Research Article
Mohamed Ali Elkot, Eltaieb Youssif, Omer Elsheikh Hago Elmahdi, Mohammed AbdAlgane, Rabea Ali
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 1, Article No: ep549
ABSTRACT
Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology in educational institutions for students with mild intellectual disabilities offers promising avenues for enhancing this population’s learning outcomes and skill development. This study aims to investigate the effect of using generative conversational AI to improve English communication skills among students with mild intellectual disabilities. The study involved twelve students diagnosed with mild intellectual disabilities, divided equally into two groups. Six students engaged in guided conversations with AI, while the other six participated in free conversations with AI. These participants were randomly chosen from educational institutions specializing in intellectual disability education and mainstream schools. The results indicate that guided conversations significantly enhance English communication skills among participants. Additionally, the study highlights the development gains from engaging in guided conversations by AI applications. Statistical analysis reveals notable differences in the effect of guided versus free conversational approaches, with guided conversations yielding superior outcomes. This underscores the importance of structured guidance for comprehension and participation in different English communication skills among students with mild intellectual disabilities. Moreover, the study recommends the integration of AI tools in education to support students with disabilities, emphasizing the need for tailored AI applications to cater to diverse learning needs.
Keywords: conversational AI, intellectual disability, education, communication skills
Research Article
Xiaotong Yu, María Ángeles Gutiérrez-García, Roberto Soto-Varela, Melchor Gómez-García
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 1, Article No: ep545
ABSTRACT
Robotics education and robot-embedded learning have become focal points in recent interdisciplinary and innovative education. Despite the identified opportunities, there are still limitations and considerations before integrating educational robotics into foreign language education on a large scale. This survey investigates foreign language teachers’ perceptions and acceptance of teaching with educational robotics and robot-assisted language learning. To achieve this, the ERPA scale, containing five subscales measuring teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, and the perceived usefulness of robots, was adapted as the data collection instrument. The scale consisted of 19 items based on a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 109 foreign language teachers from Spain participated in the survey. The results suggest a positive relationship between teachers’ basic digital competence, technological knowledge of robot usage, pedagogical knowledge in foreign language teaching, and perceived usefulness of robots. Additionally, the length of service and target language positively affect acceptance. This research contributes to current educational robotics studies by identifying features of robots considered suitable for language teaching, such as animal-like embodiments instead of humanoid forms.
Keywords: attitudes, acceptance, educational robotics, EFL, second language
Research Article
Teodora Kiryakova-Dineva, Dilyana Yaneva
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 1, Article No: ep544
ABSTRACT
To educate capable and literate citizens in the current digital age, high adequacy in all facets of education is required. One could argue that innovation necessitates educational needs and specific knowledge including general literacy for a more profiled human activity towards new emerging technological, digital and social standards. The way that teaching and learning are traditionally understood in relation to the idea of literacy is affected by this shift. The traditional conception of teaching and learning with regard to the idea of literacy is impacted by this remodeling as well. It becomes clear in this case that financial literacy, digital literacy, or economic literacy cannot be regarded as the only, best, or most appropriate kind.
With respect to the concept of literacy in marketing, the current study explores the educational requirements that stem from the broader definition of literacy. Utilizing a state-of-the-art approach and a mixed methodology, the authors explore the needs for specific literacies in marketing and search for a new model for their application in marketing itself. The focus is on how the students feel about needing a particular kind of literacy. Certain aspects of the literacies set and their requirements within the context of higher education institutions are related, according to the findings of a questionnaire survey. This study’s discussion attests to the intricacy and dynamic nature of education at the tertiary level and reveals the concept of literacy in its widest sense.
Keywords: marketing education, basic literacies, state-of-the-art approach
Review Article
Julia A. Krokhina, Irina I. Kruse, Elmira R. Khairullina, Gasangusein Ibragimov, Lyubov V. Kochneva, Olga V. Pashanova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep542
ABSTRACT
Mobile learning presents many benefits to lecturers, students, and universities. It provides the opportunity for all to access information anytime and anywhere and also promotes learning autonomy and mobility. This paper aims to systematically analyze publications on mobile learning in higher education conducted over twenty years by providing knowledge to help researchers in this area. The data were obtained from the Scopus database. A total of 587 peer-reviewed publications were analyzed. The results show that the number of articles increased significantly after 2016, and there was an upward trend after 2018. Our results regarding prolific journals show that many articles in this field were published in several prominent journals. Our results revealed that 91 countries contributed to research worldwide, and the most productive institutions are from different continents. In addition, results indicated that recently published countries on the topic are India, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Germany. Regarding research trends, our results yielded three research clusters. The first cluster focused on building a learning environment for students, while the second cluster included research on mobile learning in medical education. In addition, the third cluster investigated young adults’ use and perceptions of mobile phones in learning through surveys and questionnaires. Moreover, the results we obtained demonstrated that recent studies also focused on academic performance and augmented reality was a trending topic before academic performance.
Keywords: mobile learning adoption, mobile learning, higher education, m-learning, research trends
Research Article
Salima Aldazharova, Gulnara Issayeva, Samat Maxutov, Nuri Balta
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep538
ABSTRACT
This study investigates the performance of GPT-4, an advanced AI model developed by OpenAI, on the force concept inventory (FCI) to evaluate its accuracy, reasoning patterns, and the occurrence of false positives and false negatives. GPT-4 was tasked with answering the FCI questions across multiple sessions. Key findings include GPT-4’s proficiency in several FCI items, particularly those related to Newton’s third law, achieving perfect scores on many items. However, it struggled significantly with questions involving the interpretation of figures and spatial reasoning, resulting in a higher occurrence of false negatives where the reasoning was correct, but the answers were incorrect. Additionally, GPT-4 displayed several conceptual errors, such as misunderstanding the effect of friction and retaining the outdated impetus theory of motion. The study’s findings emphasize the importance of refining AI-driven tools to make them more effective in educational settings. Addressing both AI limitations and common misconceptions in physics can lead to improved educational outcomes.
Keywords: AI assisted learning, force concept inventory, GPT-4, physics education
Research Article
Aminah Saad Aldossary, Alia Abdullah Aljindi, Jamilah Mohammed Alamri
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep536
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study aims to provide an analysis of students’ perceptions of the role of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in education, through five axes: (1) level of knowledge and awareness, (2) level of acceptance and readiness, (3) the role of GenAI in education, (4 (level of awareness of potential concerns and challenges, and (5) The impact of GenAI tools on achieving the sustainable development goals in education.
Materials and methods: The study followed a descriptive quantitative methodology based on surveying through a questionnaire. The sample consisted of 1390 students from 15 Saudi universities.
Results: The students have positive perceptions towards the role of GenAI tools in education, as students have a high level of awareness and acceptance of adopting these tools. In addition, students are highly aware of the role of GenAI tools in improving their understanding of complex concepts, developing skills, improving their self-efficacy, learning outcomes, providing feedback, and making learning meaningful. The results also confirm their general awareness of the concerns and challenges. A relationship exists between students’ perceptions of GenAI and their scientific specializations, as students in computer sciences showed greater awareness regarding concerns and challenges, whereas students in agricultural sciences showed greater awareness of the impact of GenAI tools on achieving sustainable development goals.
Conclusions: The study offers valuable insights on GenAI adoption in higher education, also there is an urgent need to consider developing appropriate use policies, spreading awareness, and creating systems capable of detecting unethical cases.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, LLM, technology role, education filed, perceptions of Saudi students
Research Article
Ioannis Rizos, Evaggelos Foykas, Spiros V. Georgakopoulos
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep535
ABSTRACT
The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have a profound impact on various aspects of human society, including mathematics education. Nevertheless, there is a noticeable lack of research, particularly in Greece, that focuses on the development and assessment of lesson plans and math worksheets tailored for students with special educational needs. To address this research gap, we designed and conducted a nine-hour teaching intervention in a general mathematics classroom in Greece, involving two 8th grade students with special educational needs as the subjects of the study. The intervention utilized worksheets generated by the ChatGPT 3.5 application, which were customized based on the current curriculum, as well as the special educational needs and interests of the two participating students. The data were collected through interviews, tasks, and e-questionnaires, and analyzed using a new theoretical framework based on the concept of mathematical familiarity. The results indicated that students were actively engaged in the educational process, felt safe and confident, satisfactorily met the learning objectives, and developed positive attitudes towards the mathematics course. The paper concludes with a list of good practices, teaching suggestions and restrictions that could be useful to teachers and education policy makers. The target audience for the current study is, mainly, mathematics teachers who serve at all levels of education and have students with special educational needs in their classrooms. Furthermore, the article may also prove of interest to students, parents and teachers who are interested in the interaction between mathematics education and generative AI.
Keywords: special educational needs, mathematical familiarity, math worksheets, ChatGPT, qualitative research
Research Article
Carmen Köhler, Johannes Hartig
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep528
ABSTRACT
Since ChatGPT-3.5 has been available to the public, the potentials and challenges regarding chatbot usage in education have been widely discussed. However, little evidence exists whether and for which purposes students even apply generative AI tools. The first main purpose of the present study was to develop and test scales that assess students’ (1) knowledge about ChatGPT, (2) actual ChatGPT usage and perceived value of use, and (3) attitude towards ChatGPT. Our second aim was to examine the intercorrelations between these scales, and to investigate differences (a) across five academic fields (i.e., human sciences, social sciences, teaching profession, health sciences, and law and economics) and (b) between stages of education (i.e., number of semesters). N = 693 students from various German universities participated in our online survey. Quality checks (Cronbach’s alpha, MacDonald’s omega, and confirmatory factor analyses) show satisfactory results for all scales. The scales all positively relate to each other, except for the knowledge and attitude scales. This means that more knowledge about ChatGPT is connected to a less favorable attitude regarding the generative AI tool. Lastly, MANOVA and subsequent Bonferroni corrected ANOVA tests show that ChatGPT is mostly used by law and economics students, and most frequently by students in the third year of higher education.
Keywords: ChatGPT in higher education, student knowledge, student use, student attitude, scale development, assessment, large language models (LLMs)
Research Article
Marta Montenegro Rueda, José Fernández Cerero, Daniel Fernández Cerero, Eloy López Meneses
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 4, Article No: ep525
ABSTRACT
Online learning in higher education has established itself as a key educational strategy that transforms the teaching and learning process in universities. In this context, it is crucial to examine the different effects that this method can generate in order to identify both the opportunities and challenges that teachers face when adopting this modality. The aim of this research is to analyse the perspectives of online learning, focusing on the advantages and challenges it presents in higher education. The information was collected through semi-structured interviews with 47 teachers from the University of Cadiz and the University of Seville. The analysis of the data obtained highlights the benefits that online learning offers, such as flexibility and accessibility, as well as the difficulties related to technical problems and access to technology. The results underline the significant opportunities that online learning offers to improve the educational process, provided that the necessary teacher support and training is available. This study also provides valuable recommendations to guide future teachers and researchers in the effective integration of this method in higher education.
Keywords: online learning, higher education, digital learning, impact, educational innovation
Research Article
Silvino Antonio Castañeda Rincón, Hayarelis Moreno Gudiño, Richard de Jesús Gil Herrera
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep522
ABSTRACT
In light of the growing diversity of students in the classroom, there is a pressing need to address the potential for discrimination against minorities, arising from cultural, socioeconomic, special needs, learning styles, and other differences. It is, therefore, essential to establish inclusive learning environments that guarantee equitable learning outcomes for all children and young people. This study aims to determine the impact of educational robotics (ER) in promoting emotional, cognitive, and social inclusion attributes through active methodologies among secondary students in public institutions. The applied methodology is composed of elements typical of active methodologies implemented in education and cited in the theoretical framework. The instruments employed to measure the classroom intervention process across various stages demonstrated a gradual improvement in the reference attributes of inclusive education. The findings suggest that ER can serve as a valuable tool for promoting inclusion in diversity contexts.
Keywords: diversity, educational robotics, educational technology, inclusion
Review Article
Ali Simsek
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep518
ABSTRACT
There are many factors affecting educational practices. Changes in these factors create serious transformations in education. Some of the transformations are visible that imply a predictable future, while others have blurred influences which make the future forecasts difficult. Educational technologies often come and go but they all leave their marks on education when they are prevalent. In order to get prepared for the future, educators need to know which technologies will be dominant in the future practices of education. This article attempts to highlight the technologies that will be used commonly in the future education. It appears that virtual classroom, artificial intelligence, learning analytics, mobile applications, smart devices, extended reality, open educational resources, gamification, cloud computing, network society, post-truth, digital learning objects, online collaboration will be popular elements of educational practices in the future. On the other hand, social media, metaverse, and wearable technologies will lose their popularity in education to some degree. It is also likely that some of the current technologies will be modified while new ones will emerge to accommodate educational needs of the future.
Keywords: future education, future educational technologies, emerging learning environments, education in the future
Research Article
Adeeb M. Jarrah, Kamar Fayez, Hanan Almarashdi, Patricia Fidalgo
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep516
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an unprecedented reliance on digital technologies in education, regardless of the pre-existing attitude of teachers. This study explores elementary school teachers’ perceptions about teaching mathematics through distance education. Using a quantitative approach, an online questionnaire was administered to primary teachers in the UAE during the spring semester of 2020-2021. The results show teachers’ readiness to adopt digital technology in teaching against increased workload. Difficulties emerged in optimizing student performance in online environments. While the institution supports digital integration, teachers prefer traditional in-person classroom instruction. Therefore, the research would inform some educational systems and curriculum planning worldwide on the best way to integrate digital technology within elementary mathematics education. The study aims to close the gap in mathematics education within a digital context to solve the emerging educational demands.
Keywords: distance education, elementary education, information and communication technology, mathematics education, United Arab Emirates
Research Article
Arystanbek Maulet, Wilfried Admiraal, Nursulu Algozhaeva, Nuri Balta
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep515
ABSTRACT
Teachers’ knowledge about technology and teaching with technology is decisive for how affordances of technology integration are taken up. Two questionnaires were administered in 21 high schools in Kazakhstan: one about types of teacher knowledge based on technological pedagogical content knowledge framework and one about affordances of technology integration. The analyses show a relatively high level of all types of teacher knowledge and a large variation in perceived affordances, with relatively low scores for support from the school leader and time available to design and plan technology integration in class. Furthermore, different types of knowledge were related to different affordances, which means that a focus on a high level of all types of teacher’s knowledge of technology might help best to benefit from most of the affordances. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Keywords: teaching with technology, affordances, knowledge, teachers, secondary education
Review Article
Olga V. Sergeeva, Ekaterina V. Zvereva, Yuliya P. Kosheleva, Marina R. Zheltukhina, Alexey I. Prokopyev, Denis A. Dobrokhotov
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep514
ABSTRACT
This article has crafted a detailed bibliometric review of gamified learning in higher education which provides the reader a broad scientific background and an overview of relevant publications and their up-to-date status in this growing domain. The study examines the spread of publications over the time, revealing a development of a dynamic curve from minor to peak in 2021, and then leveled-off of activity in the rest of the years. There is special focus on high-achieving authors and institutions that are praised by the work for their key contributions to the field of gamified learning research. The aspect of global geographical distribution of gamified learning studies in the literature is expounded. While the USA and Turkey rank first in this regard, they also head the discourse. The role of key journals and a citation analysis provide the evidence of the highly reputable and established place the gamified leaning has in higher education. This bibliometric review offers important information about the multifaceted aspects of gamified learning and subsequently may be used by future researchers to dig deeper and contribute to the literature.
Keywords: gamified learning, higher education, bibliometric review
Research Article
Raúl Alberto Garcia Castro, Nikole Alexandra Mayta Cachicatari, Willian Máximo Bartesaghi Aste, Martín Pedro Llapa Medina
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep511
ABSTRACT
The introduction of ChatGPT into basic education is progressing rapidly, generating impacts that, in many cases, are unknown. Its impressive capability profiles it as a tool that will revolutionize teaching and learning processes, creating gaps that need to be understood and evaluated. The research aims to explore the advantages, disadvantages, and its impact on school tasks. It is an exploratory qualitative study; data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 110 participants from five schools in Tacna, Peru. The results reveal that ChatGPT provides information quickly and easily, with a variety of content and pedagogical strategies. Additionally, it serves for evaluation, knowledge consultation, and scheduling school tasks. Eight related disadvantages were identified: Easy access to information may encourage the habit of copying and pasting, fostering academic dependence that would affect the development of skills, such as inquiry, argumentation, analysis, and critical thinking. Also, students may misuse information, cheating on school tasks and affecting their quality and suitability, making them no longer useful for education, including synthesis, essays, monographs, organizers, summaries, and mathematical exercises.
Keywords: ChatGPT, advantages, disadvantages, school tasks, basic education
Research Article
Nicole L. Weber, Corine McCarthy, Katie Campbell, Hannah Bauer
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep510
ABSTRACT
As new technologies and learning practices emerge, the way instructional design and learning technology (IDLT) professionals conduct their work evolves. With this constant evolution comes a change in employer expectations of IDLT professionals. This convergent mixed methods study analyzed 130 IDLT-related position descriptions and interviewed 12 IDLT leaders from the K12, nonprofit, higher education, and corporate sectors to identify current expectations related to degree qualifications, knowledge, skills, and abilities expected from IDLT professionals. Results included a preference for a master’s degree-level qualification, at times due to bureaucracy, and an interest in the combination of academic preparation with instructional design experience. Additionally, employers shared that they were interested in an advanced understanding and adaptable application of IDLT theories, models, and frameworks, as well as a need for non-specific IDLT skills (e.g., communication and collaboration) and familiarity with IDLT-related technologies (e.g., learning management system and course authoring software). These results provide valuable insight for those looking to join IDLT field, current IDLT professionals interested in upskilling, and educational programs preparing future IDLT professionals for the workforce.
Keywords: instructional design, learning technology, K12, higher education, corporate, non-profit, KSAs, knowledge, skills, abilities
Review Article
Izida I. Ishmuradova, Alexey A. Chistyakov, Alexey D. Chudnovskiy, Elena V. Grib, Sergey V. Kondrashev, Sergei P. Zhdanov
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep508
ABSTRACT
This study looks closely at research papers about blended learning (BL) from the last 10 years (2014-2023). It pulls information from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS). By using both, it gives a full picture of what is being published and what’s important in BL research. The search found 1,704 articles in Scopus and 1,545 in WoS. After putting them together and removing duplicates, there were 2,455 articles for the study. The study used a Bibliometrix R to look at who published a lot, which countries and schools did most, who worked together, and which articles got mentioned a lot. Each year, the number of articles grew by about 15.58%. Most of these, 93.00%, were articles. Universities in Australia were among those that wrote the most. “Education and Information Technologies” and “International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education” were often cited, which shows they have big roles in this research area. Some of the main researchers who connect a lot of the work are Zhu, Graham, and Jackson. It is found that keywords “higher education”, “online learning”, “students”, and “COVID-19” are very common in discussions and help shape the research being done. While much research comes from Australia and the West, there is also growing work from Asia and the Middle East. This shows that BL is becoming important in different parts of the world. But there’s a chance to get more research from less wealthy countries. This study puts together a clear picture of BL research. It looks at what’s been published, who talks to who, and which places are doing the work. The research has grown who the main people are, where there’s a gap between different regions, and what we should think about for the future. This can help make policies and change how we teach.
Keywords: bibliometrics, blended learning, higher education, research impact, knowledge mapping
Research Article
Kate Tzu-Ching Chen
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep506
ABSTRACT
This study assessed the readiness and perceptions of 215 secondary school teachers in Taiwan regarding distance English as a foreign language (EFL) learning. Data collection encompassed survey questionnaires, which were refined based on a pilot study. The responses underwent analysis using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and the Pearson correlation coefficient in the most recent iteration of SPSS. In addition, content analysis was conducted on follow-up interviews. The findings indicated a noteworthy degree of readiness among teachers for distance EFL learning, nonetheless the challenges arising from the abrupt transition to distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. While teachers exhibited confidence in their ability to navigate EFL distance learning, they also accentuated the necessity for specialized training and institutional support to effectively manage its demands. Despite their preference for traditional in-person classes, teachers acknowledged the importance of ongoing support and training to enhance the quality of instruction in digital EFL learning contexts, emphasizing the need for continuous development in this newly developed teaching trend to align with evolving educational landscapes.
Keywords: distance education and online learning, K-12 education, computer-assisted language learning, English teaching
Research Article
Josef Buchner, Elke Höfler
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep504
ABSTRACT
Fake news is increasingly becoming a major problem for global social coexistence, for example by undermining trust in democracies. There is a consensus that educational institutions need to respond and prepare students to recognize fake news. Teachers have a central role to play in preparing students and therefore need to learn about fake news during their studies. Previous research has shown that games are particularly effective for learning about fake news, but the group of pre-service teachers has not yet been investigated. The aim of this study is to address this gap by examining whether pre-service teachers can learn about fake news using the augmented reality escape game Escape Fake. To investigate this question, a pre-/post-test design was conducted with 45 pre-service teachers (four males, mean age=22.59 years, standard deviation=1.80). The results show that after playing Escape Fake, the pre-service teachers demonstrate significantly higher knowledge about fake news, are significantly more critical towards online information, and are significantly more confident in being able to recognize fake news in the future. However, playing the game did not promote the ability to discern real from false information. The paper discusses reasons for this finding and suggests ways to improve learning with the game. Implications and future research needs are discussed.
Keywords: fake news, fake news education, educational escape game, augmented reality, teacher education, teacher training
Review Article
Yessane Shrrie Nagendhra Rao, Chwen Jen Chen
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep502
ABSTRACT
This bibliometric study on data mining in education synonymous with big educational data utilizes VOSviewer and Harzing’s Publish and Perish to analyze the metadata of 1,439 journal articles found in Scopus from 2010 to 2022. As bibliometric analyses in this field are lacking, this study aims to provide a comprehensive outlook on the current developments and impact of research in this field. This study employs descriptive and trends analysis, co-authorship analysis, co-citation analysis, co-occurrences of keywords, terms map analysis, and analysis of the impact and performance of publications. It also partially replicates a similar study conducted by Wang et al. (2022), who used the Web of Science (WoS) database. The study is reported in an article entitled ‘Big data and data mining in education: A bibliometrics study from 2010 to 2022’. Results show that data mining in education is a growing research field. There is also a significant difference between the publications in Scopus and WoS. The study found several research areas and topics, such as student academic performance prediction, e-learning, machine learning, and innovative data mining techniques, to be the core basis for collaborating and continuing current research in this field. These results highlight the importance of continuing research on data mining in education, guiding future research in tackling educational challenges.
