiry activities remains to be settled, especially for social studies courses. In this study, a contextual educational computer game is developed to improve students' learning performance based on an inquiry-based learning strategy. An experiment has been conducted on an elementary school social studies course to evaluate the effects of the proposed approach on the inquiry-based learning performances of students with different learning styles. The experimental results indicate that the proposed approach effectively enhanced the students' learning effects in terms of their learning achievement, learning motivation, satisfaction degree and flow state. Furthermore, it is also found that the proposed approach benefited the “active” learning style students more than the “reflective” style students in terms of learning achievement. This suggests the need to provide additional supports to students with particular learning styles in the future.     

Using a “prediction–observation–explanation” inquiry model to enhance student interest and intention to continue science learning predicted by their Internet cognitive failure

The development of information technology, such as iPad applications, facilitates the implementation of constructivist teaching methods. Thus, the present study developed a “prediction–observation–explanation” (POE) inquiry-based learning mode to teach science concepts using the iPad2. The study used the “attention-to-affect” model with a self-report measure to determine the antecedent factor – Internet cognitive failure – related to learning interest based on students' continuance intentions to practice POE inquiry using the iPad2. A total of 96 elementary 6th grade students participated in the study and completed the questionnaires, of which 81 effective questionnaires were validated for the confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation modeling. The results of this study indicated that Internet cognitive failure was negatively associated with three types of learning interest as indicated by high levels of liking, enjoyment, and engagement. On the other hand, three types of learning interest were positively correlated to continuance learning through iPad2 interactions. The results suggested that the POE mode of inquiry is suitable for implementing at an intelligent mobile device to enhance young students' interest and continuance intentions with respect to the learning of science.     

Adoption and use of technology in early education: The interplay of extrinsic barriers and teacher attitudes

The increased access to, but continued under-use of, technology in education makes it imperative to understand the barriers teachers face when integrating technology into their classrooms. While prior research suggests teachers encounter both first-order extrinsic barriers and second-order personal barriers, much of this research has focused on K-12 teachers, not early childhood educators. Applying the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology to early childhood education, the current study examines predictors of early childhood educators' access to and use of traditional technologies and newer mobile devices. Findings from 1329 teachers of 0–4-year-olds reveal that while extrinsic barriers influence access to a range of technologies, positive beliefs in children's learning from technology significantly predicted actual use of technology. Overall, the study provides new insight into factors influencing technology integration specifically for early childhood educators, a subgroup that has not been represented in much of the literature on technology integration in formal education.     

Designing for inquiry-based learning with the Learning Activity Management System

This paper explores the relationship between practitioners' pedagogical purposes, values and practices in designing for inquiry-based learning in higher education, and the affordances of the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) as a tool for creating learning designs in this context. Using a qualitative research methodology, variation was identified in participants' conceptions of inquiry-based learning pedagogy and in their approaches to inquiry-based learning design. LAMS was found to offer design affordances that are compatible with more strongly teacher-led conceptions of, and approaches to, inquiry-based learning pedagogy. The paper draws some implications for the further development and use of design tools for inquiry-based learning. The authors suggest that, in addition to tools created for teachers, there may be a valuable role for tools that explicitly support students as designers of their own inquiry processes and activities.     

Human factors and qualitative pedagogical evaluation of a mobile augmented reality system for science education used by learners with physical disabilities

Technology-enhanced learning, employing novel forms of content representation and education service delivery by enhancing the visual perception of the real environment of the user, is favoured by proponents of educational inclusion for learners with physical disabilities. Such an augmented reality computer-mediated learning system has been developed as part of an EU funded research project, namely the CONNECT project. The CONNECT project brings together schools and science centres, and produces novel information and communication technologies based on augmented reality (AR) and web-based streaming and communication, in order to support learning in a variety of settings. The CONNECT AR interactive learning environment can assist users to better contextualize and reinforce their learning in school and in other settings where people learn (i.e. science centres and home). The CONNECT concept and associated technologies encourage users to visit science centres and perform experiments that are not possible in school. They can also build on these experiences back at school and at home with visual augmentations that they are communicated through web-based streaming technology. This paper particularly focuses on a user-centred evaluation approach of human factors and pedagogical aspects of the CONNECT system, as applied to a special needs user group. The main focus of the paper is on highlighting the human factors issues and challenges, in terms of wearability and technology acceptance, while elaborating on some qualitative aspects of the pedagogical effectiveness of the instructional medium that AR technology offers for this group of learners.