Keywords: educational data mining, big data, education, bibliometric analysis, Scopus
Research Article
Gulten Genc, Muhammed Nazif Kutlu, Ozge Kirmizibayrak
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep501
ABSTRACT
In recent years, the widespread use of online learning environments and tools, especially with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought students’ readiness for online learning and their ability to manage their own learning processes to the fore. This study aims to investigate the online learning readiness (OLR) and self-directed learning skills of English language learners at a state university in Turkey. For this purpose, a cross-sectional, descriptive study methodology was employed. The study group consisted of 202 randomly selected first-year volunteer students. An information form and two scales were used to collect data. Additionally, the effects of some demographic factors on EFL students’ OLR and self-directed learning skills were also investigated. The results of the study revealed that university students have a moderate level of self-directed learning and readiness to learn in the online environment. As another result of the study, it was determined that various independent variables had an impact on the participants’ OLR levels. In parallel with the findings of the study, some pedagogical strategies were discussed and suggested.
Keywords: readiness for online learning, self-directed learning, English as a foreign language, higher education, technology in education
Research Article
Leonardo David Glasserman-Morales, Carolina Alcantar-Nieblas, Marcela Inés Sisto
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep498
ABSTRACT
Nowadays, digital competencies encompass skills and attitudes with technical, informational, content, media, and communication aspects that are crucial for students and future professionals. Hence, there is a need to investigate the possible correlations between demographic and contextual variables and the development of digital competencies in higher education. This paper reports on several university-student demographic factors associated with digital competencies. The work used a quantitative approach with descriptive statistical techniques such as a means test and Pearson correlation analysis. The findings identified that (a) there are statistically significant differences between the mean obtained in the previous semester in digital competencies and the gender of the students, (b) there are no statistically significant differences in the final mean for digital competencies and the students’ institution of origin, and (c) the variables included in the study are statistically significant. They also found that the mean attained by the university students in the previous semester had a strong predictive power of student performance; in contrast, the student’s high school institution of origin variable was a weak predictor of their digital competency. This paper presents the findings and implications for practice and research.
Keywords: digital competencies, higher education, educational innovation, demographic factors, school factors, educational technology
Research Article
Stavros Papakonstantinidis, Piotr Kwiatek, Filomachi Spathopoulou
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 2, Article No: ep495
ABSTRACT
This research investigates the perspectives of using artificial intelligence writing software (AIWS) in professional contexts, focusing on academic and non-academic writers. These two groups, while standing to gain increased productivity through the adoption of AIWS, also express concerns regarding the widespread implementation of this technology. Notably, artificial intelligence (AI) writing tech’s impact on content creation has been profound, with its swift grammatically accurate content generation. This adoption, however, remains controversial. The study employs a quantitative approach, combining technology acceptance model and new computer game attitude scale. This approach allows us to discern implications of using AI-powered writing tools while accounting for possible differences in different domains of use. Through a survey of 219 participants, spanning academia and business, the study explores attitudes and willingness to use AIWS. Findings yield insights into non-academic writers’ readiness and implications of AIWS adoption. Business, non-academic professionals view AIWS as a tool for efficiency and content quality, while writers in academic contexts express concerns about biases, manipulation, and job displacement. The study contributes to AIWS understanding, benefiting developers, educational institutions, and content creators, and elucidates differing attitudes and age dynamics between academics and professionals. The research underscores the multifaceted influence of AIWS, providing a foundation for future exploration in this emerging domain, as well as practical applications for industries and educational institutions.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, chatbots, ChatGPT, education, educational technologies
Research Article
Alfiya R. Masalimova, Marina R. Zheltukhina, Olga V. Sergeeva, Zhanna M. Sizova, Philipp N. Novikov, Albina R. Sadykova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 1, Article No: ep488
ABSTRACT
The proliferation of technology and the heightened significance of e-learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the perspectives and attitudes of educational stakeholders toward educational technology. The objective of this research was to explore the attitudes of higher education students toward e-learning. Data collection was conducted via a questionnaire. The findings demonstrated that the key benefit of e-learning, as reported by a substantial majority (77.0%) of participants, is the convenience of studying from home. This is closely followed by the advantage of learning at one’s own pace, as 69.4% of respondents expressed. A considerable proportion (58.8%) highlighted the comfort factor associated with e-learning, along with the cost-saving aspect of reduced expenses on accommodation and transportation. Other advantages included the ability to access course materials remotely (57.6%) option to record meetings online (51.1%), regarding disadvantages of e-learning, the majority (59.4%) of respondents indicated that e-learning limits interaction with others, followed by social isolation (44.1%), lack of self-discipline (43.5%), internet problems (43.5%). The results showed that e-learning was perceived to be less effective compared to conventional face-to-face learning. Also, we showed that, in general, there is no significant relationship between socio-demographic variables and attitudes toward e-learning. Only a few significant relationships were found regarding demographic variables on attitudes. We made educational implications for the next studies on our results.
Keywords: higher education students, university students, undergraduate students, e-learning, attitudes
Research Article
Naureen Shehzad, Tendai Charles
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep484
ABSTRACT
Digital pedagogies have impacted traditional approaches towards teaching and as this phenomenon continues to expand, a clearer understanding of the role of instructors’ social presence in online learning environments is imperative. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, this study investigates instructor social presence and its impact on student engagement at higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates. The study includes data collected through a survey, which was distributed amongst faculty members (n=30), followed by several in-depth interviews. The study explores the relationship between constructs of instructor social presence and student engagement. Findings suggest that instructor social presence positively influences student engagement and attrition. The study also identifies different strategies and barriers instructors face in establishing their online social presence. The study has practical implications for stakeholders and curriculum designers seeking to improve and enhance the learning outcomes in online education.
Keywords: higher education, social presence, student engagement, community of inquiry
Review Article
Duong Huu Tong, Tien-Trung Nguyen, Bui Phuong Uyen, Lu Kim Ngan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep482
ABSTRACT
Mobile learning (m-learning) is a crucial educational technology for teacher education due to its significant benefits and the development of mobile technology. This study’s objective is to conduct a systematic review and present a recent synthesis of the m-learning literature from 2018 to 2023 in teacher education relating to subject publication year, geographic distribution, matter domains, mobile devices and technologies used, research methodologies used to examine the implementation of m-learning, results for pre-service teachers, as well as benefits and challenges of m-learning adoption. The study used the systematic review methodology and PRISMA guidelines. A list of 27 studies was included from several relevant studies in four, Google Scholar, Mendeley, ScienceDirect, and Scopus, databases using inclusion and exclusion criteria to evaluate the full text after screening the titles and abstracts. The results of this study show that m-learning has garnered interest in numerous nations worldwide, applied in different subject matter domains with the use of various mobile devices and technologies. More significantly, the findings show that using mobile learning to learn positively impacts how pre-service teachers develop their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Additionally, adopting this learning style recently in teacher education has certain advantages and challenges, requiring lecturers, pre-service teachers, and institutions to have the necessary equipment for knowledge, skills and facilities to achieve efficiency. Consequently, the results of this study can be used as a guide for research on m-learning in the future and contribute to the body of knowledge about this pedagogical strategy for teacher training.
Keywords: m-learning, pre-service teacher, systematic review, teacher education
Review Article
Lizzeth Navarro-Ibarra, Omar Cuevas-Salazar, Alan Robles-Aguilar
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep480
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study is to find new emerging lines of research in education with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). To this end, we carried out a meta-analysis selecting an index, which contained scientific articles, and which provided free access to complete documents. The search covered five years, 2017-2021 in which 748 were identified. For the analysis the articles were read in order to identify information and record it. Previously, categories were established such as the date, country, continent, language, level of schooling or demographics of the population of publication and the kind of study and area of research. With respect to the demographics we identified that the aged were the category, which had been studied the least. With reference to years of schooling, pre-school and graduate levels had the fewest articles. That said, we found that the majority of the articles were aimed at education and technology in general. However, it is important to point out that the areas with limited research such as autism, rural area, inclusive education, disabilities, cyberbullying, Indigenous affairs, social exclusion, and down syndrome. These findings show the emerging lines of research to which studies should be expanded with further knowledge.
Keywords: teaching and training, information and communication technologies, level of education, population, research of academic literature
Research Article
Aygul A. Khafizova, Almaz M. Galimov, Saida R. Kharisova, Ludmila Y. Grebenshchikova, Roza I. Yagudina, Lyudmila M. Smirnova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep479
ABSTRACT
This study analyzes how medical educational programs are evolving to address the digital transformation in healthcare. Surveys, curriculum analysis, and faculty interviews were utilized to examine technology integration. Findings indicate electronic medical records are considered the most significant digital achievement, though only 4% of beginner faculty emphasized telemedicine. Curriculum analysis revealed increasing modifications related to technology, informatics, and data analytics, especially in certain specialties like biochemistry and biophysics. Interviews provided insights into digital integration opportunities and challenges. A key theme was re-evaluating pedagogical strategies as students rely more on technology. Interviewees also envisioned emerging innovations enabling personalized, immersive learning, but cautioned against over-dependence on technology impeding development of clinical skills and humanism. Overall, while core medical fundamentals remain unchanged, curriculum content is adapting to incorporate new competencies like digital literacy. However, strategic integration remains crucial to balance technology’s benefits and drawbacks. Challenges like technical difficulties, costs, and over-reliance must be addressed. The outlook is increased technology utilization, with solutions like AI-enabled adaptive learning on the horizon. However, investing in infrastructure and faculty development will be vital. Medical schools must leverage technology to elevate learning while retaining humanistic values. This study provides timely insights into medical education’s digital transformation, laying groundwork for further research on optimizing technology integration while upholding the human core of medicine.
Keywords: digital competencies in medical education, healthcare digitalization, medical curriculum, medical education
Research Article
Carlos Enrique George-Reyes, Edgar Omar López-Caudana, Maria Soledad Ramírez-Montoya
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep478
ABSTRACT
Research competencies are skills that university students must develop to create and socialize scientific products during their academic live. In this research, an experience was implemented to improve the students’ competency levels through its imbrication with complex thinking and the use of Education 4.0 applications, such as remote team workflow development apps, web-based virtual reality, and social robotics. The study was sequential-quantitative and descriptive. A questionnaire was applied before and after the experience to know the perception of 105 Mexican university students, later a rubric was implemented for the teacher’s assessment. The results indicate that the students perceived an improvement in their research skills, however, the evaluation showed a difference between the student’s perception and the teacher’s regarding improvement in said skills. The experience can be scaled to other scenarios, where disruptive teaching strategies can support research skills development.
Keywords: higher education, Education 4.0, research, educational innovation, complex thinking
Research Article
Dichitchai Mettarikanon, Weeratian Tawanwongsri, Pitchaya Jaruvijitrattana, Sasipaka Sindhusen, Surinnart Charoenchitt, Patsaraporn Manunyanon
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep477
ABSTRACT
The informed consent process is integral to medical procedures, including skin biopsies, which are the definitive method for diagnosing challenging skin lesions. Educational videos are recognized for effective delivery of information for informed consent. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an informed consent process using educational videos to improve patient understanding and reduce preprocedural anxiety. This multicenter, randomized controlled study was conducted during December 2021-June 2023. Participants were randomly assigned to either the video or verbal group in a 1:1 ratio. They completed knowledge and anxiety questionnaires before and after biopsy. The final analysis included 54 participants (verbal group: n=28; video group: n=26) with a mean age of 51.9 years (standard deviation [SD] 18.1), and a balanced gender distribution. Post-intervention knowledge scores (median 10.0; IQR 8.0-10.0) significantly increased compared to pre-intervention scores (median 6.0; IQR 4.0-9.0), p<0.001. Post-intervention Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) scores (median 5.0; interquartile range, IQR 5.0-6.0) significantly decreased compared to pre-intervention scores (median 7.0; IQR 5.0-10.0), p<0.001. Knowledge scores increased more in the video group (median, 2.5; IQR 1.0-5.0) than in the verbal group (median, 1.5; IQR 0.0-4.0), p=0.217. There was no significant difference in STAI score changes between the video group (median 1.0, IQR 0.0-4.0) and the verbal group (median 1.0, IQR 0.0-3.0), p=0.824. Despite statistical insignificance, educational videos exhibited greater effectiveness in enhancing comprehension and demonstrated comparable efficacy in reducing anxiety compared to conventional intervention.
Keywords: educational videos, comprehension, anxiety, informed consent, skin biopsy
Research Article
Fatimah Alhashem, Abdullah Alfailakawi
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep474
ABSTRACT
This research studied the impact of integrating virtual laboratories in chemistry lessons among 22 pre-service teachers who were enrolled in a Bachelor of Education program, focusing on middle and high school science. These participants were systematically divided into an experimental group (EG) and a control group. Both groups engaged in the same organic chemistry lesson and subsequent lab session, the only difference being that EG received additional training via a virtual laboratory prior to the hands-on lab session. A survey, conducted both before and after the experiment, was utilized to measure participants’ attitudes towards the use of virtual laboratories. The quantitative data analysis revealed a significant positive shift in EG’s attitudes post-intervention, suggesting that virtual laboratory experiences enhance their learning and engagement. Specifically, participants exhibited improved understanding of the educational methodologies and heightened engagement during the physical lab work. However, no significant differences were observed between the two groups concerning the technical aspects of the experiments, implying that the virtual labs’ impact on perspectives about the technical components of a chemistry lab was consistent across both groups. These findings support the view of virtual laboratories as a viable supporting tool for science education, promoting technology integration into teaching practices to meet the demands of 21st century learning outcomes. This research concludes with recommendations for future studies to explore further the implications of virtual labs on various aspects of science education.
Keywords: virtual laboratory, chemistry, organic chemistry, pre-service teacher, training, science education, laboratory
Research Article
Emily Hope Morrison, Dimitrios Vlachopoulos
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep473
ABSTRACT
Globally, schools were faced with mandatory shutdowns in the wake of the recent COVID-19 outbreak. To avoid disruption in the education process, teachers and students used alternative education strategies and solutions, switching to emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL). This change was completely unanticipated, and thus can only be perceived as a reactionary measure. The purpose of this basic qualitative study is to explore the experience of secondary students regarding ERTL, as well as their satisfaction with the tools used in the science curriculum. Challenging the assumption that the learning experience during ERTL would be similar in most subject areas, this qualitative study focuses on the aspects of the science curriculum that were complex to offer in an online setting, including experimentation and modelling of phenomena. To achieve this purpose, three focus groups with grade 8 students from an international school were conducted. Most of the participants described ERTL experience as having a predominantly negative affect on their engagement and academic performance, mainly because of their poor home learning environments, the duration of remote teaching, and the distractions that derive from the ongoing use of the Internet. At the same time, the findings revealed that, beyond the accessibility and interactivity appropriate technologies can offer, the use of tools like gamified pop-quizzes, video applications and interactive simulations can enhance the learning experience. The procedure followed for this research is easy to replicate at different contexts and, thus, generate enough data to reimagine science education from the lessons learned during ERTL.
Keywords: emergency remote teaching and learning, secondary education, science curriculum, qualitative research, technology for science curriculum, educational technology
Research Article
Sri Gunawan, Chich-Jen Shieh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep470
ABSTRACT
This research investigates the effect of multiple intelligences (MIs) teaching strategy with technology-enriched environments on business administration students’ self-efficacy, confidence, and learning outcomes. The study involved 276 participants from a university’s business administration department, undergoing an international business course. A range of technology-based activities incorporating MI strategies was employed, exploring key topics such as globalization, corporate social responsibility, and market segmentation. Hypothesis testing revealed that high expectations and changes in viewpoints positively impacted self-concept, ability, and motivation, contributing to improved learning outcomes. The integration of technology in teaching facilitated these transformations, demonstrating how digital tools like virtual reality, interactive platforms, and online tutorials can enhance learning experiences. However, the effect on learning gain varied when viewpoints changed, indicating a need for further research into the differential impact of technology on learning outcomes. Despite some limitations, the study offers compelling evidence supporting the integration of MIs teaching strategy with technology-enriched environments in business administration education. Future studies should further explore the role of emerging technologies in this context.
Keywords: multiple intelligences teaching strategy, technology-enriched environments, technology education, motivation in learning, technology integration in teaching
Review Article
Chamil Arkhasa Nikko Mazlan, Mohd Hassan Abdullah, Mohd Azam Sulong, Ashardi Abas, Mohamad Rohieszan Ramdan, Abdul Rahman Safian, Dayang Rafidah Syariff M. Fuad
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep468
ABSTRACT
This scoping review investigates the potential of bite-sized learning approach in music education. The review identified articles from Scopus and ERIC databases, revealing that bite-sized learning is widely discussed in the field of ICT, mathematics, and medicine. Bite-sized learning is pedagogical and pragmatic, providing easy access, convenience, and reducing cognitive load. The study suggests that music educators can incorporate bite-sized learning by refining music content into manageable small units, utilizing flexible platforms such as TikTok, and tailoring the approach according to learner interests. Bite-sized learning can improve the quality of learning by creating an enjoyable, useful, and understandable learning session, reducing time to mastery, and improving mental health. Moreover, bite-sized learning can align with the 21st century learning traits such as personalization. This review highlights the potential of bite-sized learning in music education and recommends further research to examine its effectiveness in various instruments and related subjects. The study concludes that bite-sized learning can be recognized as a pragmatic, flexible, brevity and personalized learning approach that aligns with the needs of modern learners for the 21st century.
Keywords: bite-sized learning, music education, pedagogue, teaching and learning approach, 21st century learning
Research Article
Carmen Ricardo, Camilo Vieira, Roxana Quintero-Manes, John Cano
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep465
ABSTRACT
While some students had experience receiving online education prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency remote modality offered a different experience given that higher education faculty had limited time for planning and, most of them, did not have any experience in online education. This research aims to identify the differences between undergraduate students’ perceptions and preferences on emergency remote and online education. Researchers identified a set of online education courses–that pre-existed COVID-19 times–and courses that were transformed into remote education courses–designed as a response of the COVID-19 emergency. Participants of this study are a group of students who, during the same academic semester, participated in both online and (emergency) remote courses. Researchers used a survey to understand students’ perceptions and preferences assessing their experiences in different dimensions (e.g., interaction and evaluation). Researchers used the add-on preferential groups model to identify which of the two modalities was preferred by the students for each dimension. The quantitative analysis was complemented using content analysis of responses to open-ended questions, seeking to gain a better understanding of students’ perceptions and preferences between online and emergency remote education. The results show that students have a positive view of the online and remote modalities; however, each of these modalities offers students advantages for specific dimensions. For example, the remote modality was preferred for having greater interaction among peers and with the instructor. On the other hand, online education provided more flexibility. Students suggested improving assessments’ approaches and instructors’ technological skills for both modalities.
Keywords: emergency remote education, preferences, perceptions, online learning, higher education
Review Article
Muhammad Imran, Norah Almusharraf
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep464
ABSTRACT
This study examines the role of ChatGPT as a writing assistant in academia through a systematic literature review of the 30 most relevant articles. Since its release in November 2022, ChatGPT has become the most debated topic among scholars and is also being used by many users from different fields. Many articles, reviews, blogs, and opinion essays have been published in which the potential role of ChatGPT as a writing assistant is discussed. For this systematic review, 550 articles published six months after ChatGPT’s release (December 2022 to May 2023) were collected based on specific keywords, and the final 30 most relevant articles were finalized through PRISMA flowchart. The analyzed literature identifies different opinions and scenarios associated with using ChatGPT as a writing assistant and how to interact with it. Findings show that artificial intelligence (AI) in education is a part of the ongoing development process, and its latest chatbot, ChatGPT is a part of it. Therefore, the education process, particularly academic writing, has both opportunities and challenges in adopting ChatGPT as a writing assistant. The need is to understand its role as an aid and facilitator for both the learners and instructors, as chatbots are relatively beneficial devices to facilitate, create ease and support the academic process. However, academia should revisit and update students’ and teachers’ training, policies, and assessment ways in writing courses for academic integrity and originality, like plagiarism issues, AI-generated assignments, online/home-based exams, and auto-correction challenges.
Keywords: AI in education, chatbots, ChatGPT as writing assistant, scientific writing, academic integrity
Research Article
Sara Dias-Trindade, José António Moreira, Juan Gabriel García Huertas, Pablo Garrido Pintado, Ana Mas Miguel
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep463
ABSTRACT
The potential of DTIC has brought new and emerging challenges to teachers, making it essential to acquire digital competences, especially in virtual learning environments and online technologies. In this sense, based on the DigCompEdu CheckIn self-assessment questionnaire, validated for the Portuguese population by earlier studies, this research aims to identify the most fragile and robust areas of digital competences of Portuguese and Spanish university teachers. The quantitative methodological approach emphasizes teachers’ perception of their digital competences in three dimensions: teachers’ professional competences, teachers’ pedagogical competences and students’ competences and involved 347 teachers from Portugal and Spain. The results show that teachers of the two institutions have an overall moderate level of digital proficiency–level B1 and B2–and that the differences encountered between Portuguese and Spanish teachers (for example, Portuguese teachers have level A2 in area 4–assessment–, while Spanish teachers are already at level B2) highlight the need to invest in specific training that may address specific frailties, and therefore allow for the promotion of their digital competences. Results relating to teaching experience and age show that there is no direct relation between either factor or being digitally competent. Regarding gender, results reveal that men had slightly better results than women. Overall, what the results show is the need for teachers to increase the level of digital competence through specific training, prepared according to the specificities of each institution, and the importance of developing public policies that prepare teachers for a more digital education.
Keywords: digital technologies, digital competence, higher education, teacher training, DigCompEdu
Research Article
Delfín Ortega-Sánchez
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep462
ABSTRACT
This study analyses the frequencies of inclusion of digital literary-educational proposals on the diversification of sex/gender/sexuality expectations by in-service Spanish teachers of secondary education (n=436), and the predictors that determine this inclusion. Based on the application of the instrument Digital Literary Education and the Construction of Gender Identities (DLECGI), the study is developed in non-experimental designs of a cross-sectional nature, and at the relational, explanatory and predictive levels of research, insofar as it seeks to reveal the socio-demographic, formative and didactic causes of the phenomenon or event of interest, and its degree of occurrence. The results obtained indicate the existence of a profile of teachers who promote the recommendation of this type of digital reading based on their belonging to non-binary gender groups with previous training in co-education and equality, and with explicit didactic stances on controversial issues. Likewise, the relationship between socio-demographic variables and the didactic positioning of teachers on the recommendation of digital readings on affective-sexual diversity shows that initial and/or ongoing specific training in co-education and equality is a key predictor of this relationship. These findings attest to the fact that the visibility and recognition of identity plurality in literary education necessarily involves the proposal of counter-hegemonic models regarding gender and affective-sexual identity. In this regard, teacher training must continue to progress towards the adoption of inclusive didactic approaches within the framework of educational principles for democratic citizenship, regardless of the gender or personal and social identity that defines these teachers.
Keywords: digital literary, gender and affective-sexual diversity, gender identities, secondary education
Review Article
Roza S. Akhmadieva, Natalia N. Udina, Yuliya P. Kosheleva, Sergei P. Zhdanov, Maria O. Timofeeva, Roza L. Budkevich
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep460
ABSTRACT
A descriptive bibliometric analysis of works on artificial intelligence (AI) in science education is provided in this article to help readers understand the state of the field’s research at the time. This study’s main objective is to give bibliometric data on publications regarding AI in science education printed in periodicals listed in the Scopus database between 2002 and 2023 end of May. The data gathered from publications scanned and published within the study’s parameters was subjected to descriptive bibliometric analysis based on seven categories: number of articles and citations per year, countries with the most publications, most productive author, most significant affiliation, funding institutions, publication source and subject areas. Most of the papers were published between 2016 and 2022. The United States of America, United Kingdom, and China were the top-3 most productive nations, with the United States of America producing the most publications. The number of citations to the publications indexed in Scopus database increased in a progressive way and reached to maximum number in 2022 with 178 citations. Most productive author on this topic was Salles, P. with four publications. Moreover, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Memphis, and University of Southern California have the maximum number of publications as affiliations. The National Science Foundation was the leader funding institution in terms of number of publications produced. In addition, “Proceedings Frontiers in Education Conference Fie” have the highest number of publications by year as a publication source. Distribution of the publications by subject area was analyzed. The subject areas of the publications were computer sciences, social sciences, science education, technology and engineering education respectively. This study presents a vision for future research and provides a global perspective on AI in science education.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, science education, STEM, bibliometric review
Research Article
Premika Farsawang, Noawanit Songkram
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep456
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a rapid transition to online learning, thereby significantly impacting higher education. This study examines the experiences of students, instructors, and university administrators from 22 Thai universities during the pandemic and explores the potential consequences for the future of higher education. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, data were gathered through focus group discussions with 30 participants and a survey conducted with 510 undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students. The findings highlight the importance of flexibility, technology integration, and adaptability in curricula and instructional methods to enable effective online learning. Additionally, the study emphasizes the need for continuous improvement in the education sector, driven by the rapidly changing demands of the job market and the evolving nature of technology. Practical steps to be taken include prioritizing student learning outcomes, fostering digital literacy among instructors and students, and promoting collaboration across disciplines. Future research should examine the long-term impact of the pandemic on higher education and explore additional strategies for supporting students and instructors in the next normal.
Keywords: online learning, higher education, flexibility, technology integration, COVID-19, adaptability
Review Article
Azeneth Patiño, María Soledad Ramírez-Montoya, Gerardo Ibarra-Vazquez
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 4, Article No: ep447
ABSTRACT
Complex thinking is a desired competency in 21st-century university students, so technology-based teaching and learning strategies must be carefully considered when training them in complex reasoning skills. This systematic review aims to map research on the use of teaching and learning strategies supported by technology to enhance complex thinking skills in university students. This review reports results according to PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. The search strategy was performed in June 2022 in Scopus and Web of Science databases. Of 151 records initially identified between 2018 and 2022, 32 papers were included in the final synthesis per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results of this review indicate that (1) tech-based strategies for complex thinking development are based on active learning approaches including problem-based learning, case-based learning, collaboration-driven and discussion-based learning, project-based learning, assessment- and feedback-oriented activities, and mind mapping techniques; (2) most of the documented strategies were implemented in hybrid contexts; (3) traditional instructional materials commonly used for promoting higher order thinking skills such as reading assignments, videos, and eliciting/reflexive questions are still effective in fostering complex thinking when delivered through technology; and (4) custom-built technological development for complex thinking development software that incorporates emerging technologies is scarce at present. Further research is needed to document the interventions that train students interactively in complex thinking skills using Education 4.0 technologies.
Keywords: complex thinking, higher education, educational technology, educational innovation, Education 4.0
Review Article
Muslimat G. Akhmedova, Gasangusein I. Ibragimov, Nina I. Kryukova, Natalya A. Galchenko, Larisa Y. Lutskovskaia, Zhanna M. Sizova, Marat R. Minkin
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep444
ABSTRACT
This article provides a bibliometric overview of publications on eLearning trends in STE(A)M teaching and learning to give readers a better understanding of the current state of research in the field. The main objective of this study is to provide bibliometric data on publications on online teaching and learning trends for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education (STEM) teaching and learning purposes printed in journals included in the Scopus database in the years 2011-2023. For the bibliometric analysis, STEM learning, STEM teaching, online education, bibliometric review keywords were used, and 136 documents from the Scopus database were chosen. The collected data of the publications scanned and published in the parameters of the study were subjected to a bibliometric analysis based on seven categories: number of articles and citations per year, most influential countries, most prolific author, most prominent affiliations, funding institutions, publication source, and subject areas. Network diagrams and bibliometric analyses were created using the Scopus database analysis. Most of the articles were published between 2016 and 2022. The United States of America, the United Kingdom, and China were among the top-three most productive countries, and the United States of America produced the most publications. The number of citations to publications indexed in the Scopus database is growing steadily and reached its peak in 2022 (178 citations). The most prolific author on this subject is Minichiello, A., with four publications. In addition, Stanford University and Utah State University have maximum publishing partners. By funding 16 publications for online STEM teaching and learning, the National Science Foundation has shown leadership. The topic areas of the publications’ distribution were looked at. The articles’ respective fields of study were social sciences and computer science. This study offers a vision for future research as well as a worldwide view of online learning for STEM teaching and learning.
Keywords: STEM learning, STEM teaching, online education, bibliometric review
Research Article
Arnau Erta-Majó, Eduard Vaquero
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep442
ABSTRACT
Transmedia storytelling has the potential to be an effective approach for non-formal education. Previous research has suggested that there may be a reciprocal relationship between transmedia storytelling and the characteristics of non-formal learners. However, there is limited literature on how to structure and design educational processes using this approach in non-formal settings, and even less literature that integrates the perspectives of stakeholders on the necessary components for instructional design. To address this gap, a qualitative analysis of multiformat focus groups was conducted to describe the necessary items to be considered when developing transmedia educational process (TEP) in non-formal educational proposals when these are designed to families, children, and/or adolescents. Based on the findings, seven important levels were identified for instructional designing of TEPs: level of intentions (1), level of facilitators’ indications (2), level of participants’ needs (3), level of narrative integrations (4), level of elaboration and production (5), level of means and technological/physical support (6), and level of sharing willingness (7). The study discusses the importance to consider multiple perspectives, including those of facilitators, children and adolescents, and parents, when designing TEPs. Additionally, it is important to use a variety of media platforms, formats, and channels to engage diverse and heterogeneous groups of participants in non-formal educational settings. Further research could focus on developing and validating tools and strategies to guide instructional design in these types of educational processes.
Keywords: transmedia education, non-formal education, educative design, transmedia educational process
Research Article
Sara Suleymanova, Amjad Gawanmeh, Suhair Al-Alami
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep441
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way instructors teach and students learn. Rather than receiving education face-to-face on-campus, remote online education emerged as an alternative solution. If implemented properly though, online education can have its positive impact on the teaching and learning processes. Online education, however, may have its deficiencies, especially in terms of mental health. This paper is a follow-on study comparing students’ perceptions towards remote online education versus their perceptions towards on-campus education as regards mental health specifically. Involving sixty-two engineering students at a private university in Dubai, where this study was implemented, the researchers utilized a questionnaire focusing on both online and on campus education models, which was conducted during the COVID-19 lockdown time and on-campus education following the lockdown period. Based on the study’s findings, most respondents were in favor of on-campus education, particularly in relation to its impact on student mental health.
Keywords: COVID-19, online education, mental health, education models, on-campus education, graduate education
Research Article
Ana María Ortiz Colón, Tomás Izquierdo Rus, Javier Rodríguez Moreno, Miriam Agreda Montoro
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep439
ABSTRACT
Research has proven that TPACK model can significantly contribute to teachers’ training in their educational work, along with the training context, as well as to contribute to their initial training. The objective of this research is to analyze the level of teaching competence that teachers have according to TPACK model, as well as the variables that influence the technological implementation in the classroom. For the data analysis, we used a validated questionnaire composed by 47 items divided into the seven dimensions of TPACK model. We performed a stratified sampling by conglomerates in various stages, using public schools as a sampling unit. The sample is formed by 825 teachers. This is a descriptive and non-experimental investigation, where we performed a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) test between the dimensions of the diagnosis scale and the socio-demographic variables. The most significant results have been the differences found regarding the educational stage and the age of the participants. It should be noted that the organization of the two stages, although based in the same principles and with common elements for the transition from one to another, is different. The study presents some adapted and focused training proposals in order to alleviate the training weaknesses of in-service teachers from TPACK model.
Keywords: TPACK, teacher training, primary education, child education, educational technology, lifelong learning
Research Article
Paula Sofia Nunes, Paula Catarino, Paulo Martins, Maria Manuel Nascimento
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep436
ABSTRACT
There are several educational software (ES) used in the classroom environment for the teaching and learning of geometric contents that are part of the Portuguese basic education mathematics program. There are studies that show that the use of this type of artifact has a fundamental role in the behavior of students, raising, among other aspects, a greater motivation for learning mathematics. The aim of this work is to explore and describe implications for the behavior and learning of students in the 7th grade of Portuguese basic education, in face of a pedagogical practice that involves carrying out tasks using ES Plickers, in the theme similarities of the domain geometry and measurement, throughout intervention carried out. The adopted methodology presents characteristics of a quasi-experimental study. The participants were 61 students from three classes of a school in the north of Portugal, followed during eight consecutive classes. A set of tasks using Plickers, tests and a questionnaire survey were used as instruments for data collection. The results point to positive increments, at a behavioral level, as well as in the evolution of learning, in view of the use of this methodology in the classroom.
Keywords: educational software, Plickers, similarities, behavior, learning
Research Article
Dana Ondrušková, Richard Pospíšil
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep435
ABSTRACT
The increasing use of the Internet calls upon the need for adequate cyber security awareness to better face the risk and dangers connected with the online environment. This research presents an experiment that revealed the cyber security awareness of children at Czech primary schools. They were tested for their skills to distinguish different online risks. After the pre-testing children received training and with the time delay they filled in very similar questionnaires. The re-testing measured how well the children retained the training and their ability to use the skills in the virtual environment. The results show only a moderate level of cyber security awareness at the initial testing. The one-off training had only an insignificant impact on their online behavior. The research reveals an important finding. One-off training does not affect their responsive online behavior and is not a suitable solution for effectively improving online safety skills. The task is to involve cyber security awareness education in the whole educational process. Based on the literature and conducted research this paper provides a set of recommendations for the designers of the cyber security school curriculum.
Keywords: cyber security, online risk, education, curriculum
Research Article
Vincentas Lamanauskas, Rita Makarskaitė-Petkevičienė
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep434
ABSTRACT
It is obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed learning and study processes. It has become a serious test for university students. Although distance study organization, implementation, effectiveness, and the like are actively researched, it is not entirely clear which way of organization studies is the most appropriate and prospective. Too little attention is still paid to the model of distance studies, its implementation and improvement, especially in the future development of distance and mixed distance study organization and implementation. An empirical qualitative study was conducted, the aim of which was to analyze first-cycle (bachelor study) university students’ position on the study quality issue. 132 students in the field of social sciences from three Lithuanian universities participated in the study conducted in January-May 2022. The verbal data obtained were analyzed using quantitative content analysis. The extracted semantic units were grouped into subcategories and categories. It was established that the main advantages of distance studies were convenience and cost-effectiveness, while disadvantages were the deterioration of the study organization and the deterioration of quality. The ways (directions) of quality distance study improvement can also be seen, i.e., the study process realization improvement (e.g., the content presentation improvement, an increase in interactivity), and study organization improvement (e.g., teacher competence improvement and optimization of the schedule). Despite the revealed shortcomings, more than two-thirds of students positively value the possibility of continuing the study process remotely after the pandemic. More detailed research is needed on the impact of the pandemic on university studies and the further organization and implementation of distance studies.
Keywords: distance education, quantitative content analysis, qualitative research, university students, university education
Review Article
Bui Phuong Uyen, Duong Huu Tong, Lu Kim Ngan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep433
ABSTRACT
Online project-based learning (PjBL) is an increasingly popular teaching approach in higher education, especially in teacher education. Implementing online PjBL differs across subjects, bringing many benefits while posing challenges for educators and pre-service teachers. This systematic review aims to investigate the implementation, effectiveness and challenges of adopting PjBL in teacher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review provided a thorough overview of research on PjBL in teacher education during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was carried out using the systematic review methodology and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Several relevant articles from five different databases (Google Scholar, Mendeley, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Taylor & Francis Online) were collected using the keywords “project-based learning” and “teacher education” along with their synonyms. A final list of 26 included articles to be reviewed in this study is produced after the titles and abstracts screening and full texts evaluation using inclusion and exclusion criteria. This systematic review reveals that PjBL has been applied in teaching various subjects in teacher education with different types of projects and assessment methods. More importantly, integrating PjBL in teaching has been proven to positively impact the development of pre-service teachers’ knowledge, professional skills and learning attitudes. In addition, applying PjBL poses certain challenges for educators due to the requirements on teachers’ and students’ knowledge and skills as well as equipment and technology facilities. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic, if viewed positively, contributes to boosting educators’ motivation and facilitating the implementation of online PjBL. The study findings can be used as a reference for future PjBL research and contribute to the literature on PjBL in the context of teacher education.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, online project-based learning, teacher education, systematic review
Research Article
Filippos Tzortzoglou, Panagiotis Kosmas, Lucy Avraamidou
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep432
ABSTRACT
The use of augmented reality games (ARGs) in education has gained increased attention from curriculum developers, teachers, and researchers in the past decade. Research findings show that ARGs can promote meaningful learning environments that foster key competences for the 21st century. This paper presents the design process of “EcoAegean”, an ARG for mobile devices, which was implemented in primary classroom environments to support the development of students’ key competences in the context of sustainability. The game was created using an open augmented reality software platform and its design was based on contemporary theoretical underpinnings regarding the use of such games in educational contexts. In the first section of the paper, we describe the design procedures of the learning scenario as well as the game itself. In the last section of the paper, we offer a set of critical insights on the design and implementation of mobile augmented reality games for the purpose of supporting students’ development of key 21st century competences.
Keywords: augmented reality, games, key competences, learning design, primary education, students
Review Article
Muteeb Alahmari, Malek Turki Jdaitawi, Abeer Rasheed, Rania Abduljawad, Elham Hussein, Mohammad Alzahrani, Noha Awad
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep431
ABSTRACT
Digital technology development has led to the creation of various learning options in the science education field. Technology such as gamification has been used in several science areas, uncovering diverse benefits regarding its usage. However, more research is needed to understand how gamification enhances students learning in science fields. Therefore, this study review presented an overview of gamification usage in the science education field literature and focused on research indexed in several international databases. 31 studies were included for review. The results showed that most of the studies presented positive outcomes as gamification proved to be effective with science education students. The study also indicated that most gamification studies were mostly used to enhance students’ learning skills in science education. The results of this study provide valuable data regarding technology techniques to enhance students’ skills in science education. Further research is needed to cover areas that are not widely investigated in gamification literature.
Keywords: technology, gamification, science, education, learning
Review Article
Tufan Adiguzel, Mehmet Haldun Kaya, Fatih Kürşat Cansu
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep429
ABSTRACT
Artificial intelligence (AI) introduces new tools to the educational environment with the potential to transform conventional teaching and learning processes. This study offers a comprehensive overview of AI technologies, their potential applications in education, and the difficulties involved. Chatbots and related algorithms that can simulate human interactions and generate human-like text based on input from natural language are discussed. In addition to the advantages of cutting-edge chatbots like ChatGPT, their use in education raises important ethical and practical challenges. The authors aim to provide insightful information on how AI may be successfully incorporated into the educational setting to benefit teachers and students, while promoting responsible and ethical use.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, education, chatbots, ChatGPT, personalized learning
Review Article
Andres F. Mena-Guacas, Jairo Alonso Urueña Rodríguez, David Mauricio Santana Trujillo, José Gómez-Galán, Eloy López-Meneses
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep428
ABSTRACT
The diversity of topics in education makes it difficult for artificial intelligence (AI) to address them all in depth. Therefore, guiding to focus efforts on specific issues is essential. The analysis of competency development by fostering collaboration should be one of them because competencies are the way to validate that the educational exercise has been successful and because collaboration has proven to be one of the most effective strategies to improve performance outcomes. This systematic review analyzes the relationship between AI, competency development, and collaborative learning (CL). PRISMA methodology is used with data from the SCOPUS database. A total of 1,233 articles were found, and 30 passed the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The analysis of the selected articles identified three categories that deserve attention: the objects of study, the way of analyzing the results, and the types of AI that could be used. In this way, it has been possible to determine the relationship offered by the studies between skill development and CL and ideas about AI’s contributions to this field. Overall, however, the data from this systematic review suggest that, although AI has great potential to improve education, it should be approached with caution. More research is needed to fully understand its impact and how best to apply this technology in the classroom, minimizing its drawbacks, which may be relevant, and making truly effective and productive use of it.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, collaborative learning, skills development, educational development
Research Article
Gema Sánchez Medero, Gema Pastor Albaladejo, Juan Carlos Cuevas Lanchares, Oliver Soto Sainz, Julio Pérez Hernanz, María José García Solana, Jorge Resina de la Fuente, Pilar Mairal Medina
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep427
ABSTRACT
The creation of educational audio-visual materials has recently become popular. It is an innovative and entertaining practice, which can reach millions of people through social networks and YouTube. For this reason, this specific was designed for students enrolled in the following three modules: The Spanish political system, public administration in Spain, and institutions and decision-making structures in both the of joint degrees in law and political science and in public management and economic sciences, as well as degrees in public management and degrees in political science. Educational audio-visual materials were co-designed and co-created to define a Municipal Council, its workings and its organization. This was a three phased experiment.. In the first, under the supervision of teachers, students developed five videos showing how Municipal Councils work. This allowed university students to become involved in a collaborative learning activity through which they acquired a series of important skills for future use, in addition to reinforcing their learning by participating in creation of digital teaching material, and also establishing a new teaching methodology consisting of learning-by-doing. In the second, professors and students attended CEIP Severo Ochoa Primary School in Madrid showing videos and playing two practical games, thus promoting knowledge transfer. In the third, the teachers evaluated the impact of this activity and the degree of satisfaction of university and primary school students. The result was positive, because not only was an educational innovation successfully implemented, but also a large part of objectives were achieved.
Keywords: teaching materials, audio-visuals, collaborative learning, educational videos, knowledge transfer
Review Article
Aza D. Ioseliani, Natalia A. Orekhovskaya, Marina N. Svintsova, Evgeny G. Panov, Elena M. Skvortsova, Almira R. Bayanova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 3, Article No: ep426
ABSTRACT
This study’s main objective is to present bibliometric data on articles related to digital educational environments (DEEs) published in the journals indexed in Scopus database between 2003 and February 2023. The data collected from 61 articles published within the study’s scope were subjected to bibliometric analysis based on six categories: number of articles and citations, most cited articles, most used keywords, most influential countries, most-important institutions, and the most important journals. This study was designed as a descriptive study and offers bibliometric network maps of the most popular papers, keywords and countries, institutions, and journals. VOS viewer was used to create network diagrams and bibliometric analyses. The bibliometric analysis showed that the most frequently used keywords were digital learning environment(s), digital educational environment. The most prolific authors related to DEE are Antón-Sancho, Vergara, Barana, and Marchisio. The results showed that DEE studies were started in 2003 and the most articles were published in 2021. This study presents a global perspective on DEEs and proposes vision for future research.
Keywords: digital educational environment, digital learning environment, digital transformation in educational environment, bibliometric analysis
Research Article
Mohanad Halaweh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article No: ep421
ABSTRACT
Since the launch of ChatGPT for public use, educators have expressed a variety of concerns about its integration into educational settings. This paper has been written to provide an in-depth examination of these issues and explore the potential use of ChatGPT in educational contexts. Specifically, it aims to (i) present an argument in favor of incorporating ChatGPT into education and (ii) provide educators with a set of strategies and techniques to ensure responsible and successful implementation of ChatGPT in teaching or research. By doing so, this paper aims to promote a more informed discussion around the use of ChatGPT in education.
Keywords: ChatGPT, artificial intelligence (AI), education, educational technologies
Research Article
Dichitchai Mettarikanon, Weeratian Tawanwongsri, Adisak Wanchai, Naparat Chookerd
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article No: ep419
ABSTRACT
Cutaneous malignancy is one of the leading causes of cancer-related morbidities and mortalities. Patient self-screening is helpful for early detection. Among educational pedagogies, game-based learning (GBL) has received increasing attention in recent years. We appraised the effectiveness of GBL, using Wordwall, to enhance cognitive performances pertaining to fundamental knowledge of cutaneous malignancies and perspectives on the intervention compared with a digital pamphlet. This multi-center study utilized a quasi-experimental research design and was conducted between February and April 2022. Participants were recruited and randomly assigned into a game group and a pamphlet group with a 1:1 ratio. Fundamental knowledge of cutaneous malignancies was assessed with pre- and post-intervention tests consisting of ten multiple choice questions with four alternative answers. These tests asked about prominent or pathognomonic features of cutaneous malignancies. During the five-day intervention period, recognition scores of participants in the game group were recorded. Perspectives on the interventions were also collected for analysis. A total of 94 participants were included, 60 (63.8%) were female. The mean age was 19.8 years (standard deviation [SD]=0.8). The increase in knowledge scores of the participants in the game group and pamphlet group was 2.57 (SD=1.30) and 2.36 (SD=1.52), respectively. In the game group, the mean best recognition score (13.89, SD=2.83) was significantly higher than the mean first recognition score (9.53, SD=2.48) with a p-value <0.001. The overall satisfaction among the participants in the game group and pamphlet group was 4.41 (SD=0.57) and 4.23 (SD=0.59), respectively. This study suggests potentiality of GBL to enhance knowledge and recognition performances of common cutaneous malignancies with high satisfaction. Embedding this approach in the primary prevention of cutaneous malignancies might be a promising option to prevent cancer-related morbidities and mortalities.