Graph interpretation practices of science and education majors

Abstract

Studies of scientists show that graphs and graphing are central to the processes and products of science. It does not surprise us that recent reform documents propose the development of competency in using and reading graphs as an important aspect of learning science and about science. Reform documents propose that (a) public school science classrooms have students engage in hands‐on inquiry practices, in which they summarize investigative activities using graphs, and (b) education students take science courses instructed by science department faculty members. Past research has demonstrated that pre‐service secondary teachers do not, on their own, default to the graphical summarizing and interpretive practices of scientists. We examined the graphical analysis practices of pre‐service elementary teachers and science graduates on two graphing tasks and concluded that there were few differences between those two groups in their interpretations. We propose a model to understand the differences between these groups and more experienced groups of graph interpreters. We conclude that taking the lecture‐oriented science courses common to science programs does not necessarily improve education students’ competencies at summarizing data or interpreting graphs and that they need to engage in scaffolded, research‐oriented activities themselves.     

EcoMOBILE: Integrating augmented reality and probeware with environmental education field trips

Positioned in the context of situated learning theory, the EcoMOBILE project combines an augmented reality (AR) experience with use of environmental probeware during a field trip to a local pond environment. Activities combining these two technologies were designed to address ecosystem science learning goals for middle school students, and aid in their understanding and interpretation of water quality measurements. The intervention was conducted with five classes of sixth graders from a northeastern school district as a pilot study for the larger EcoMOBILE project, and included pre-field trip training, a field trip to a local pond environment, and post-field trip discussions in the classroom.During the field experience, students used mobile wireless devices with FreshAiR™, an augmented reality application, to navigate the pond environment and to observe virtual media and information overlaid on the physical pond. This AR experience was combined with probeware, in that students collected water quality measurements at designated AR hotspots during the experience. We studied the characteristics of learning and instruction using measures of student attitudes, content learning gains, and opinions teachers provided via written and verbal feedback. We observed gains in student affective measures and content understanding following the intervention. Teachers reported that the combined technologies promoted student interaction with the pond and with classmates in a format that was student-centered rather than teacher-directed. Teachers also reported that students demonstrated deeper understanding of the principles of water quality measurement than was typical on prior field trips without these technologies and that students had expanded opportunities to engage in activities that resemble scientific practice. Overall, results of the students' surveys and teacher feedback suggest that there are multiple benefits to using this suite of technologies for teaching and for learning.     

Effective learning in science: The use of personal response systems with a wide range of audiences

This paper describes the flexibility of Personal Response Systems (PRSs), (also known as ‘clickers’ or electronic voting systems (EVS)), as part of strategies to support students’ learning in science. Whilst variants of this technology began to appear 12 years ago, there is now a steadily increasing adoption of these systems within higher education, including science programmes, and this use has grown significantly in the last six years. They have previously been shown to offer a measurable learning benefit. Typically, someone at an institution buys these systems for learning support and they never make it out of their cases. Far less work has been done with these systems at school level. In this practitioner based paper, the broad range of practical uses for these systems is described in a variety of formal and informal learning situations – from testing the understanding of science concepts (from primary aged school children up to physics undergraduates), to undertaking evaluation of events as well as public participation in data collection for research on attitudes to careers. In addition, the data collected on such handsets can be mapped to demographic factors such as gender and age yielding further layers of analysis. Overall this is a highly flexible and transferable approach to the use of interactive technology for engaging learners of all ages as well as carrying out research.