Keywords: game-based learning, cutaneous malignancy, pamphlet, game education, skin cancer
Research Article
Katherina Gallardo, Leonardo Glasserman, Nohemi Rivera, Lizette Martínez-Cardiel
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article No: ep415
ABSTRACT
A mixed-method study about the perception of students and faculty around learning assessment practices was conducted in a multicampus competency-based approached Mexican private university. The objective was getting new knowledge about higher education community perception around learning assessment practices, learning outcomes production and how authentic assessment was driven while working on different modalities during the pandemic: remote learning, synchronous hybrid learning, alternate hybrid learning, and on-site modality. A questionnaire, and an interview for faculty and focus groups for students were designed, validated, and conducted. A total of 281 faculty and 908 students participated in this study. The main quantitative results indicate that students who took on-site classes evaluate the variables better than those who took hybrid classes. In addition, students who took remote classes evaluate the authenticity variable better than those who took it in alternate hybrid modality. In the case of the faculty, only the equality variable showed significant differences between the reported modalities. Besides, the main qualitative results indicate that perceptions are quite different between faculty and students while getting their perceptions from an evaluation standards scope. Thus, their perspectives around equality, authenticity, feasibility, reliability and ethics were obtained and discussed against literature. The main conclusions of the study remarked that students and faculty were positive towards most of the execution of learning assessment and learning outcomes practices during the pandemic. Nevertheless, students’ preference of on-site modality was determined as the way they have more opportunities for interacting and learning more from assessment and feedback.
Keywords: innovation in education, competency-based education, higher education, learning outcomes, performance assessment
Research Article
Alexander Volfson, Haim Eshach, Yuval Ben-Abu
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 2, Article No: ep413
ABSTRACT
Circus art excites amazes and delights. Most of circus genres are based on the principles of classical physics. Dialogic discussions are known as an instrument to identify conceptual barriers (misconceptions) and facilitate their further revision. The present study integrates the three worlds: physics education, dialogic teaching and circus art; and provides a research foundation for experiential physics teaching through dialogic discussions about circus tricks (DDCT) in formal and informal setups. It aims at examining the potential of DDCT as a tool for identifying misconceptions and facilitating conceptual change regarding physics concepts. The study encircles about 40 DDCT provided in the Israeli KESHET circus. In total, about 5,500 people watched the shows. From them, about 400 actively participated in the DDCT. We analyze in details four typical DDCT relating (a) circular motion, (b) moment of inertia, (c) torque, and (d) heat transfer. For each DDCT we demonstrate the way it pinpoints participants’ knowledge and its implementation in circus devices’ analysis. Further we examine whether and how the DDCT could facilitate developing physics knowledge and/or going through a meaningful conceptual change regarding each of these concepts. Due to our results DDCT seems to be an original and promising approach to bring advanced physics ideas to the general public, in ways that are interesting, experiential and relatively easy to understand. We finish with practical recommendations for physics educators (as well as circus artists) who would like to implement DDCT in their classes (shows).
Keywords: physics education, dialogic teaching, informal teaching, misconceptions, conceptual change, circular motion, moment of inertia, torque, heat transfer
Research Article
Bonnie E. Stewart
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 1, Article No: ep402
ABSTRACT
This paper is a critical case study tracing the professional history of a self-professed open educator over more than two decades. It frames the narrative of an individual as a window on the broader arc of the field, from early open learning as a means of widening participation, through the rise of the participatory web at scale, to the current datafied and extractive infrastructure of higher education. It outlines how the field of online education has changed, as the web and the social and societal forces shaping use of the web have shifted. Through these lenses of change, the case study explores the dilemma facing open and participatory education at this juncture: that the current structure of the web threatens privacy, higher education governance structures, and the spirit of open, participatory sharing. The paper explores the problem of the web as one without direct solutions but does consider ways that educators might mitigate their open practice in more critical directions.
Keywords: open education, participatory learning, teacher education, digital literacies, data literacies, the web
Research Article
Francisco José Montiel-Ruiz, María-del-Mar Sánchez-Vera, Isabel M. Solano-Fernández
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 1, Article No: ep401
ABSTRACT
Recent research and studies on training plans in physical education agree on the need to incorporate digital technologies in teaching contexts. At the same time, the introduction of active methodologies, such as gamification, has become one of the major trends of recent years. In this paper we present the perception of teachers and students about a gamified proposal for physical education in secondary education that uses social networks as a way for communication, collaboration, and promotion of physical activity among students. Edmodo has been used to carry out this experience because, as a vertical social network, it has an attractive interface for students and protects their privacy by not requiring any personal data.
This is a qualitative research, with a case study methodological design, which has used the focus group and group interview as data collection techniques. The sample consisted of 10 teachers, which represents all the teachers participating in the experience, and 56 students. The results show the positive assessment, both by teachers and students, of the Edmodo social network as a virtual teaching-learning environment for physical education in secondary education, and gamification as an active methodology. Likewise, the influence that the proposal, based on the use of digital technologies and gamification, has had on the promotion of physical activity among pupils has been high.
Keywords: physical education, social networks, gamification, secondary education, digital technologies
Research Article
Norma Torres-Hernández, María-Jesús Gallego-Arrufat
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 1, Article No: ep399
ABSTRACT
The protection of personal data and privacy are important issues closely related to use of social media, information and communication technologies, and the Internet in the area of education. The treatment of academic information and use of tools and programs for instruction, communication, and learning have revealed the handling of a significant volume of personal data from different sources. It is essential to protect this information from possible privacy violations. This descriptive study, which is of transversal nonexperimental design, focuses on how 384 pre-service teachers’ enrolled in educational technology courses in their education programs view the protection of personal data. The goals are to describe and analyze how these teachers perceive the risks associated with protection of data on the Internet and what they know about protection of data in primary education. We administered a questionnaire within the framework of an educational activity that focused on digital competence in data protection in education. The results show a high perception of risk in topics such as accepting cookies when surfing the Internet or transferring banking information. The knowledge the students claim to have shown a lack of information on the protection of minors’ data in issues related to the development and schooling of primary school students, as well as their health, background, and family environment. Curricular treatment of these areas that includes content, practices on regulations, and adopts a situated, critical, and responsible approach in pre-service teacher education is recommended.
Keywords: data protection, pre-service teacher education, pre-service teachers, primary education, privacy
Research Article
Fatima K. Urakova, Izida I. Ishmuradova, Nataliia A. Kondakchian, Roza Sh. Akhmadieva, Julia V. Torkunova, Irina N. Meshkova, Nikolay A. Mashkin
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 1, Article No: ep398
ABSTRACT
Learning in the digital age is a pervasive idea that encompasses all aspects of a person's life, including work and leisure. As a result of the development of new teaching and learning tools, an increasing number of students are acquiring knowledge on the Internet- connected to the Internet. Therefore, all citizens must develop digital literacy as a lifelong learning skill. Studies have been conducted on students' digital skills in higher education institutions. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the skills of college students. The participants were students from a university in the Kazan region of Russia who volunteered to participate. Three hundred and eighty students completed the questionnaire online. The scale consists of a total of 25 questions and six dimensions. Since our independent variables are binary values, we applied the Bayesian t-test. We obtained the values of the Bayes factor (BF10) for each dimension and the total scale. In general, students' digital skills are well-developed. However, it was found that creating and using digital information requires fewer skills than in other areas. The hypothesis that there is no difference based on student gender was supported to a higher degree but not to a very high degree. The hypothesis that there is no difference based on students' fields of study was supported to a greater extent, but only to a moderate extent.
Keywords: digital skills, higher education, Bayesian analysis, Russia
Research Article
Linda Castañeda, Daniel Villar-Onrubia
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 15, Issue 1, Article No: ep397
ABSTRACT
Digital literacy has moved away from its traditional instrumental conception, to be nourished by critical perspectives that have been increasingly adopted in all areas of the analysis of technology and education. The importance of generating educational models that contribute to the emancipation of people in a post-digital and highly complex world is an increasingly evident challenge. However, it is still difficult to find concrete examples of pedagogical strategies specifically devised to foster digital literacy in line with this much needed emerging critical lens. This paper presents a case study of a set of learning experiences integrated into a compulsory module for students in the 1st year of a degree in education sciences, which leads to the qualification required to teach at primary schools in Spain. The results highlight the importance of providing students with learning opportunities conceived to help them become future teachers ready to have a transversal impact on education for the emancipation of people in the post-digital world, rather than simply training them as operators who use technology to enhance skills.
Keywords: digital literacy, digital competence, teachers’ education, critical digital literacy, digital education
Review Article
Svetlana N. Vachkova, Elena Y. Petryaeva, Marina G. Tsyrenova, Liudmila V. Shukshina, Natalia A. Krasheninnikova, Mikhail G. Leontev
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: ep391
ABSTRACT
The world we live in today holds some uncertainties. The processes of automation, big data, the digital environment, global crises, and the interconnectedness of international society are changing common technological patterns and the educational system. Among the essential features of competitiveness of teachers in higher education are mobility, digital competencies, adaptability, participation in scientific networks and projects, and continuous acquisition of new technological skills. For this reason, teachers must continuously develop their professional skills to remain competitive and create professionals in higher education. Current conditions are fostering global demand for teachers who produce pedagogical and scientific developments.
This article aims to solve the problem of defining the structure, content, and requirements of scientific and methodological support for higher education teachers’ competitiveness in a digital world in the context of global challenges and risks. Theoretically, the problem is defined by the need for new approaches to explaining the concept of teacher competitiveness and the need to develop a psychological and teaching methodology for training and developing teacher competitiveness. In practice, we conclude that researchers must develop personal, professional, procedural, and technological enhancements to support higher education faculty competitiveness in a digital world.
Keywords: higher education, competitive teacher, digital economics, global risks & challenges, network-based education, social profile, digital transformation, competencies, digital world
Research Article
Cristina A. Huertas-Abril, Francisco Javier Palacios-Hidalgo
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: ep390
ABSTRACT
This study examines the perceptions of pre-service English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers of their skills to face emergency remote language teaching (ERLT) situations, and to determine whether these vary according to gender, age, university, or course. A cross-sectional survey model was used with 332 pre-service EFL teachers studying in two Spanish universities, an onsite institution, and a distance university. After analyzing the results, it can be said that participants’ ERLT skills are moderate, and they vary significantly according to age, course, and type of university, but no statistically significant differences are found regarding gender. The results can guide teacher trainers and researchers, as they reveal the needs of pre-service EFL teachers to teach effectively in ERLT situations.
Keywords: distance university, English language teaching, teacher education, teacher perceptions
Research Article
Gulmira Tussupbekova, Kathy L. Malone, Janet Helmer, Gulnara Namyssova, Miruyert Abdrakhmanova, Filiz Polat, Zumrad Kataeva
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: ep386
ABSTRACT
This explanatory sequential mixed-method study explored the effectiveness of blended learning (BL) courses offered to graduate students at an English medium university in Kazakhstan. The study’s purpose was to explore and understand graduate students’ experiences while enrolled in BL courses by learning their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of BL, as well as its potential for enhancing their teacher leadership skills. A survey (n=81) and semi-structured individual interviews (n=17) were used as the main research instruments. This allowed for a detailed and rich data set on the conceptual underpinnings of the BL courses, their effectiveness, and their potential to inform higher education institutions towards implementing BL policies and practices, specifically in the field of education. Through the lens of the Interaction equivalency theorem, we analyzed students’ experiences and their interactions with their teachers and peers, as well as the mode, place, and pace of learning. This investigation revealed that the benefits of learning using BL outweighed its challenges. However, most of the participants preferred the face-to-face part of the BL course over its online teacher-student interaction component due to the opportunity to gain immediate feedback. Most importantly, the BL courses facilitated the enhancement of teacher leadership skills among the students. Finally, the paper provides recommendations for further development and revisions to current BL courses to enhance their learning value.
Keywords: blended learning, higher education, graduate students, educational leadership, interaction equivalency theory, Kazakhstan, teacher leadership
Research Article
Xiaoman Wang, John Hampton, Albert D. Ritzhaupt, Kara Dawson
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: ep383
ABSTRACT
As journal editors play an important role in defining and shaping academic discourse, knowing their opinions could likely prove beneficial for both current and future academic journal stakeholders. Within this vein, this study used the Delphi method to help build a profile on the trends and priorities within educational technology, from the unique perspective of the journals’ editors-in-chief. This expert panel—initially built from 117 national and international research journals—concluded with 25 editors-in-chief who finished all three rounds of the survey. Results indicated five emerging themes for trends and priorities: computer-focused, teaching and learning, online and digital education, societal, and research and theory. By exploring these current trends and priorities within educational technology, this study may provide meaningful insights to better understand the field as a whole and may also help scholars in their goal of publishing relevant, high-quality academic scholarship.
Keywords: educational technology research, trends, priorities, research journal editors, Delphi
Research Article
Milagros Torrado Cespón, José María Díaz Lage
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: ep381
ABSTRACT
As a motivational teaching practice, gamification does not always work as expected. This paper supports these findings and adds the factor of online teaching analyzing the results of an experiment carried out in an online higher education context to test the relevance and motivational efficacy of ludic methodologies using learning and knowledge technology. Three groups of students (n=78, n=64, and n=74) participated in gamified experiences in the same subject. These groups were offered different approaches to the experiences, only one of which included a reward. Neither of the gamified experiences was compulsory. The results show how the use of technologies and gamification is not as appealing as it may seem and how other aspects—such as teacher-student relationship and interaction, rewards, and the sense of alienation generated by online teaching—influence student participation. The low rate of participation indicates that teachers must consider not only those students who participate but also those who do not. The main conclusion is that not only the methodology is important, but also the performance and the fact that student-teacher relationship in online education is more demanding, affectively speaking. Thus, those students who were in direct contact with the teacher during the execution of the gamified experience present a higher level of involvement. This is a factor to consider for the motivational needs of online university students where intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and direct interaction play essential roles.
Keywords: gamification, motivation, interaction, higher education, e-learning, alienation
Research Article
Brandford Bervell, Irfan Naufal Umar, Mona Masood, Jeya Amantha Kumar, Justice Kofi Armah, Beatrice Asante Somuah
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 4, Article No: ep379
ABSTRACT
Contemporary distance higher education is hinged on modern technologies to deliver purely online and blended modes of learning mostly through learning management system (LMS). This is to bridge the transactional gap between students and instructors as well as among students themselves. However, the use of technologies such as LMS for dispensing distance tertiary education is at a cross-road of mandatoriness or voluntariness of use. Nonetheless, current literature supports the voluntary use of LMS by instructors in order to foster positive attitudes and personalization among instructors. Based on this, there is the need to unravel the determining facts that promote voluntary usage of LMS among tutors.
This study thus, employs a quantitative approach based on a survey design to purposively collect data from 267 tutors in a blended distance education setting using a questionnaire. Generalized structural component analysis technique was adopted for structural equation modelling. Results from a structural equation modelling revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence, all determine tutors’ voluntariness of use of LMS for blended learning in distance education. Additionally, voluntariness of use predicted actual LMS use behavior among tutors. On the basis of the results, recommendations were made to reflect theory, policy and practice of voluntary integration of LMS by tutors for blended learning in distance education.
Keywords: LMS, voluntariness of use, tutors, blended learning, distance higher education, generalized structural component analysis
Research Article
Valentina Lukina, Tuiaara Sidorova, Nadezhda Okoneshnikova, Egor Nikolaev, Viktoria Shamaeva, Irina Kuznetsova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep376
ABSTRACT
The subject of the study is the psychological difficulties of adopting distance education technologies by university students. The materials of exploratory research obtained on a sample of students from several universities of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) are presented. The study involved respondents aged 19 to 22 (N = 86), 39% of whom were males. In the research, the unstructured interview method was used, during which we asked students to share in detail about their user experience, describing not only the learning process itself but the whole learning context in general. Considering the results using the TAM model, it can be assumed that students are not satisfied with any of the components. Distance learning technologies are not perceived by students as easy to use, and there is a low assessment of the perceived usefulness of these technologies. The attitude towards technology is also rather negative. From the point of view of student acceptance of technology, it can be said that distance learning causes some difficulties associated with cognitive, and emotional aspects, as well as interaction in a virtual environment, and the learning process. Learning creates anxiety and dissatisfaction with the learning process itself.
Keywords: distance education, psychological difficulties, pedagogical communication, students, technology adoption model (TAM)
Review Article
Ahmad Hamza Obidat
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep374
ABSTRACT
The main objective of this study is to present a bibliometric analysis of research on e-learning accessibility at the global level. The bibliometric literature was comprised of 1,325 documents, after data pre-processing, published in Scopus database, covering the period from 1985 to 2021. First, a performance analysis was conducted to assess the publication performance of authors, institutions, countries, and other actors. Second, a science mapping analysis was performed to reveal the structure and dynamics of the e-learning accessibility field. As a result, the most productive, sources, authors, institutions, and countries were identified. Also, the collaboration patterns between particular actors were assessed. Furthermore, the e-learning accessibility research themes and their interrelationships were uncovered. This study contributes to the literature by providing useful information about the e-learning accessibility research status quo and, helps policymakers to achieve effective research planning. That is, it helps in objectively identifying strengths and gaps in e-learning accessibility research in terms of its growth, development, themes, impact, and coverage.
Keywords: bibliometric analysis, e-learning, accessibility, disability, educational technology
Research Article
Yiyun Fan, Kathlyn Elliott
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep373
ABSTRACT
Educators have increasingly turned to social media for their instructional, social, and emotional needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to see where support and professional development would be needed and how the educational community interacted online, we sought to use existing Twitter data to examine potential educators’ networking and discourse patterns. Specifically, this mixed-methods study explores how educators used Twitter as a platform to seek and share resources and support during the transition to remote teaching around the start of massive school closures due to the pandemic. Based on a public COVID-19 Twitter chatter database, tweets from late March to early April 2020 were searched using educational keywords and analyzed using social network analysis and thematic analysis. Social network analysis findings indicate that the support networks for educators on Twitter were sparse and consisted of mainly small, exclusive communities. The networks featured one-on-one interactions during the early pandemic, highlighting that there were few large conversations that most educators were part of but rather many small ones. Thematic analysis findings further suggest that both informational and nurturant support were relatively equally present on Twitter among educators, particularly pedagogical content knowledge and gratitude. This study adds to an understanding of the educational networks as a means of professional and personal support. Additionally, findings present the discourse featured in educator networks at the onset of an educational emergency (i.e., COVID-19) as decentralized as well as desiring pedagogical content knowledge and emotional sharing.
Keywords: data science applications in education, emergency online learning, Twitter, teacher professional development, social network analysis
Review Article
Miguel Angel Paidican, Pamela Alejandra Arredondo
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep370
ABSTRACT
This article presents the results of a scientific literature analysis based on Kitchenham’s (2004) proposal, regarding the technological-pedagogical knowledge of the content under the TPACK model. Research studies containing data-driven information in primary education were revised. The selection of the 622 articles was conducted in Scopus, WoS (Web of Science), ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center), and Google Scholar databases; considering the period from which this model was initially described to May 2019. The following criteria were also observed: open access sources, referring to social sciences, and full text available. To conclude, there is limited scientific production regarding TPACK model in primary education, with 3,05% of the articles reviewed in this systematic literature review. An increase in using the TPACK model in terms of teacher knowledge and enriched environments with information and communication technology has also been observed. Participation of other members of the school community as students, parents and managers is also recommended.
Keywords: knowledge of teachers, educational technology, knowledge of technological pedagogical content (TPACK), primary school teachers, teacher training, Integration of technology
Review Article
Sergei P. Zhdanov, Kseniia M. Baranova, Natalia Udina, Artem E. Terpugov, Elena V. Lobanova, Oksana V. Zakharova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep369
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc on educational systems on a scale never seen before in history. The closure of schools and other institutions of learning has impacted 94% of the world’s student population. Even school closures, such as those that occur during the summer, have a significant effect on children’s academic ability. The word “learning loss” refers to any loss of information and abilities, whether specific or generic. By Fall 2020, extended absences from school will have a detrimental effect on student achievement. Learning loss is commonly addressed when schools close for extended periods of time during the summer, natural catastrophes, or epidemics. Even brief school closures might result in significant loss of learning. Due to the global nature of the COVID-19 epidemic, special attention was devoted to learning losses.
During the pandemic, learning loss occurs as a result of kids studying at home due to school closures. School closures do not have to result in an equal loss of learning for all students. The variables that contribute to learning loss include “change in teaching methods”, “opportunities to reach education”, “less time for learning”, and “emotional factors”. Reduced instructional time–provided by teachers in accordance with the national curriculum–is likely to result in loss of learning. Due to the disparate scales used in the studies, it is hard to compare the magnitudes of learning losses. However, based on the data from the studies, it is reasonable to assume that these nations are investigating learning losses and that they exist. As a result, there is convincing evidence that students lose more information during lockdown than they do over the course of a normal school year. The elements causing learning losses differ according to context. With the reopening of schools, it is important to establish the actual magnitude of learning losses and to implement remedial measures in order to avoid the emergence of medium- and long-term educational difficulties.
Keywords: learning losses, change in teaching methods, opportunities to reach education, less time for learning, less control/feedback, emotional factors
Review Article
Sandra Erika Gutiérrez-Núñez, Aixchel Cordero-Hidalgo, Javier Tarango
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep367
ABSTRACT
This article analyzes the way in which educators and researchers have pronounced themselves for incorporating computer programming in the K-12 curricula (basic and secondary education), recognizing its cognitive benefits in those who practice it, which can be useful in contexts other than computing, by influencing the development of higher order thinking skills and problem solving, both concepts integrated in the so-called computational thinking (CT). The proposal includes the vision of various authors, who conclude that the transfer of cognitive programming skills does not happen correctly given the prevalence of educational interventions designed under the belief that it occurs as an automatic and spontaneous process. The structure of the article is made up of three fundamental aspects: (1) historical account of the definition of knowledge transfer (KT), its main theoretical and classificatory taxonomies; (2) integration of existing definitions on CT and the way in which the formulation of various study plans in different countries has resulted; and (3) the investigation of different challenges and implications present in the CT, as well as recommendations for its improvement, taking as a reference the results of experiments carried out in different academic fields, proposed in order to strengthen both the KT as well as the CT.
Keywords: computational thinking, computer-like thinking, computational-informatics thinking, computational literacy, problem solving, computer science education
Research Article
Fei Victor Lim, Weimin Toh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep366
ABSTRACT
Mobile devices have become increasingly ubiquitous in the contemporary communication landscape. Riding this trend, educational apps have proliferated the market, with many which claim to support and improve children’s learning and literacy development. Caregivers are often faced with the challenge of discerning the value of these educational apps and in choosing the appropriate apps for their children. In this paper, we discuss the development of a set of considerations to support caregivers in their curation of educational apps. This is done by performing a review of 28 past studies done on educational apps and synthesizing their findings to draw out common themes from the literature. These themes are then categorized into nine considerations in the form of guiding questions that caregivers can use to curate educational apps for their children’s digital play and learning. In the final part of our paper, we apply the set of considerations to three educational apps to demonstrate its utility.
Keywords: curation, digital learning, digital play, educational apps
Research Article
Aleksey Anisimov, Agnessa Inshakova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 3, Article No: ep365
ABSTRACT
The use of educational computer games in the context of the coronavirus pandemic is becoming increasingly popular in the educational process when studying a variety of disciplines. And if practical steps have been taken in this direction in technical, pedagogical, and some other sciences, then there is a doctrinal and practical gap in the teaching of legal disciplines that needs to be filled. The purpose of the study is to argue the prospects for the use of educational computer games at law faculties, which makes it possible to more effectively assess students’ knowledge, as well as increase their motivation to actively participate in the educational process. In the course of the study, methodology involved the theoretical and practical experience of developing educational computer games in various academic disciplines was summarized, the scientific literature and the existing practice of their use were analyzed, and the possible effect of introducing educational computer games into the educational process at law faculties after the development and implementation of such games in practice, including the first-generation educational computer game developed by the authors, was modeled. The research findings indicate formulation of a doctrinal concept of the use of educational computer games, identifies three of their generations, and shows the features of the development and application of each of them, including the author’s experience in developing a training computer game by right of the first generation. The authors analyzed the technical problems associated with the development of educational computer games and suggested ways to solve them. The authors’ proposals can be used by universities in any country to interact with game design studios to develop educational games.
Keywords: computer, games, education, skills, knowledge
Book Review
Dahlia Dwedar
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 2, Article No: ep360
ABSTRACT
The post-millennial era and the Internet evolution have opened flood gates for e-learning as a mode of education. However, overreliance on secondary information as a vehicle to inform the impact of e-learning provides filtered information regarding online learning. Many studies and articles have explored the impetus of online learning, but there remains a gap in understanding online learning through the students’ perspective. In a provocative and equally intriguing book, George Veletsianos reconnoiters online learning by critically focusing on students’ experiences to inform his findings.
Keywords: e-learning, educational technology, internet education, open and distance learning
Review Article
Minzilya N. Shagiakhmetova, Elena V. Bystritskaya, Servet Demir, Roman A. Stepanov, Elena E. Grishnova, Nina I. Kryukova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 2, Article No: ep357
ABSTRACT
Due to a lack of preparation, teachers were not emotionally or cognitively prepared to use new approaches. Teachers discovered that while teaching online, elementary school teachers face various challenges. Summarizing and categorizing the difficulties encountered by primary school teachers in compulsory distance education will add to the literature, ensuring the dissemination of online instruction technological tools at both the distance education and primary education levels. The study sought to categorize the difficulties encountered by primary teachers. In order to figure out the purpose of the study, the study data including primary teachers in the COVID-19 period was synthesized. The study was accepted as a meta-synthesis. The education database ERIC was searched using the keywords “Primary Teacher”, “Distance Education”, and “Online Education”; and 79 studies were located as a result of the search. After eliminating ineligible studies, 23 of the 79 collected studies remained. As a result, students, parents, infrastructure, and teachers are all affected by the challenges. Cutting-edge technologies and a strong internet infrastructure are required for online education. Teachers are unable to maintain the minimum level of compulsory distance education due to limited internet connection and a lack of technological resources in many places. As a result of the strain, teachers felt inadequate. In many classrooms in poor countries, there is a lack of access to professional expertise and help for the use and integration of ICTs. COVID-19 has made this an issue for almost all schools, not just those in underdeveloped countries. The importance of online learning for elementary children and teachers has gotten considerably less attention. Teachers can take pedagogical diversity professional development training online and experience it as if they were students. The practical advantage of identifying the difficulties that teachers have faced is to aid teachers in overcoming such obstacles and to give the appropriate assistance. Successful distance education can only be achieved when teachers are supported in all areas of difficulty.
Keywords: Compulsory Distance Education, COVID-19, Primary Teachers Difficulties
Research Article
Usman Durrani, Omar Hujran, Ahmad Samed Al-Adwan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 2, Article No: ep355
ABSTRACT
The importance of formal online education has been felt like never before because of the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers and academics are continuously experimenting with combinations of established pedagogies, tools, and technologies to enhance or sustain the student learning process and motivation. For this study, we have designed and developed a multi-player game called CrossQuestion to explore the combined effect of applying gamification and flipped classroom pedagogies using the ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) model guidelines and its application in the obligatory IT foundation online course during the pandemic. We delivered this course to 79 undergraduate (mostly) non-IT students in Ajman University, UAE. Students were randomly divided into a non-gamified cohort (35 students gone through lecture-based instructions and paper-based assessments–Spring 2019-20–pre-COVID-19 face to face environment) and a gamified flipped classroom cohort (44 students, played the CrossQuestion game–Spring 2020-21–during COVID-19 online environment). We collected the survey data anonymously through our customized Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (IMMS) tool and then performed descriptive analysis, t-test, and regression analysis to address the research hypothesis. We found a significant relationship between learning motivational factors and learning effectiveness. We also found the positive influence of our game on students’ motivation.
Keywords: flipped classroom, gamification, motivation, ARCS motivation model, instructional materials motivation survey (IMMS), educational game
Research Article
Sultan Aldehami
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 2, Article No: ep353
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted in the central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to investigate levels of teachers’ assistive technology (AT) knowledge and skills use in classrooms for students with intellectual disability (ID). A total of 98 special education teachers of students with ID completed an online survey. Results indicate that the teachers’ levels of knowledge and skills related to AT use in classrooms for students with ID were reaching proficiency. Teachers’ levels of AT knowledge and skills statistically significantly differed based on gender, training, level of education, teaching experience, and school location but not on grade level. However, there were statistically significant differences in teachers’ professional development based on gender and teaching experience but not based on training, level of education, grade level, and school location. Furthermore, results indicate that teachers’ perceptions of AT significantly predicted teachers’ knowledge and skills related to AT use in educational environments.
Keywords: special education, intellectual disability, assistive technology, attitudes, special education teachers
Research Article
Irene García-Lázaro, Jesús Conde-Jiménez, María Pilar Colás-Bravo
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 2, Article No: ep352
ABSTRACT
The presence and use of technologies in educational settings is constantly increasing. Therefore, initial teacher education needs to prepare future teachers to deal with this technological implementation from both practical and pedagogical perspectives. This paper examines the treatment of technologies that initial teacher education offers to early childhood education and primary education preservice teachers facing their practicum experiences. A bibliometric and thematic review during the 2010-2020 period is conducted in WoS, Scopus, PsycInfo, and ERIC databases. An analysis of co-occurrence of terms and the creation of bibliometric maps are considered. The thematic analysis follows an inductive approach. Three big areas are addressed through this approximation: consideration of technologies before practicum, the use of technologies at the schools, and the study of preservice teacher’s personal variables. Findings show the importance of working with technological preparation of university supervisors and cooperating teachers when teacher candidates do their practicum. In this proposal, to consider the self-efficacy and technological, pedagogical and content knowledge model of preservice teachers is encouraged. Conclusions underline the importance of teaching and strengthening pedagogical and reflective experiences during the practicum. Limitations are considered.
Keywords: initial teacher education, bibliometric review, practicum, TPACK, educational technologies, teaching practices
Research Article
Verónica Marín-Díaz, Begoña Sampedro, Jorge Figueroa
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 2, Article No: ep348
ABSTRACT
The advancement of emerging technologies in the classroom is a reality, however, the vision that teachers may have of them is essential in order for these to be incorporated. Using this as a foundation, this article’s main objective is to know the vision that secondary education (SE) teachers have of the use of Augmented Reality (AR) in teaching at that educational level. Through a descriptive correlational quantitative study, an ex-post facto design, and an ad-hoc questionnaire of 39 items, (N=350 teachers), this objective has been corroborated. The main conclusion that has been reached is that SE teachers consider AR as an element that will cause a change in the student’s learning methodology making it more autonomous and experiential. In addition, the teachers will need more training with AR, lower costs, and greater availability of resources to carry out the teaching process with greater ease.
Keywords: secondary education, professor, augmented reality, emergent technologies
Research Article
John Nworie
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep345
ABSTRACT
As recognition of the roles and contributions of Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) professionals has increased, so has the demand for their skills in the workplace whether in higher education institutions or business entities. However, there remains some ambiguity, especially in higher education, about who IDTs are and what they do. There are also questions about who is hiring them. This content analysis study of 250 advertised higher education and corporate IDT positions found no fewer than 9 job titles, 13 academic programs, 5 degree levels, work experience from 1 to 10 years, and compensation that ranged from an hourly pay to a six-digit annual salary. Required skillsets included not only technical and analytical expertise but personal qualities. This study was conducted to provide a current look at the employment opportunities for Instructional Designers and Instructional Technologists.
Keywords: higher education, IDT employment, IDT graduates, careers in instructional design and technology, IDT roles and responsibilities, IDT programs, instructional design, instructional technology
Research Article
Nihan Arslan Namli, Birsel Aybek
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep341
ABSTRACT
This paper investigated the effect of block-based programming and unplugged coding teaching activities on fifth graders’ computational thinking skills, self-efficacy, and academic performance. The teaching activities were conducted within the scope of the “Problem-Solving and Programming” unit of the Information Technologies and Software (ITS) course. The sample consisted of 82 fifth graders of three public middle schools in the academic year of 2020-2021. Participants were recruited using random sampling. The study adopted an embedded mixed design. The quantitative stage employed a pretest-posttest randomized control group design, while the qualitative staged employed a case study. Quantitative data were collected using the Computational Thinking Self-efficacy Scale (CTSES), the International Informatics and Computational Thinking Activity Task Test (IICTATT), and a Computational Thinking Performance Test (CTPT) developed by the researcher. Qualitative data were collected using a semi-structured interview questionnaire. The quantitative data were analyzed using the Kruskal Wallis H, paired sample t-test, and ANCOVA test on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The qualitative data were analyzed inductively using MAXQDA. There was no significant difference in CTSES scores between groups. Experimental 2 had higher IICTATT and CTPT scores than Experimental-1 and control groups. The qualitative findings were grouped into seven categories.
Keywords: computational thinking, computerless computer education, block-based programming, programming education, self-efficacy
Review Article
Francisco D. Guillén-Gámez, Raquel Rodríguez-Fernández
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep339
ABSTRACT
Studies analysing and comparing the attitudes of teachers towards Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based on gender have provided mixed results. In this work, we carried out a meta-analysis on gender differences in attitudes towards ICT, from a global perspective and exploring four dimensions: affective-emotional attitude, beliefs, self-efficacy, and mixed with each other. Through the collection of 55 studies providing 73 effect sizes based on a total sample of 21,325 working teachers, a negative effect was found, almost null (d= -0.0297) and not statistically significant. These results indicate that female teachers have a more positive attitude towards the educational use of ICT than male teachers. Independently, the dimensions affective-emotional attitude (d= -0.342), beliefs (d= 0.114), and self-efficacy (d= 0.273) produced significant effect sizes, although with small effects. The analysis of moderating variables showed that different moderators intervene significantly in the variability of effect sizes: continental origin of the teachers (emotional and beliefs dimensions); teacher’s workplace (dimension self-efficacy); type of publication (emotional dimension) and validity of the instruments (emotional and beliefs dimension). With this meta-analysis, it is possible to take another step towards a better measurement and explanation of the attitudes that teachers have towards the use of new technologies in educational contexts.
Keywords: technology, education, teacher, teaching, gender, meta-analysis, research methods
Review Article
Bjarke Lindsø Andersen, Rasmus Leth Jørnø, Anne-Mette Nortvig
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep333
ABSTRACT
Background: Adaptive and personalized learning technologies are on the rise in health education. However, to reach the potential of these technological innovations, novel learning designs are necessary, which take new possibilities and constraints into account.
Aim: In this scoping review we answer the question: What characterizes learning designs where adaptive learning technologies have been blended into nursing education?
Methods: Using the terms adaptive learning and nursing education with synonyms in combination, a comprehensive search in five databases were conducted. Initial search identified 340 records. 22 articles were identified as relevant and screened in full text reading and included. Final number of papers included in the review was six.
Conclusion: We conclude that duration, engagement, placement of interaction in time and agency are the most commonly addressed parts of the learning design. We also find that there is a lack of pedagogical justification of the learning designs used.
Keywords: computer-assisted instruction, nursing education, programmed instruction, self-directed learning, adaptive learning
Research Article
José Manuel García-Vandewalle García, Marina García-Carmona, Juan Manuel Trujillo Torres, Pablo Moya-Fernández
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep330
ABSTRACT
Digital competence has become a new type of literacy that significantly impacts on people’s lives, as it is paramount to their social and occupational integration. In educational institutions, teachers play a major role in developing the digital skills of their students. This study aims to determine the key elements of teacher training in the use of innovative technologies and methodologies with a view to providing alternatives to improve the educational process. The objective is to overcome deficiencies in the training of teachers in new technologies and innovative methodologies. A qualitative study based on interview data is used in two phases. For the first phase research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight international education experts from various fields on how best to train teachers. The second phase research involved a text mining analysis of the interview transcripts based on sentiment analysis and word counts using the advanced R statistical programming language. The second phase research was conducted using the R statistical programming language. The interview transcripts were analysed using sentiment analysis and a word cloud. The results reveal that teacher education should be practice-focused and supervised by senior teachers with the aid of students and heads of schools. Moreover, standards should be set to monitor the digital competence of teachers, who should be trained on an ongoing basis to keep them up to date in the use of digital technologies.
Keywords: teacher education, teacher training, educational technology, educational innovation, pre-service education
Research Article
Xuan Zhou, Yolanda Padron, Hersh Waxman
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 14, Issue 1, Article No: ep328
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in professional development (PD) opportunities afforded to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers based on years of teaching experience related to foreign language teaching. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in seven primary schools with 60 primary EFL teachers in a middle-sized urban school district in China. Descriptive statistics and multiple Chi-square tests were used in the study. The results indicated that more experienced primary EFL teachers had the least technological pedagogical knowledge, which is contrary to the traditional concept that more experienced teachers have better teaching knowledge. The study suggests the need to support EFL teachers in China with technology-based PD training including teachers with varied years of teaching experience, in order to enhance their instructional skills.
Keywords: EFL, TPACK, education technology, professional development, teacher training
Research Article
Daniel Otto, Nadine Schroeder, Daniel Diekmann, Pia Sander
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep325
ABSTRACT
For almost 20 years, Open Educational Resources (OER) are an integral part of the debate about the digitisation of education. However, the empirical landscape of OER research is vivid and largely obscure. This article reviews the state of international empirical research on OER to reveal trends and gaps and, in this manner, identify possible desiderata for further research. We use a systematic mapping approach to examine the empirical English-speaking research landscape from 2015 to 2019. The results reveal that research primarily concentrates on the higher education sector while only a few studies are available for the school and other educational sectors. In terms of research methodologies, quantitative approaches are prevalent, with most of them being survey-based. The main research interests of the empirical studies lie in the perception of OER and the barriers to their use in educational practices. Open textbooks as a form of OER and their comparative cost advantages or qualitative comparability with traditional educational material constitute an emerging research field that is almost exclusively located in the U.S. Research gaps exist regarding the usability and user-friendliness of OER repositories. Addressing these gaps could support the numerous initiatives in different countries to establish and equip repositories. Additional gaps for empirical research were identified regarding the effects of the use of OER on pedagogical approaches and established educational practices.
Keywords: Open Educational Resources, OER, systematic mapping, empirical research, review
Research Article
Eirini Tzovla, Katerina Kedraka, Thanassis Karalis, Marina Kougiourouki, Konstantinos Lavidas
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep324
ABSTRACT
Teachers’ Professional Development Massive Open Online Courses (TPD-MOOCs) are a new form of MOOCs and have influenced an intense research interest. This study reports on the design and implementation of a TPD-MOOC which utilizes digital educational content and Open Educational Recourses (OER) and supports in-service elementary school teachers to enhance their self-efficacy beliefs. In the design framework we take into consideration the findings of previous research and the educational needs of the participants. We conducted an experimental design research and compared the teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs before and after their participation in a TPD-MOOC. A total of 251 teachers enrolled in this course and 142 of them completed it. We used quantitative data to measure the enhancement of teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and the effectiveness of the course. The results provide evidence that our TPD-MOOC improved in service elementary school teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in teaching biological concepts. Recommendations are made for future research.
Keywords: teacher professional development, MOOC, self-efficacy beliefs, elementary education, improving classroom teaching
Research Article
Eulho Jung, Hua Zheng, Nick Webster, Adonis Hamad, Fatih Demir, Dongho Kim
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep321
ABSTRACT
Higher education institutions partner with technology providers to stay competitive in the fast-evolving innovations of technological advancements. The purpose of this study is to reflect on and investigate technology integration cases at a mid-sized public university in the U.S. Taking a qualitative research approach, this study utilizes critical reflection and multiple case studies (Stake, 2006). After reviewing the data, a technology partnership model was created that is composed of five phases: (1) analysis, (2) negotiation, (3) pre-implementation, (4) implementation, and (5) evaluation. The findings indicate that a systematic process must be utilized to ensure efficiency in vendor–university partnerships. Discussions, limitations, and implementation are provided.
Keywords: technology partnerships, educational technology, online learning, vendor relationships, critical reflection
Review Article
Barry Matthews
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep317
ABSTRACT
Introduction: To meet the ambition of the UK becoming the global leader in health technology, the future workforce needs to have a developed digital literacy. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the move to online learning has also increased the requirement for a reinvention of traditional teaching methodologies (Sá & Serpa, 2020).
Methodology: A systematic review was conducted using a mix of Boolean search terms in twelve education and health journal databases to discover the extent of current international research of digital literacy in health programmes. Papers were selected for their specificity to digital literacy in health education pre-registration professional programmes.
Results: The initial search included 5359 papers, 3925 after duplicates removed, 134 remained after title review which were then input into Covidence for full reading, finally 47 papers being included for thematic analysis. This thematic analysis identified a number of key themes within these papers: digital literacy of the educator, digital literate workforce, technical skills limit adoption, information literacy, a curriculum requirement in education, institutional infrastructure or personal access, preparedness for entering academia, concerns over the use of digital skills, personalised digital literacy experience, increased communication skills with digital literacies, competency frameworks, COVID-19 and social media in education.
Conclusion: This research identifies areas of good practice and areas that need to be considered in higher education programmes and by academics to ensure the digital literacy of the future healthcare workforce.
Keywords: health education, digital literacy, digital skills, technology enhanced teaching, health care, higher education
Research Article
Ernesto Colomo Magaña, Andrea Cívico Ariza, Julio Ruiz Palmero, Enrique Sánchez Rivas
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 4, Article No: ep314
ABSTRACT
The excessive use of ICTs is a growing problem among young people. The social isolation caused by COVID-19 can increase these inappropriate behaviour. This study aims at analysing the problematic use of ICTs in trainee teachers based on the gender variable before and after the COVID-19 lockdown based on the gender variable. A longitudinal panel design was carried out with pre-test and post-test measurements based on the gender variable. The sample consisted of 147 students from the Faculty of Education at the University of Malaga who were tested using a validated instrument: MULTICAGE-TIC. The results show that women used ICTs at a higher risk than men before lockdown, except for video games. During lockdown, men obtain higher scores than women in all the analysed ICTs (except for mobile phones). Both genders reach dependency level in all ICTs except for video games in women. The significant increase in all ICTs shows that the effects of the pandemic, such as restrictions on mobility and social interaction, have influenced such growth.
Keywords: addiction, ICT, educational personnel training, COVID-19
Research Article
Nagaletchimee Annamalai, T. Ramayah, Jeya Amantha Kumar, Sharifah Osman
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep313
ABSTRACT
Technology acceptance research explains the adaptation of learning technology by accounting for the use of technologies. This mixed-method study investigated the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) for distance education in Malaysia using the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Limited studies on LMS for Malaysia higher education studies focusing on distance learning are warranted due to the diversity of resources, maturity, and education as working adults contrasting from traditional undergraduates. The survey on 205 respondents revealed that the extended TAM, which includes perceived resources, explained variance in attitudes (R2= 56.2%) and actual use (R2= 34.5%) adequately. Concurrently, indicating perceived ease of use and perceived resources as a determiner for the attitude which predicts actual use. Subsequently, a semi-structured interview on 15 respondents supported this as it was inferred that respondents’ attitude was mainly determined by their perception of the role of LMS to facilitate learning activities. Furthermore, inconveniences in accessing learning contents and lack of interactive learning activities are the respondents’ primary concern, reflecting on the predictive role of perceived ease of use. The findings also provide appropriate guidance for the pedagogical design and LMS implementation for distance education based on affordance and inclusivity.
Keywords: extended TAM, perceive resources, distance learning, Moodle, higher education
Review Article
Rakesh Kumar Meet, Devkant Kala
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep312
ABSTRACT
Advent of internet has a revolutionary impact on every sector of economy and so is with the education sector, which has witnessed the evolution of online education through scalable educational technology, namely, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the pool of available knowledge related to MOOCs in the scholarly literature, published during the period 2013–2020. One hundred and two available published studies in peer reviewed journals & conferences searched in major academic databases have been reviewed and presented in the systematic literature review. The findings have been divided under the various research themes of MOOCs including geographical contribution of MOOC studies, citation trends, prominent research themes, theoretical frameworks and methodological rigor in the existing scholarly works. The results demonstrate that most empirical research were conducted by the researchers having affiliation to institutions based out of United States followed by institutions in the developing economies of China and India. The most focused area of research in MOOCs is on MOOC adoption. Limited research has happened on poor MOOC completion status, the instructor-related topics and on democratization of MOOC. Thrust areas of MOOC researches and future research directions are also discussed.
Keywords: Massive Online Open Course (MOOC), e-learning, online education, educational technology, technology adoption, literature review
Research Article
Jamal N. Al-Karaki, Nedal Ababneh, Yasir Hamid, Amjad Gawanmeh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep311
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 Pandemic affected all sectors worldwide including education sector changing the students learning environment at a large scale. In the education sector, governments had to close schools and universities around the world and turn into online mode of delivery. The sudden transformation to online learning demands educators and institutions to develop more innovative teaching methods in supporting students during this growing crisis. It is pertinent that this is the era of large-scale online learning, where education is delivered remotely utilizing various digital platforms. To this end, this move presented many challenges to students, educators, families, administrators, and government regulations. In this paper, we conduct an oriented and well-rounded survey that captures all aspects of distance learning verticals as perceived by educators in order to study online delivery aspects, including teaching models, communication media, and teaching best practices in distance learning. The paper will answer subtle and comprehensive questions related to student satisfaction and success, technical needs and challenges, teaching models, educator mobility, etc. across different universities in the UAE. In particular, the paper tries to identify best model to use given many key issues related to the adoption of e-learning during COVID-19. Overall, the survey results showed almost all participants agreed that online learning during the COVID-19 is a very good alternative solution to Face-to-Face approach. However, teaching models do vary in promoting students’ participation and students’ engagement. All participants agree that absence of the proper infrastructure at home will hinder the operation especially in courses with hands-on components. Finally, the educators questioned the credibility of online assessments despite the enforced exam integrity tools and methods. The paper concluded with many recommendations for continuous development of the distance learning systems during and after COVID -19.
Keywords: COVID-19, distance learning, online education, technology adoption, education models, higher education
Research Article
Omar Alawajee
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep308
ABSTRACT
This research aims to uncover higher education students’ experiences regarding sign language learning with online learning platforms and learning experiences during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic in one of the teacher-preparation programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) as learning the basics of sign language is one of the essential elements in the teacher-preparation program for future teachers to be able to interact with their deaf students. Qualitative research method, structured individual interviews were employed to collect data to understand students’ experiences, knowledge, expectations, and thoughts of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the sudden and unplanned movement to online teaching tools on their sign language learning and practices. A total of 24 female students enrolled in a special education bachelor program were interviewed in this study. Fifteen participants thought that the COVID-19 crisis influenced their sign language learning and practices, while six of the interviewees reported no impact, and three were not sure. Data revealed some disadvantages, difficulties, and concerns of learning sign language through e-learning tools and some advantages of sign language learning using e-learning tools during the COVID-19 pandemic and are presented alongside examples of the interviewees’ statements. This study presented some practice recommendations like integrating digital game-based learning, web and phone applications to practice sign language to endorse effective and innovative sign language learning and practices techniques.
Keywords: COVID-19, sign language, teacher-preparation program, online learning, higher education
Research Article
Julio Cabero-Almenara, Rosalía Romero-Tena, Carmen Llorente-Cejudo, Antonio Palacios-Rodríguez
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep305
ABSTRACT
In recent years, studies carried out in the educational field have concluded that the Flipped Classroom methodology offers numerous advantages for both teachers and students. In this sense, this approach is worked on at the university to develop skills necessary for the future professional of students, as well as increase their commitment to the subjects. The general objective of this research is to verify if the learning acquired through the Flipped methodology, as well as the perception of it, are useful for university students of the Degree in Primary Education. For this, two types of designs are used: pretest-posttest and validation through structural equations (PLS) of the scale to evaluate the degree of acceptance of the Flipped methodology based on the TAM model. The results show the adequacy of the training proposal based on Flipped methodology for university students. The students perceive the incorporation of the inverted methodology as an adequate strategy, highlighting the ease of use in the classroom, the acceptance of its integration, the transformation of interest in learning and showing a positive attitude towards its use in the future. Together, the level of acceptance as regards the validation of the TAM model is high. Finally, the possibility of replicating the model in similar investigations or through the so-called emerging technologies is evaluated.
Keywords: flipped classroom, digital competence, primary education, teacher training, TAM, CFA
Review Article
Cecilia Avila-Garzon, Jorge Bacca-Acosta, Kinshuk, Joan Duarte, Juan Betancourt
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep302
ABSTRACT
Research on augmented reality (AR) in education is gaining momentum worldwide. This field has been actively growing over the past decades in terms of the research and development of new technologies. Reviews in the field of AR in education consist of systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses (around 45), surveys (around 33), and only one bibliometric analysis. However, these reviews do not provide a general synthesis of the research published in the field to depict its evolution over the years. This study used the metadata of articles from a 25-year period (1995-2020) to conduct a bibliometric analysis. A total of 3,475 studies were considered. In this study, we used tools such as the Scopus database, the bibliometrix R package, and the VOSviewer analysis tool. The analysis of the literature is based on the metadata, author, content, and citation information extracted from the dataset. In addition, we focus on comparing literature published mainly in journals (articles, articles in press, and reviews) and those published in other sources (conference papers, books, and book chapters). Practitioners could use the results of this study to make decisions about the adoption of AR technologies in education.
Keywords: augmented reality, education, learning, bibliometric, trends
Research Article
Kasim Karatas, Ibrahim Arpaci
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 3, Article No: ep300
ABSTRACT
This study investigated role of the self-directed learning skills, metacognitive awareness, and 21st century skills and competences in predicting readiness for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. 21st Century Skills and Competences Scale, Self-Directed Learning Skills Scale, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory, and Readiness for Online Learning Scale were used to collect data from 834 prospective teachers. Structural equation modelling (SEM) results indicated that self-directed learning skills, metacognitive awareness, and 21st century skills and competences positively predict prospective teachers’ readiness for online learning. These findings suggested that enhancing prospective teachers’ self-directed learning, metacognitive awareness, and 21st century skills and competences may promote their readiness for online learning.
Keywords: self-directed learning, metacognitive awareness, 21st century skills, readiness for online learning, teacher education
Research Article
Joseph Njiku, Védaste Mutarutinya, Jean François Maniraho
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 2, Article No: ep297
ABSTRACT
Developing teachers’ competencies in technology integration has recently been one of the areas of attention in teacher training. This paper presents an investigation of the development of mathematics teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) through collaborative lesson design activities. The study employed a pre and post-test for non-equivalent groups quasi-experiment with three groups. Participants were secondary school mathematics teachers from Dar es Salaam -Tanzania who responded to a TPACK questionnaire before and after the intervention. Group 1 participated in collaborative lesson design teams to integrate technology and implemented the designed lesson in the classroom. Group 2 participated in lesson planning and implementation and group 3 operated conventionally. Using paired sample t-test, although all groups appear to have improved their TPACK significantly, the effect size was large for group 1 and group 2 only. When the comparison between groups and across the two points of time for data collection was done using the split-plot analysis of variance, it was found that group 1 improved the most in TPACK. These finding favoured the use of collaborative lesson designs in school-based teacher design teams. The study recommends that professional development needs to be authentic by involving teachers in routine professional activities, optimizing their peer teams to support each other within the real school contexts.
Keywords: collaborative activities, lesson design, TPACK, mathematics education, professional development
Research Article
Nuri Kara
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 2, Article No: ep295
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review on the use of serious games in science education between 2016 and 2020 years. A total of 39 articles were included from Science Citation Index- Expanded (SCI-Expanded), Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI) and Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) listed in the Web of Science database. The results showed that experiential science was the most emphasized subject area in the articles. The results also indicated that learning/academic achievement was the common examined topic in the articles. For the research designs, more than half of the articles implemented quantitative research design. Considering the data collection tools, achievement tests were the most used data collection tool. Regarding the use of sampling methods, convenience sampling was preferred in more than half of the articles. Secondary and primary school students were the most used sampling groups. The sample size of 31-100-person group was commonly chosen in the articles. Considering the data analysis methods, a majority of articles implemented descriptive analyses methods. It was also found that computer game was the most used game type. Regarding the game genres, adventure was the most preferred one in serious games.
Keywords: serious games, educational games, science education, literature review
Research Article
Héctor Galindo-Domínguez, María-José Bezanilla
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 2, Article No: ep294
ABSTRACT
It is though that those students who better manage their time and perceive themselves to be more effective in the tasks they perform are thought to be due, in part, to a stronger understanding and command of digital competence. This competence allows students to know and use a greater number of tools and techniques to respond to the problems that arise in their academic career, favouring the reduction of perceived stress. To test this hypothesis, a total of 200 students from different degrees of Education and universities participated in the study, who answered the Digital Competence Questionnaire in University Students, the Spanish version of Time Management Behaviour Questionnaire, the Scale of Perceived Self-efficacy in academic situations, and the Scale of Global Perception of Stress. The results show how the starting hypothesis is fulfilled in that time management and academic self-efficacy function as mediators between digital competence and types of positive or negative stressors. Finally, these findings implications are discussed.
Keywords: digital competence, self-efficacy, time management, stress, university, higher education, technology, ICT
Research Article
Gizem Yildiz, Ebru Kilic Cakmak
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 2, Article No: ep293
ABSTRACT
This study aims to reveal the investigating the distance education process according to the demographic characteristics for the staff of the notary and the notaries in Turkey. In this research survey method is used. The sample group consists of 317 notary and notary employees who responded voluntarily to the scale in the distance education platform. Demographic information form and distance education satisfaction scale were used as data collection tools. In the analysis, ANOVA, T-Test, Mann Whitney-U, Kruskal-Wallis and Pearson Correlation were performed in accordance with sub-problems. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the satisfaction of the participants was between the sub-factors and the general satisfaction between the middle and high level. All factors were found to have a high positive and significant relationship between general satisfaction and each other. The satisfaction of the participants showed a significant difference according to age, but did not show a significant difference according to gender, task type, duration of work in the profession, number of notary employees, educational level and participating in distance education previously. As a result of the research, planning the gamification, measurement and evaluation and certificate programs that the participants would provide more interaction on the platform were considered important. The contents of education were found to be effective on satisfaction.
Keywords: distance education, satisfaction, notary, notary employee, institution
Research Article
Umut Akcil, Mert Bastas
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 1, Article No: ep291
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on people’s social interaction and has brought changes on education, environment and economy. COVID-19, which affects every aspect of life, has produced results that require re-evaluating the perspective on education. Distance learning, digital learning, e-learning has reshaped education in many ways. There can be a chance of the pandemic in the digital age to turn into an advantage for the education sector. In this period, it can be said that those who have high interest in technology move more easily in distance education and e-learning processes. In this context, expressing the best skills in the digital age, it was thought that the concept of digital citizenship would have positive effects on e-learning. This study is a relational survey and tested by establishing a relationship between digital citizenship and e-learning. The study was conducted among higher education students. It has been observed that there is a positive relationship between digital citizenship behaviors and e-learning attitudes. In addition, it has been observed that the negative anxiety of students due to the pandemic is reflected in their e-learning processes. However, overall results show that digital citizenship behavior digital learning process could be a positive response to COVID-19 closure period.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, e-learning, digital citizenships, digital age, higher education
Research Article
Chenin Chen
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 1, Article No: ep290
ABSTRACT
Along with the rapid development of technology, the constant innovation and application of computer and information technology has information technology change humans’ future lifestyles as well as induce comprehensive changes in humans’ learning. Due to knowledge digitization, knowledge creation and update is fast that the acceleration and enhancement of learning effectiveness becomes the important issue concerned in global education development. Along with the population of digitization, information technology largely changes life and learning model.
Applying experimental design model to the quasi-experimental research, total 188 business management students of universities in Fujian are preceded technology education with WebQuest. The experimental teaching is preceded 3 hours per week for 16 weeks (total 48 hours). Research results reveal 1. WebQuest would affect critical thinking psychology, 2. WebQuest would affect operation capability, 3. critical thinking psychology presents significantly positive effects on problem clarification in operation capability, 4. critical thinking psychology shows remarkably positive effects on effective interaction in operation capability, and 5. critical thinking psychology reveals notably positive effects on inductive inference in operation capability. According to the results, suggestions are proposed, expecting to help domestic technology education get into organizational and systematic development to further cultivate students’ technology literacy.
Keywords: WebQuest, technology education, business management students, critical thinking psychology, operation capability
Research Article
Maxim L. Grunis, Inna I. Golovanova, Galiya I. Kirilova, Elena Y. Levina, Zhanna M. Sizova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 1, Article No: ep289
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this work is to identify the transformations of communicative functions. These functions are associated with the subjects of communication in both fields: in pedagogical and organizational, also in the instrumental and design once during the process of creating digital video recordings for online courses. Questionnaires, observation, and factor analysis were used as research methods. It helped to formulate a popularity rating of digital tools for future teachers. The study was conducted at the Institute of Psychology and Education of Kazan (Volga region) Federal University. The study involved 120 people: teachers developing online courses and students studying at the pedagogical educational programs. Transforming indicators of pedagogical communicative competence are highlighted. These indicators are needed to be emphasized when improving teacher training. It will help future teachers to be able to effectively carry out their activities in digital educational environment. These indicators are: the ability to organize interactive cooperation during training, the ability to organize mutual exchange and development of students, the ability to create an open environment for analysis and improvement. The methodological aspects of the development of pedagogical communication functions in the dynamic environment of digital education and an interactive environment are disclosed on the basis of work with videos. Some recommendations for future teachers’ skills improving and development of training experience organization in the digital environment are given. These are a clearly-set-goal for educational video materials, adequate video content, skills for digital tools using, also the skill to choose adequate digital tools for a task fulfillment. The tool that can enhance enthusiasm, and stimulate students for productive work in a digital environment. The study allows improving video content and increasing the effectiveness of its use in the educational process. Also, the results of the experiment can become a basis for teacher training programs improving. Especially it can be useful for future teachers’ pedagogical communicative and digital competences development. The tasks developed within the frame of the research will be included in the assignments of pedagogical internship for pedagogical Master’s degree courses at the Institute of Psychology and Education of Kazan Federal University. These tasks for students include development and use of online courses with video materials.
Keywords: pedagogical communicative competence, digital educational environment, digital video recordings, educational videos, online courses
Research Article
Mutlu Şen Akbulut, Janette R. Hill
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 12, Issue 2, Article No: ep287
ABSTRACT
The use of cases has been promoted as a promising instructional method for creating authentic learning environments. However, the development and implementation of the best instructional strategies for effective use of cases still require further research. This paper addresses some of these gaps by proposing an emergent instructional model to be grounded in constructivism and current instructional models for case-based pedagogy. The model was implemented in a science methods course for elementary education prospective teachers. The participants engaged in several activities for four cases such as participating in online and classroom discussions and writing reflection papers. In this paper, first, we will present the connection between the pedagogy and teacher education; second, we will introduce the theoretical framework with implications for the instructional model; then, we will present some examples of learning experiences that should be included in a constructivist case-based learning environment with the proposed instructional model. Lastly, we will present findings from a study wherein the proposed model was applied to support prospective teachers’ socioscientific issue-based teaching and learning, and discuss implications for research and practice.
Keywords: case-based pedagogy, teacher education, instructional model
Research Article
Olgun Sadik
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 1, Article No: ep285
ABSTRACT
This research was designed and conducted considering the theoretical and practical suggestions of design-based research (DBR) methodology and aimed to identify and address problems in a one-semester technology integration course at a Midwest university in the US. Community of practice (CoP) was used as the theoretical framework in this research to design and implement interventions, and improve the quality of the course. The researcher observed a community of teacher educators and aimed to make suggestions for building successful strategies for communities of practice in similar contexts. The study results showcased the connection between pedagogy, content and technology as an important theme for preparing future teachers in technology integration courses but also in all the teacher education courses. Furthermore, aligned with the previous literature, pre-service teachers’ beliefs and confidence were identified as important conditions for effective technology integration. CoP was found as a challenging but helpful model when all the members share ideas in a supportive and balanced environment. An experienced member of the community acting as a moderator and facilitating the discussions was helpful to address the communication issues in a community of teacher educators.
Keywords: community of practice, design-based research, teacher education, technology integration
Research Article
Francisco David Guillén-Gámez, Maria Jose Mayorga-Fernández, Marta Ramos
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 13, Issue 1, Article No: ep282
ABSTRACT
The growing rise of information and communication technologies (ICT) in all areas of society demands that university professors have an adequate level of digital literacy, so that they can contribute effectively to the training of their students and respond to the demands of the job. The objective of this research is to know and compare the use by university teachers of different ICT resources, in their teaching, evaluation, and research (UTIC-EEI model, its acronym in Spanish), depending on the area of knowledge to which they belong (science and engineering-architecture, health sciences, art-humanities, and social-legal Sciences), in order to be able to take measures to effectively address the digital shortcomings of teachers. An ex post facto study is carried out, with a quantitative methodology utilising a survey technique, with a sample of 867 Spanish university teachers, with a descriptive and inferential analysis via ANOVA for multiple comparisons. The results showed a medium-high use by teachers of ICT resources in four areas, with there being a superior use in the teaching and research dimensions compared to the evaluation dimension in each area of knowledge. These data underline the need to continue training teachers to make excellent instrumental use of specific ICT resources in each area of knowledge.
Keywords: digital literacy, teachers, ICT, educational use, ANOVA
Research Article
Nailya R. Salikhova, Martin F. Lynch, Albina B. Salikhova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 12, Issue 2, Article No: ep280
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article was to compile a general map of existing research on digital education from the Self-determination theory (SDT) perspective, in order to understand SDT’s contribution to the emerging field of research on digital technologies in education, the methods used to advance this research, the gaps in existing research, and the development of the theory itself in this context. Methods include searching in databases or search engines and chaining from known research papers. Papers were classed as relevant if their primary focus was to explore the Self-determination theory perspective for digital education. Articles published over the past twelve years in leading scientific journals were analyzed and synthesized. Results show that this theory is actively used both in studies on digital education and in the development of training programs. It makes a significant contribution to solving the problem of continuing digital learning and its motivation, to predicting the academic success of students, to increasing teachers’ motivation to use digital resources. The ideas of SDT have become an important reference point in various formats of digital education: MOOC, hybrid virtual classes, mobile applications, etc. The study found that digital education technologies provide many opportunities to satisfy the need for autonomy whereas they pose the greatest challenge to the need for relatedness. Research in the context of digital education provides new perspectives for the development of SDT, clarifying the relationships of basic needs among themselves. The materials presented in the article are useful for planning further research from the point of view of SDT, as well as for use in the development of digital educational resources. The scientific novelty of this study is to collate, highlight and generalize the directions of application of Self-determination theory in the rapidly developing field of digital education. As an original result, a new general map of the main areas of such research has been created. The review categorizes the literature into five different areas: predicting motivation and intentions to continue digital learning, predicting student academic success, combining SDT ideas with other theories in digital education research, application of SDT for creating online courses, and teachers’ readiness to use digital education.
Keywords: self-determination theory, internal motivation, online learning, digital education
Research Article
Albina R. Drozdikova-Zaripova, Elvira G. Sabirova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 12, Issue 2, Article No: ep278
ABSTRACT
Modern educational process has to take into account the tendencies in science and tech advancement and also demands of society to quality of education services. As one of the most effective ways, there is reasonably considered purposeful usage of digital educational resources. In this study, there has been considered modern educational technology of “Blended learning” by model of the “Flipped classroom”, that is based on the concept of unifying the technology of “class-lesson system” and technology of digital teaching on the grounds of new didactic possibilities given by ICT (informational and communicational technologies) and modern teaching means. Theoretical methods among which there are analyzing, comparing and summarizing the research subject on the base of psychological and pedagogical literature; query-diagnostic method that help to evaluate effectiveness of digital educational resources usage in teaching students with application of “Flipped classroom” technology. In the carried study, there are shown different variants and technological means in realization of “Flipped classroom” when making digital educational resources on subjects of “Methodology and methods in organizing scientific research” and “Method of teaching mathematics”. According to survey results it can be stated that students sufficiently highly evaluate the level in organization of teaching, the content of digital educational resources and also qualification and responsiveness of teachers. Study results can be used at development of teaching courses, digital educational resources that are introduced within scope of higher education, when making comparative studies for working out design methodology for digital educational resources. Pilot project on introduction of new educational technology on within realization scope of digital education resources at various levels of higher professional education, was held on the base of Kazan (Volga region) federal university institute and proved its trustworthiness.
Keywords: flipped classroom technology, blended learning, digital educational resource, informational and educational environment of higher education institution
Research Article
Brandford Bervell, Paul Nyagorme, Valentina Arkorful
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 12, Issue 2, Article No: ep273
ABSTRACT
Distance education delivery has shifted from the mere meaning of distance due to the use of abridged technologies. Current distance education utilizes technologies that have made the term distance a metaphor. The affordances of technology have promoted student-student interaction; teacher-student interaction as well as student-student interaction across boundaries. This has been possible due to blended leaning that combines both the online component in addition to the face-to-face sessions. One of the technologies that have made blended learning possible in distance education is the Learning Management System (LMS). However, intentions towards the use of LMS have been a crucial element in contemporary literature especially in Africa. Consequently, one of the key determinants of LMS use intentions is attitude towards the technology. Hence, this study is focused on unraveling the key determinants of attitude based on a Technology-Related Stimulus-Response Theoretical Framework (TR-SR-TF) while addressing empirically, the mediating role of attitude on these determinants. In view of this, the study employed a survey design with the questionnaire as an instrument for data collection from a sample of 267 course tutors in distance education. The results from a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach revealed performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions as key antecedents of attitude towards LMS for blended learning. Again, attitude had a significant mediating effect on all three antecedents in determining behavioural intention towards LMS use for blended learning in distance education. The results of the study suggests that factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy and facilitating conditions should be critically addressed while implementing LMS-enabled blended learning because the former factors have a direct effect on attitude towards use intentions of blended learning for distance education delivery.
Keywords: distance education, LMS, blended learning, use intention, attitude, determinants
Research Article
Eddie M. Mulenga, José M. Marbán
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 12, Issue 2, Article No: ep269
ABSTRACT
Digital learning has reshaped education in many ways. The purpose of this study is to respond to the question of whether COVID-19 is the gateway for digital-learning in mathematics education. To this end, this study explores some uptakes of social media platforms by prospective secondary school teachers. Data was collected from 102 prospective mathematics teachers from the Copperbelt University (CBU). Cluster analysis approach was used. Results revealed that participants’ scores for digital learning in mathematics in cluster 2 were higher than those in both cluster 1 and 3. This is a clear indication that prospective teachers in clusters with low scores are more likely to exhibit low skill levels in the use of mobile technology and the adoption of social media in relation to mathematics pedagogy during the COVID-19 crisis. Results show different patterns. However, overall results show that digital learning could be a positive response to COVID-19 closure period.
Keywords: COVID-19, digital learning, social media, students, mathematics education, Zambia
Research Article
Merve Kadioglu, Zeynep Tacgin, Nevin Sahin
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 12, Issue 1, Article No: ep265
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the most delicate parts of eLearning material development process and tools from the Instructional Design (ID) perspective. In this context, the birth lesson eLearning material modules have been progressed in accordance with the design - based research approach. The selected two modules have been completed by the project team - 3 instructional designer, 1 subject expert, 1 education technologist and 2 subject matter consultants- in 8 months. The ID process has been started with the education need analysis in order to determine the learners’ needs, learning outcomes and other expectations. The explanatory storyboard has to be offered to the educational technologists and the learning theories has to be determined by the designer. After the several revised, the themes and modules have been developed via several eLearning material development tools. The ID process consists several work packages for the team. Correspondingly, eLearning development is of toilsome process that has been included in planning, storyboard, communication between instructional designers and subject experts, and time. Also, it has to be designed with an expert team, learning theories and other scientific methods.
Keywords: e-learning, material development, instructional design, nursing education
Research Article
Win Thinzarkyaw
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 11, Issue 2, pp. 159-176
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate the practice of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) of teacher educators (N=108) in three Education Colleges in Myanmar. A quantitative survey research design focusing on a set of questionnaire was used. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the TPACK-based practices of teacher educators in terms of their Education College, experience, degree, rank, department and gender. However, significant differences were unearthed in their practices of technological knowledge according to their experience and degree. Besides, by their ranks, significant differences were found in the practice of technological and content knowledge.
Keywords: teacher educators, technological pedagogical content knowledge, education colleges
Research Article
Tufan Adiguzel, Tayfun Kamit, Bulent Ertas
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 11, Issue 2, pp. 143-158
ABSTRACT
This study focuses on understanding the implementation of three interactive digital products in the first-year foundational courses (General Chemistry, Physics I & II, Calculus I & II) at the Faculty of Engineering, and the perceptions of teaching and learning experiences with those products. The data were gathered from the instructors, students and Distance Education Unit Coordinator through in-depth interview of purposeful sample of the academics, student online survey and product platform usage data. The study reveals the nuances of the institutional change prompted by the initiatives for advancing teaching and learning through the integration of technology. The study findings are discussed through themes that address the benefits of integrating digital products as well as challenges experienced by the instructors, students, and by the institution during this period of transition to digital technologies. The findings assisted in identifying the related set of recommended actions for improving the implementation of digital products and strengthening their integration into academic programs.
Keywords: blended learning, e-books, engineering education, math, science
Research Article
Emeka Joshua Chukwuemeka, Dominic Samaila
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 99-109
ABSTRACT
The study investigated teachers’ perception and factors limiting the use of high-tech assistive technologies resources in special education schools in North-West Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design using a questionnaire to sought data from 120 respondents who were drawn using a multi-stage sampling technique from special education schools within the region. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. The questionnaire was subjected to expert validation and reliability was established through a pilot study using 20 teachers from two special education schools within the study area, but not part of the sampled schools. The reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained for the questionnaire using the Cronbach Alpha formula. The data collected were analyzed using percentage, mean and standard deviation. Findings revealed that teachers do not use high-tech assistive devices regularly to teach students with physical disabilities. However, teachers perceived positively that there are great benefits to the use of these resources. It was recommended among others that both government and other stakeholders should organize workshop, seminars and other capacity building training regularly for teachers as means of updating their knowledge and skills in the use of assistive devices considering the dynamic nature of special education technology.
Keywords: assistive technology, high-tech, utilization, perception, special education, limiting factors
Research Article
Diganta Baishya, Saurabh Maheshwari
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 11, Issue 1, pp. 31-46
ABSTRACT
The present study explores the uses of WhatsApp groups in the education context. It examines utilities and burdens associated with educational WhatsApp groups. The study also explores how the presence of teachers in the groups can influence the group functioning. In the first study chats of four WhatsApp groups of one year, where two groups were included teacher and two groups were without teachers, were analyzed. In the second study, interviews were conducted with two participants from each group, a total of eight participants. The results of the studies show that the major functions these groups serve are mostly education-related. However, apart from academic uses, students do use this platform for wishing/congratulations, for extra curriculum activities as well as for entertainment purposes. In addition, the results show that the presence of the teacher influences the group conversation significantly. Though students reported that sometimes these WhatsApp groups become burden and take a lot of time, but they also believe that is unavoidable, since these WhatsApp groups not only provide them important information related to class, exam, holidays, etc., but members are also able to connect with others and involve in non-academic activities.
Keywords: WhatsApp, WhatsApp group, Social media, WhatsApp and education
Research Article
Duygu Ispinar Akcayoglu, Gokce Dislen Daggol
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 4, pp. 416-429
ABSTRACT
Media literacy is defined as the ability to encode and decode the symbols transmitted via media and to synthesize, analyze and produce mediated messages. Media literacy raises questions about the impact of media and technology, which has the potential to increase individuals’ awareness about the effects of media on daily life. The aim of media literacy is to help students become competent, critical and literate in media forms because they need to interpret what they see or hear and prevent the interpretation from controlling them. Therefore, perceptions of students about their media literacy is a topic that requires attention at various education levels. The present study aimed to identify preparatory year program students’ self-perceptions about media literacy and to explore whether they benefited from mass media in learning a foreign language, English in this context. Data were collected using Media Literacy Level Determination Scale developed by Karatas (2008). Open-ended questions that aimed to reveal students’ perceptions of media literacy were asked with a view to supporting the data obtained from the scale. Both data collection tools also aimed to find out the factors associated with media literacy. The findings of the study are believed to open a perspective for the stakeholders in language teaching process by providing insight into the university students’ stance towards media literacy.
Keywords: Media literacy, EFL students, Higher education, Preparatory school
Research Article
Emre Dinc
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 4, pp. 381-398
ABSTRACT
This study examined the thoughts of preservice teachers about technology integration and collected their ideas about possible barriers to technology integration in education. With this aim, the participants were asked two key questions which are (1) “What does ‘Technology Integration in Education’ mean to you?” and (2) “What might be the possible barriers to technology integration in education?”. A total of 76 preservice teachers, who took the course “Integrating Technology in Education” during their Elementary Teacher Education program took part in the study. The data were analyzed by using descriptive analysis method in this qualitative study. As a result of the study, it was revealed that preservice teachers have critical perceptions related to technology integration, such as effective use of technology, inclusion of technology in the course curriculum, increasing engagement, visualizing the course content, working with administrators to integrate technology, and being able to teach with technology that cannot be taught beforehand. As for the external and internal barriers, the participants commented that lack of funding/budget, lack of equipment, lack of ability, and time are major barriers to technology integration in education. Unlike the other studies in the relevant literature, preservice teachers stated parents and security as barriers to integrating technology in education.
Keywords: Technology itegration, Technology use in education, Prospective teachers, Barriers to technology use, Descriptive analysis
Research Article
Gulden Gursoy, Derya Orhan Goksun
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 4, pp. 338-357
ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to improve the experiences of pre-service science teachers in content development using Web 2.0 tools and to determine the effects of these experiences on their self-efficacy beliefs in content development via Web 2.0 tools. The present study was conducted with a mixed design that included empirical and phenomenological methods. Forty-two pre-service science teachers participated in the study. During the implementation, pre-service teachers developed content using Web 2.0 tools such as Kahoot, Quizizz, Powtoon, Emaze, MindMeister and Toondoo and shared the content with the class using Edmodo. “Self-Efficacy Belief Scale on Fast Content Development via Web 2.0” was used as pre- and post-tests. Findings demonstrated that pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and all sub-dimensions of content development via Web 2.0 tools improved as a result of the implementation. The views of them were grouped under seven themes; prejudice, satisfaction, awareness, fun, infrastructure problems, language problems and tool problems. Additionally, when the mean of item responses were examined, it was seen that the highest one was about preparing worksheet self-efficacy belief. Furthermore, it was determined that pre-service teachers were happy to participate in the implementation, recognized ways to integrate technology in their fields, and had fun while developing content.
Keywords: Educational technologies, Web 2.0 tools, Self-efficacy, Content development, Teacher education
Research Article
Mazhar Bal
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 3, pp. 246-271
ABSTRACT
The aim of the study is to determine the contribution of gamification to writing skills of middle school students. For this study, a lesson plan has been developed to relate Writing and Authorship Skills lesson to the gamification for middle school students. From this lesson plan, it was tried to determine the effectiveness of the teaching process. Therefore, the study was designed as action research. The research group is composed of seventh grade students. Criteria sampling technique was used to determine the participants. As a data collection tool, student diary, semi-structured interview form, semi-structured observation form, digital content of the students were used. Data obtained from the semi-structured interview form were analyzed by content analysis; other data were analyzed by descriptive analysis. Writing skills and gamification were related in the study. Turkish Language Teaching Program (2018) has been taken into consideration in the action plan which relates to gamification and writing skill. As a result of the study, it was seen that all participants were actively involved in the implementation process. In addition, it was concluded that gamification increased the interest of students towards the course, combined school and non-school life, facilitated classroom management, supported collaborative work, and developed creativity. As a result of this study, it is suggested that digital games can be used as a text type in Turkish language lessons with the method of gamification in order to positively affect motivation of the middle school students toward writing education.
Keywords: Digital game, Writing skills, Gamification, Middle school students, Turkish language education
Research Article
Nurullah Sahin, Mehmet Fatih Ozcan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 198-213
ABSTRACT
The Turkish history has a very rich content in literary context as well as political and administrative achievements. The Turkish language, which dates back to B.C., has become one of the great languages that continues its existence until modern day, leaving priceless reference guide behind. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of lessons taught using activities designed with Augmented Reality Technology on the academic achievement and motivation of students in the teaching of the subjects of Yusuf Has Hacib, Kasgarli Mahmud, Kutadgu Bilig and Divanu Lugati’t-Turk which are among the cultural heritages called “Old Turkish Language Mementoes.” In this context, Augmented Reality environments were designed in relation to the mentioned works and authors and these designs were uploaded to AURASMA 3D application and made available for smart phones. Quantitative research model was adapted in the study and the quasi-experimental method with pre-test-post-test control group was used. At the end of the study whose procedures took 6 weeks in total with the involvement of 50 college students, it was determined that AR activities has a positive effect on the academic success of the students and increases the academic success of the students, and it creates a positive environment which motivates the students towards the lesson and learning.
Keywords: Augmented reality, Educational technology, Old Turkish language mementoes, Academic achievement, Student motivation
Research Article
Ozcan Ozgur Dursun
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 137-155
ABSTRACT
This study investigates the changes in self-efficacy perceptions, professional self-esteem, and attitudes towards the teaching profession of pre-service information technology teachers in accordance with their academic achievement and career choices. A longitudinal research was conducted over a four-year time period with participation of 40 pre-service teachers. The data were collected through three separate scales at five different data collection points (entrance, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years) corresponding to their initial states and their states at the end of each academic year. Findings indicated an improvement in terms of attitude towards the teaching profession and teaching self-efficacy through the time period. However, change in professional self-esteem did not follow such a clear pattern. While grade point averages (GPA) did not show significant relationships with attitude, self-efficacy or self-esteem in earlier states, as the participants gained experience, significant relationships arose among GPA, attitude and self-efficacy. Career choices of pre-service teachers were examined under three categories: teaching, coding and design. Preference for teaching was relatively high at the initial state and continuously increased over time. As the participants progressed in the program, their preference for coding and design increased as well. The increase in career choices of pre-service teachers accords with the courses in the program.
Keywords: Teacher training, Information technology education, Self-efficacy, Attitude, Self-esteem, Longitidunal study
Research Article
Fernando Almeida, Jorge Simoes
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 2, pp. 120-136
ABSTRACT
Education 4.0 is a new educational paradigm that intends to address the needs and potentialities of the fourth industrial revolution. Education 4.0 builds on the concept of learning by doing, in which students are encouraged to learn and discover different things in singular ways based on experimentation. This study intends to analyze the role of emerging technologies like serious games and industry 4.0 in the transformation of education 4.0 in higher education. A qualitative methodology was employed based on 25 case studies of innovative projects in Portuguese higher education institutions. The results indicate a residual adoption of serious games and gamification approaches only appear in less than 20% of the projects. It was also possible to identify that most projects involve several stakeholders such as teachers, students and university managers, and typically involve multidisciplinary competencies fields. The main benefits brought to the education context include greater involvement of students in projects, development of their skills and its application in a real context. On the other hand, the main challenges are the simplification of the real world made by these applications, the difficulties inherent to their inclusion in the didactical system and the limited capacities to offer greater interactivity without predefined external stimuli.
Keywords: Education 4.0, Industry 4.0, Serious games, Gamification, Educational paradigm
Research Article
Salih Birisci, Emin Kul
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 10, Issue 1, pp. 75-93
ABSTRACT
This correlational study aimed to investigate the prediction levels of technopedagogical education competency for technology integration self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers. The study group comprised 174 pre-service teachers at the Faculty of Education of a university located in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Both “Technopedagogical Education Competency Scale” and “Technology Integration Self-Efficacy Perception Scale” were administered as data collection tools. The results of the study showed that pre-service teachers had high levels of technology integration self-efficacy beliefs, with a high-level positive correlation with technopedagogical education competency. In addition, the dimensions of technopedagogical education competency such as ethics, design, exertion and proficiency were revealed as the predictors of technology integration self-efficacy; moreover, predictive effects of exertion and proficiency dimensions are insignificant. The findings obtained from the present study are thought to be helpful for the development of pre-service teachers' technology integration self-efficacy beliefs.
Keywords: Technopedagogical education competency, Technology integration, Self-efficacy belief, Pre-service teachers
Research Article
Mustafa Serkan Gunbatar
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 4, pp. 354-373
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to determine undergraduate and associate degree students’ computer programming attitude and self-efficacy levels, and compare them according to thinking style, gender, department, weekly study time, and programming experience variables. The study employed the correlational research model. The researcher attempted to reach all associate and undergraduate students who had received the computer programming course at a state university. The computer programming self-efficacy scale, the computer programming attitude scale, and the holistic and analytic thinking in problem-solving scale were used to collect research data. Results suggested that the participants with different thinking styles showed significant differences regarding programming attitude and programming self-efficacy. Programming attitude and thinking style were significant predictors of programming self-efficacy. No difference was observed between genders in terms of the common effect and the partial effect of programming attitude and programming self-efficacy. However; differences were observed between participants from different departments and with different weekly study time. There was also a significant difference between the participants with different programming experience levels in terms of the common effect of programming attitude and self-efficacy, whereas no difference was found in terms of attitude alone.
Keywords: Computer education, Programming self-efficay, Programming attitude, Thinking style, University students
Research Article
Mustafa Sirakaya, Ebru Kilic Cakmak
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 3, pp. 297-314
ABSTRACT
Augmented reality is defined as a technology in which real world and virtual objects are combined with a simultaneous interaction. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of augmented reality use on students' achievement, misconception and course engagement. A (matched) quasi-experimental research design with both pretest and posttest control groups was used in the study. The sample of the study consisted of 118 seventh grade students receiving education in six different classes. The students in the experimental group took their lessons with an augmented reality learning material, while the students in the control group continued using their traditional course materials. An achievement test, a misconception test and the student course engagement questionnaire were used as data collection tools. As a result of a 7-week implementation, this study found that augmented reality technology increased the achievement level of students and eliminated their misconceptions. However, the study also found that augmented reality technology did not affect the course engagement of students.
Keywords: Augmented reality, Achievement, Misconception, Course engagement, Astronomy education
Research Article
Mangale Vadivu Vivakaran, Neelamalar Maraimalai
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 3, pp. 284-296
ABSTRACT
Computers, during its entry into the academic domain, were forecasted to revolutionize the entire educational system across the globe. At present, similar expectations have been encircling the social media technologies. Many researchers claim that social media, when introduced in higher education environments, tend to enhance the students’ learning experience by facilitating heightened levels of instructor-student interactions, peer learner support and learners’ collaboration. Though social media is claimed to take the higher education learning to the next level, it is crucial to identify the readiness and proficiency of the instructors who play the main role in efficiently implementing these technologies in their classrooms. Especially, instructors belonging to the institutions present in developing nations are less likely to have proper access to some of the basic facilities (such as power supply or internet connectivity) required for social media integration. Hence, the present study aims at identifying the feasibility of introducing social media aids to the higher education classrooms present in Tamil Nadu – one among the eight Indian states having the highest number of colleges in the Nation
Keywords: Social media, Higher education, Technology acceptance, Educational interventions, Atttudes toward social media
Research Article
Kevin Smith
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp. 111-130
ABSTRACT
Adaptive learning programs are frequently used in the K-8 mathematics classroom. These programs provide instruction to students at the appropriate level of difficulty by presenting content, providing feedback, and allowing students to master skills before progressing. The purpose of the study was to seek to interpret how preservice teachers’ experiences influence their perceptions and plans to integrate adaptive learning programs in their future K-8 mathematics classroom. This was a qualitative study with 17 participants who were enrolled in an undergraduate teacher education program. Data was collected and analyzed from archived journals the participants completed as a part of their K-8 Math Methods course, a survey, and semi-structured interviews. The findings from this study indicate that the participating preservice teachers perceive adaptive learning programs to be beneficial for students, and they recognize they have many decisions to make regarding what adaptive learning programs are used and how they are integrated into the classroom. The study also found that the instruction the preservice teachers received in their K-8 Math Methods course played a critical role in making them aware of the features available and myriad of options available in adaptive learning programs.
Keywords: Preservice teacher education, Mathematics education, Adaptive learning systems, Perceptions for technology
Research Article
Monica W. Tracey, Michael Joiner, Sara Kacin, Jay Burmeister
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 2, pp. 186-205
ABSTRACT
Instructional design focuses on solving problems in a multitude of contexts. As such, designers are investigators, gathering evidence to optimally design solutions to learning problems within the identified context. The challenge described in this case study was the need to create an educational activity to promote interaction and collaboration among an interdisciplinary participant group comprised of physicians, radiobiologists, and radiation physicists. Based on the premise that interdisciplinary medical research collaboration requires a shared understanding of authentic problems from multiple perspectives, this design research case documents the design and implementation of an online case study incorporating collaborative inquiry in interdisciplinary teams with the intended outcome of building or strengthening interdisciplinary communication skills. Contextual factors – including the design team and design process – influencing the design of the activity are documented. Results indicate that using an interactive online case study as the basis for collaborative inquiry in small, interdisciplinary teams followed by a summative, large group discussion resulted in (1) evidence-based treatment decisions based on the data supplied in the case study and (2) participation of all disciplines in team interactions. Outcomes also indicated the building or strengthening of interdisciplinary communication skills and the understanding of the value and contribution of all three fields to radiation oncology treatment resulted in the participation of the online case study.
Keywords: Collaborative educational intervention, Design research, Instructional design, Conjecture mapping
Research Article
Cem Cuhadar
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 61-75
ABSTRACT
This study aims to expose the training and experience that pre-service teachers acquire in the course of their study at schools of education in regard to the use of information and communication technology (ICT). The study adopts the survey model and its sampling is comprised of 832 pre-service teachers who attend four different faculty of education in Turkey. The data were collected by means of a scale developed by Tondeur, van Braak, Siddiq and Scherer (2016) on the basis of SQD (Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence) model. It was basically found that pre-service teachers do not receive adequate training and support in regard to the use of ICT in education during the courses of their study at faculty of educations. This situation varies statistically according to gender and the faculty of education variables. In the process of technology integration in teacher education, it is important in terms of effectiveness and efficiency that resources other than human and human power are handled in a more realistic way. So, it is considered that the findings of the present study may help in the processes of planning and implementing the technology integration in teacher education.
Keywords: Technology integration, Teacher education, Preservice teachers
Research Article
Cigdem Ozbek, Irem Comoglu, Bahar Baran
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 3, pp. 280-302
ABSTRACT
This study aims to design of the two activities “introducing an innovation” and “role playing” in Second Life (SL) and to evaluate qualitatively Turkish foreign language learner’s roles and outputs before, while, and after the implementation of the activities. The study used community of inquiry model consisting of cognitive presence and social presence as a theoretical frame to discuss the roles and outputs. The participants were twelve students and two English teachers from two different high schools. Teaching and learning in SL took six weeks. The first activity “introducing an innovation” let students develop an innovation and introduce it in English at a congress hall. The second activity “role playing” had four different scenarios in which students would be involved in; travel agency, get permission from family to go out, restaurant, and renting a car. It was found that the two activities in Second Life had various requirements in terms of the teacher, the student and the social environment and that they differed in pre-activity, while-activity and post-activity phases in terms of outputs. When the learning contexts created in this study are considered in terms of cognitive presence, the outcomes of the interaction effect between the teacher, the student, and the social environment were higher in the role-playing activity than in the second activity. Written preparations done before the activity in both teaching activities had positive effects on students’ performance during the activity. The fact that students responded to the questions spontaneously without following the scenario and that they found the correct answer through discussion affected their cognitive presence positively. For social presence, the role-play activity resulted in highersocial presence than introducing an innovation since the students studied individually in the introduction of an innovation.
Keywords: Language education, Technology in foreign language learning, Community of inquiry, Second Life, Role playing
Research Article
Eylem Yalcin Incik, Cenk Akay
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 3, pp. 232-248
ABSTRACT
The main purpose of this research is to identify the competency and the perceptions of pre-service teachers on technopedagogical education. While study group of quantitative dimension is composed of 626 pre-service teachers; study group of qualitative extent is composed of 67 pre-service teachers. The sample represents 35% of the population of 1778 students. The quantitative data were collected through Technopedagogical Education Competency (Tpack-Deep) Scale and Technology Perception Scale and the qualitative data were collected with an open ended-question form. It was concluded that pre-service teachers generally regard themselves at a moderate level in the sense of technopedogogical education competency, have positive perception towards technology and there is a positive correlation between pre-service teachers’ technopedogogical educational competency and perception towards technology. According to results of qualitative analysis of the study, pre-service teachers think that educational technologies have contributions to preparing information-communication technologies based upon presentations, developing technology-based materials, preparing homework, doing research, raising awareness about the importance of educational technology use in the learning and teaching process, acquiring information about their department, developing skill of using technology based on information-communication technologies and having positive attitude
Keywords: Educational technology, Technopedagogical competency education, Information technology, Preservice teacher, Teaching and learning
Research Article
Nuri Kara, Kursat Cagiltay
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 2, pp. 119-141
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to understand in-service preschool teachers’ thoughts about technology and technology use in early educational settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 in-service preschool teachers. These teachers were selected from public and private preschools. Convenient sampling was applied because teachers who were eager to attend the study were selected. Content analysis technique was used to analyze the data. Based on the content analysis, eleven main themes as to technology related views and practices of in-service preschool teachers emerged. Findings of the study indicated that the majority of in-service teachers had positive views about appropriate technology use in preschool education. Findings also showed that early educational settings need to be equipped with adequate technologies. Moreover, in-service preschool teachers emphasized that they expect to be supported by the preschool curriculum and several programs aiming at enhancing their technology use skills. Lastly, teachers were aware of not only the advantages of technology but also the potential disadvantages. Results of the study may help instructional designers, researchers and practitioners better integrate new technologies into preschool education.
Keywords: preschool education, preschool teachers, technology use, children, in-service teachers
Research Article
Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, Francis Amankwah, Stephen Baafi-Frimpong, Joseph Asomani
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 2, pp. 103-118
ABSTRACT
Research findings in the literature show that teachers’ concern about change process is
extremely personal and it influences the implementation of innovation. This study aimed at
assessing information and communication technology teachers’ stages of concern regarding
the implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) curriculum in basic
schools. It also examined the effects of teachers’ personal factors or variablessuch as gender
and teaching experience on their stages of concern towards the implementation of ICT
curriculum. Modified Stages of Concerns Questionnaires (SoCQ) (Hall, George & Rutherford
1979) based on Concern Based Adoption Model (CBAM) were used to collect data from 346
respondents. Data collected were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics.
The result of the study showed that teachers generally had their first and second high
concerns at informational and consequence stages respectively and with low concern at
awareness stage. Furthermore, statistically significant difference was found between gender
and informational, management, consequence, collaboration and refocusing concerns.
However, according to the results, teachers’ stages of concerns were not related to their
teaching experience.
Keywords: information and communication technology, curriculum implementation, basic education, teacher concerns
Book Review
Olivia Nichole Ritter
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 99-102
ABSTRACT
This book’s value lies in the succinct provision of evidence that confounds simplistic views of the objectives and potential directions of STEM education. More importantly, this book elicits significant questions about how the proposed alternative conceptions of STEM may materialize. As an educator in a system dominated by high-stakes standardized testing, the authors’ perspectives concerning the importance of the intrinsic value of genuine learning and the aesthetics underlying the subjects of mathematics and science are refreshing and provide hope for potential change.
Keywords: STEM, science education, mathematics education, technology education
Research Article
Nuray Gedik
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 76-98
ABSTRACT
Instructional Technology is a field having approximately a century old past. From its initial
conceptualization to date, it has been in question in terms of its label, definition, and scope.
Parallel to international interest, Turkey has embraced IT as a field of study and practice.
This qualitative study aims to investigate the existing conceptions of experts on
Instructional Technology in Turkey and reveal the current status of the field from their
perspectives in terms of its definition, purpose, scope, and research approaches. The
experts were chosen from among Turkish academics having a PhD degree in the field. The
results showed that diverse definitions were made with an interchangeable use of the labels
“Educational Technology” and “Instructional Technology”. The emphasis for the purpose
was on “how to” best support/facilitate/enhance/improve instruction and learning in a
broad scope. The experts found gaps on the methodological aspects of existing studies. The
results showed that there existed a dilemma between the conception of what IT should be
and the practical use of what it really is. There were both common concerns with other
countries and concerns unique to Turkey. The main challenges were discussed for further
analysis.
Keywords: instructional technology, educational technology, instructional design, instructional systems design, conceptualizations of instructional technology
Research Article
Sahin Gokcearslan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 40-55
ABSTRACT
Recent mobile learning technologies offer the opportunity for students to take charge of
the learning process both inside and outside the classroom. One of these tools is the tablet
PC (hereafter ‘tablet’). In parallel with increased access to e-content, the role of tablets in
learning has recently begun to be examined. This study aims to reveal the relationship
between the level of acceptance of tablets (TAM) and the level of selfdirected
learning with technology (SDLT) of students and to differentiate these in terms of
gender. A mixed method research design is used in this study. In addition, the qualitative
part of the study aims to determine the reasons students have for using or not using tablets
for supporting learning. The study group consisted of 414 high school students, involved in
the pilot application group of the FATIH project in Turkey. According to the study, a
significant positive relationship was determined between four of the variables of tablet
acceptance and the SDLT level. While the degree of acceptance of tablets was different
according to gender, the SDLT level was not.
Keywords: tablet computers, self-directed learning, secondary education, learning with technology, gender studies
Research Article
Ekaterina Pechenkina, Carol Aeschliman
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 26-39
ABSTRACT
This article, with its focus on university students as intended recipients and users of
technological innovations in education, explores student preferences across three
dimensions of technology-enhanced learning: mode of instruction; communication; and
educational technology tools embedded in learning and teaching activities. The article
draws on results of an exploratory case study, where mixed (quantitative and qualitative)
data was collected from a randomized student sample generated through the institutional
learning management system. An online survey (N=66) gaged students’ engagement with
educational technologies, online and blended learning and social media as a learning tool.
The findings confirmed previous research arguing that students generally use educational
technology in a narrow way, rarely engaging with technological tools, unless it is presented
to them as integral to their learning or if they are already familiar with a particular tool
and/or perceive it as useful. Despite a well-cited characteristic by proponents of ‘digital
natives’ that students need constant entertainment, this study found no evidence that this
was the case.
Keywords: educational technology, student preferences, blendid learning, social media
Research Article
Sunagul Sani-Bozkurt, Sezgin Vuran, Yavuz Akbulut
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 1-25
ABSTRACT
The current study aimed to design technology-supported interactive social stories to teach
social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A design-based research was
implemented with children with ASD along with the participation of their mothers, teachers,
peers and field experts. An iterative remediation process was followed through the
feedback of participants. The data collection process was further supported through
researcher notes, interviews, video-recorded observations and log files. Three cycles of
remediation were employed to improve the interactive materials, which lead them to be
perceived as pleasant, interesting, engaging and user-friendly. It was observed that children
gained useful non-target skills as well as the target behaviors. Interactive stories were
particularly helpful in raising satisfaction as they provided children with the opportunity to
make their own learning decisions.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, multimedia learning, interactive social stories, instructional design for special education, learners with special needs
Research Article
Barbara Freeman, Kristina N. Higgins, Mark Horney
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 4, pp. 281-313
ABSTRACT
This article reports the findings of a study designed to examine the influence of multimodal
writing on the communication of mathematical ideas. Elementary school students (ages 8-13)
were required to write mathematics notes using two digital writing technologies, a personal
digital notepad and a social mathematics blog, in the context of a formal intervention. Fortytwo
students participated, across three schools. The study showed that when students wrote
notes that could be assessed for correctness, their answers were predominately right,
indicating that mathematical sense-making was taking place. It also showed that the digital
notepad and blog were used differently and that the type of technology influences the writing
content. Moreover, students’ mathematical writing were understandable by their peers and
students collaboratively explored solutions. Younger students were more likely to draw
pictures to represent their ideas than older students. These findings show that writing can
help students acquire mathematical understanding, and suggest that multimodal writing may
help them surmount difficulties often associated with learning math. Although this research
demonstrated that writing can help teachers gain an awareness of their students’
mathematical understanding, it also revealed that writing environments need to be monitored
and students require close guidance to bring about systematic improvement.
Keywords: mathematics education, instructional technology, elemantary education, digital writing tools, blogging
Research Article
Filiz Goktuna Yaylaci, Ali Faruk Yaylaci
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 241-263
ABSTRACT
There have been a wide range of studies on the interplay between education and technology. Furthermore, there are many other studies aimed at analyzing the scholarly output on this subject with a holistic approach. However the studies are mostly focused on the facilitator role of technology. Although the idea that educational processes have become more fun, thanks to the widespread use of technology, there is a strong need for the critical analysis of the interplay among education, entertainment and technology. Taking this need into account, and drawing on Neil Postman’s critical approach on this trio, this article aims to discuss and evaluate the tendencies and understandings in relation to the notion of “edutainment” primarily with reference to “edutainment” studies carried out in Turkey. It is expected that this evaluation would contribute to similar future studies, thus helping the policy development. According to findings of the study, although the edutainment studies in Turkey reflect the general tendency throughout the world, there only a few of them quantitatively. There is no consensus on the designation and definition of the concept of edutainment. From Postman’s point of view, it could be said that edutainment studies in Turkey lack a critical perspective with regard to technology and entertainment, and there is a quite limited framework.
Keywords: Edutainment, Educational technology, Entertainment, Technopoly, Neill Postman
Research Article
Olga Pilli, Wilfried Admiraal
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 223-240
ABSTRACT
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as a new approach to distance education, which originated from the open education resources (OER) movement, are becoming widespread throughout the world. Over time, early versions of cMOOCs have undergone changes in terms of use, name and structure. In their short life, MOOCs have been categorized into different taxonomies depending on, for example, their types, pedagogies, orientations, target participants, resources and content. This article proposes a new taxonomy to position MOOCs on two dimensions: massiveness and openness, which brings a fresh perspective for understanding varieties of MOOCs based on the two definitional elements. The dimensions of massiveness and openness are identified and discussed. Based on these, we conclude two dimensional matrix with four categories: (i) small scale and less open, (ii) small scale and more open, (iii) large scale and less open, (iv) large scale and more open. This classification provides a comprehensive description of different types of MOOCs which could be helpful to answer the necessities of MOOC providers, educators, students, and researchers.
Keywords: Massive open online courses, MOOCs, Open learning, Distance education, Online courses, Taxonomy of MOOCs
Research Article
Turkan Karakus Yilmaz, Kursat Cagiltay
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 3, pp. 206-222
ABSTRACT
Many virtual worlds have been adopted for implementation within educational settings because they are potentially useful for building effective learning environments. Since the flexibility of virtual worlds challenges to obtain effective and efficient educational outcomes, the design of such platforms need more attention. In the present study, the aim was to investigate design issues and the concerns of novice instructional designers who were developing a virtual learning environment with a gaming approach. Active Worlds (AW), an immersive virtual environment, was selected as a platform to develop virtual world projects that presented instructional materials. Twenty-three novice instructional designers participated in this study. Data were collected through observations, interviews, document analysis, and a questionnaire. The results indicate that the novice instructional designers were most challenged when attempting to incorporate motivational and assessment features in their project designs. They ignored collaboration opportunities of the design platform. They also accepted that they could not achieve to provide a feel of real game. The results suggested that design and development in virtual worlds has many challenges but a broad experience for novice instructional designers.
Keywords: Instructional design, Novice instructional designers, Instructional design education, Virtual worlds, Active Worlds
Research Article
Alexandra Salas
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 2, pp. 174-186
ABSTRACT
This article provides a literature review of the research concerning the role of faculty perspectives about instructional technology. Learning management systems, massive open online courses (MOOCs), cloud-based multimedia applications, and mobile apps represent the tools and the language of academia in the 21st century. Research examined illustrates how important understanding user attitudes can be in the technology deliberation process. Consequently, the faculty opinions should not be underestimated in technology acceptance discussions as coupled with ongoing education technological developments is the challenge of innovation adoption.
Keywords: e-tools, Distance Education, Faculty-perceived usefulness, Voice-authoring tools, Instructional technology
Research Article
Fırat Tufan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 2, pp. 160-173
ABSTRACT
Within the scope of this study, which deals with distance education method as a communication process, a focus group interview was conducted with voluntary students who were randomly selected from various areas/majors at the Department of Distance Education in Istanbul University in order to determine the relationship between their general Internet usage habits and their Internet usage as a part of distance learning and in line with their expectations. The questions posed for the students during the interview process were drawn up on the basis of Internet medium serving a mass medium and for multi-purposes. The study revealed a positive relationship between general Internet usage habits of distance education students and their particular Internet usage habits during their education. It is concluded that the ability of students to adapt to social media applications and especially to social networks, which are the latest Internet applications based on interactive communications, is considerably high. The expectations of the students from the latest Internet applications are also high when it comes to distance education process.
Keywords: Distance Education, Internet usage habits, Information and communication technologies in education, Communication
Research Article
Katja Fleischman, Ellen Ariel
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 2, pp. 138-159
ABSTRACT
Understanding and trouble-shooting microscopic processes involved in laboratory tests are often challenging for students in science education because of the inability to visualize the different steps and the various errors that may influence test outcome. The effectiveness of gamification or the use of game design elements and game-mechanics were explored in a year-long research project which saw the development of a web based learning tool that visualized Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) in a digital laboratory. A cohort of 30 students from the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science trialed the first prototype and provided feedback in a survey on their learning experience and the extent to which the learning tool enhanced their learning. This article provides additional insights into likely future trends of substituting traditional learning modes such as lecture and practical laboratory classes with gamified content.
Keywords: Gamification, Game-based learning, Higher education, Science education
Research Article
Gurhan Durak, Murat Ataizi
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 1, pp. 85-105
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to investigate the views of learners experienced in the Distance Learning Platform (DLP), which was prepared according to an online course design model. The participants of the study were 19 learners who took the programming languages course (via the DLP for 14 weeks). Before the application, the preparation of the DLP took nearly 500 hours. A pilot study was performed with the learners during the summer school. The design of the DLP was improved through the views of those learners. The data were obtained through face-to-face interviews with the learners. The following themes emerged from analysis of the data: factors in preferring the DLP, general characteristics of the DLP, the effectiveness of the DLP, and expansion of the DLP. These themes are further analyzed on the basis of “Diffusion of Innovations” and “Uses and Gratifications” theories. As a result of the interviews conducted with the learners, it was found that the learners had positive opinions about the DLP as it (1) offers flexibility, (2) contains elements enhancing their motivation, (3) enables the learners to communicate easily with the instructor, (4) provides the learners with instant feedback, and (5) enables them to access to the course materials easily.
Keywords: Distance education, Online learning, Instructional design model, Programming language, Learner views, Course evaluation
Research Article
Partick D. Kihoza, Irina Zlotnikova, Joseph Kizito Bada, Khamisi Kalegele
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 1, pp. 60-84
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to describe instances of pedagogical practices of teachers using ICTs and the enhancements of practices using traditional methods, to more fundamental changes in their approach to teaching. Using a mixed method, the research examined the impact of increased education level on the ICT use competence perception and the influence of ICT knowledge level and skills on the adoption of blended learning contents. Four schools were used for this study; two picked out of 50 that are enhanced with ICT infrastructures while the other two were picked from schools without enough ICT infrastructures. Three research questions guided the study. Data collection included teachers, schools inspection officers, curriculum development experts, teacher trainees and policy makers’ interviews, questionnaires, classroom observations, and document reviews. Data analysis concentrated on the central questions of the study. The results suggested that teachers’ education level couldn’t determine their ICT knowledge level. Either, the ICT knowledge level has influences on the decision to use blended learning. Barriers to ICT use in education were revealed as: internal -more of personal attitudes and perceptions about a technology, and external -lack of availability and accessibility to the relevant resources (hardware and software), lack of framework that address integration of ICTs in teaching and learning and unreliable Internet connection. Resulting from the results, this study suggests a goal oriented teacher training framework which should address a complex integration of technology, content, pedagogy, school infrastructures, and the overall objectives of the education systems as trivial of ICT use determining factors.
Keywords: Blended learning, Teachers’ ICT knowledge, Teachers’ ICT use, Teachers’ ICT competence, ICT in education
Research Article
Kristina N. Higgins, Lindy Crawford, Jacqueline Huscroft-D’Angelo, Mark Horney
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 7, Issue 1, pp. 1-24
ABSTRACT
Mathematical reasoning involves comprehending mathematical information and concepts in a logical way and forming conclusions and generalizations based on this comprehension. Computer-based learning has been incorporated into classrooms across the country, and specific aspects of technology need to be studied to determine how programs are influencing student reasoning and learning. This article explores how one aspect of computer-based learning, electronic support tools (ESTs), influences students’ mathematical reasoning over the course of an online supplemental mathematics program, the Math Learning Companion (MLC). Students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 (N = 31) from two private schools participated in MLC, and their reasoning was assessed before and after participating in the program. EST use was measured by using frequency counts for each tool. Results describe students’ tool use and reflect an overall change in their reasoning over the course of the intervention, indicating that students use ESTs as needed to individualize the learning program. Students specifically used ESTs as needed to improve their mathematical reasoning, their correctness of response, and their mathematical explanations of their answers over the course of the intervention.
Keywords: Mathematical reasoning, Computer-based instruction, Electronic support tools, Mathematics education
Research Article
Khitam Shraim, Helen Crompton
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp. 301-318
ABSTRACT
Smart mobile devices (SMDs), especially smartphones and tablets, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous among educators and students in Palestine. While their use is on the rise, many academics are not effectively incorporating this technology into their teaching, which may be attributable to their negative perceptions of these devices. This study therefore examined academics’ perceptions of the value of integrating SMDs into their teaching activities. A questionnaire survey collected data from 56 academic staff of the Palestine Technical University - Kadoorie, eliciting perceptions of the physical attributes of SMDs, participants’ self-efficacy, the pedagogical affordance of mobile devices and challenges to their use in teaching. The findings show that participants were still at the stage of actively experimenting with smartphones and iPads, trialing their use at different levels and for different purposes. In general, although participants were unaware of the full potential of their functionalities, they viewed positively the various pedagogical affordances of integrating these devices into their teaching activities. The most important affordances were linking formal and informal learning spaces by providing anywhere-anytime learning opportunities, and developing interest in the subject matter, thus making learning experience more enjoyable, meaningful, and accessible. The results also identify various challenges including lack of experience and knowledge, finding the time to design and implement such integration, and selecting appropriate apps for the content being taught. Participants also expressed concerns with the limited connectivity and unreliability of Wi-Fi and 3G/4G networks in Palestine.
Keywords: Higher education, Smart mobile devices, Mobile learning, Faculty perceptions
Research Article
Sydney E. Brown, Sarah Thomas Karle, Brian Kelly
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp. 260-280
ABSTRACT
DSGN110 was a multidisciplinary course teaching first year students enrolled in in a variety of majors about design thinking. The course is offered for the majors of architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, community and regional planning, along with computer science and business students. By blending face-to-face and online instructional strategies, desired practices and learning outcomes associated with the more intimate nature of studio-based learning and learning through action were scaled and achieved in the large enrollment course. The quantitative analysis of the pre and post survey revealed significant change across all constructs and the qualitative data analysis supported these findings, demonstrating that a blended course design utilizing collaborative technology platforms offered an innovative solution to teaching and learning in a manner reflective of a studio-based pedagogy.
Keywords: Blended learning, Studio-based learning, Design thinking, Mixed methods, Technology and learning, Educational technology
Research Article
Serkan Sendag, Osman Erol, Sezan Sezgin, Nihal Dulkadir
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp. 172-187
ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between preservice teachers’ Web 2.0 competencies and their critical thinking disposition (CTD). The study employed an associational research design using California Critical Thinking Disposition-Inventory (CCTD –I) and a Web 2.0 competency questionnaire including items related to Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 use, and educational use of Web 2.0 tools. Five different Web 2.0 tools included in the study: (a) blogs, (b) wikis, (c) social networking websites, (d) YouTube, (e) podcasts. A total of 1335 preservice teachers completed the survey. Findings indicated that participants had a medium level internet use, Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 use and Web 2.0 skills while their educational Web 2.0 use level was low. In terms of competencies on certain Web 2.0 tools, their blog, wiki and podcast competencies were at a very low level, whereas their social networking and YouTube competency levels were high. Findings also showed that there were significant relationships between preservice teachers' Web 2.0 competencies and their critical thinking disposition. The results highlighted that the use of different Web 2.0 tools can be complementary to each other during certain instructional activities to improve different dimensions of critical thinking disposition.
Keywords: Critical thinking, Higher order cognitive skills, Teaching-learning strategies, Web 2.0 awareness, Web 2.0 competencies, Preservice teacher education
Research Article
Heather M. Ross, Ryan Banow, Stan Yu
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp. 126-139
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this two-year quantitative study was to determine the usefulness of the micro-blogging tool Twitter in large classes for improving the students’ sense of community and belonging. Three instructors of large classes were recruited to test the outcomes of using Twitter as a learning tool, one each from the Departments of Geography and Psychology, and the College of Nursing. Twitter was used as a learning tool to allow students to engage in discussion and ask questions in real time during class as well as outside of class. The method used by the authors included surveys that measured students’ perception of their sense of community and belonging, their engagement with the Twitter portion of the course, and their thoughts on the use of Twitter for academic purposes in a higher-education classroom setting. Data about students’ use of Twitter was further collected using the Twitter Archiving Google Spreadsheet tool. The authors conclude this study showed that Twitter, if integrated into the course and supported by instructor and/or assistants who are familiar with the use of Twitter, improved the sense of community reported by students.
Keywords: Microblogging, Twitter, Learning technologies, Community, Large classes, Higher education
Research Article
Mohammad Al Bataineh, Sharon Anderson
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 6, Issue 1, pp. 38-61
ABSTRACT
This study used a cross-sectional, ten-point Likert-type scale survey design, to examine the perception of Jordanian seventh to twelfth-grade social studies teachers of the competency needed for technology implementation in their classrooms. The instrument for this study was a modified version of a survey developed by Kelly (2003) called the Technology in Education Survey (TIES). The scale ranged from 1-10, with 1 being the lowest score, indicating not important or not competent, and 10 being the highest score, indicating very important or very competent. Due to the cultural context of the study, the researcher used an Arabic-language version of the survey used by Al Ghazo (2008). The convenience sample (n = 221) was a blend of male (n = 135) and female teachers (n = 86). A significant interaction was found between age and gender of social studies teachers and their perceptions of competency needed to implement technology. Female teachers who were thirty or younger and who were thirty-one to thirty-nine scored the highest mean of perceptions of competency toward implementing technology in social studies classrooms, higher than all male teachers, while male and female teachers who were forty or older scored the same lowest mean (49.5) of perceptions of competency. Female teachers with the least teaching experience had high perceptions of competency for implementing technology in social studies classrooms, while female teachers with the most teaching experience had lower perceptions of competency than male teachers. The result of the study provides useful information to social studies educators, professional development leaders, national policy makers and teachers of social studies who are interested in understanding the factors that affect technology use in social studies classrooms in Jordan
Keywords: Social studies education, Educaional technology implementation, Teacher competency, Technology in the classroom
Research Article
Esmaeel Azimi, Saeed Mousavipour
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 4, pp. 331-340
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the present research is to study the effects of educational multimedia in dictation and its role in improving dysgraphia in students with dictation difficulty. Research methodology is categorized as being quasi-experimental. The statistical population of the study includes students with dictation difficulty of the second grade of primary schools of Arak in the 2011-2012 academic year. The population (including 39 students) is selected through utilization of Poisson sampling procedure. From the designated sample, 20 members are selected to be put in the experiment group and the remaining 19 members are put in the control group. Clinical interview, dictation test, and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- Revised (WISC-R) are utilized to distinguish students with dictation difficulty from normal-progress students in learning disability center. Dictation test for data compilation and Man-Whitney- Wilcoxon U-Test (MWW) for data analysis are used. The findings of the study depict that the level of improvement of dysgraphia of those students who rely on educational multimedia in dictation has a positive statistical significance in comparison with those who rely on normal educational procedures (p
Keywords: Educational multimedia, Dysgraphia, Special education, Dictation difficulty
Research Article
Dabae Lee, Yeol Huh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 4, pp. 286-301
ABSTRACT
Effort to determine teachers’ effects on student has been continuously made with national data. However, paucity of research has been conducted on how teachers’ instructional strategies impact on student learning with national data, although instructional theories suggest a direct relationship between instructional strategies and learning outcomes. Therefore, the relationship between teachers’ use of instructional strategies and learning outcomes should be examined with national data. This study investigates how much teacher’s instructional strategies explain student learning in mathematics and what instructional strategies are positively related to student learning outcomes. Revised Bloom’s taxonomy was used to define instructional strategies that support different levels of cognitive processes. The U.S. 8th grade mathematics data from the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study was analyzed using multilevel modeling. As results, teachers’ instructional strategies explained approximately 12% at the individual level and 17% at the teacher level of the learning outcome. Also, asking student to write equations and functions to represent relationships and to decide on their own procedures for solving complex problems were positively and significantly related to student learning outcomes.
Keywords: Instructional strategies, TIMSS, Mathematics education, Academic achievement, Multilevel modeling
Research Article
Rouhollah Khodabandelou, Habibah Ab Jalil, Wan Zah Wan Ali, Shaffe bin Mohd Daud
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 3, pp. 257-271
ABSTRACT
It is conceivably important that demographic variables such as gender may have an impact on community of inquiry (CoI) and perceived learning. This study is in response with Garrison et al. (2010) who suggest that there is a need to determine moderation effects of gender on the relationship between CoI elements and perceived learning. A total of 348 undergraduate students were drawn from blended programs in three public universities in Malaysia to be the sample of the study. As research instrumentation, participation in online and face to face session, the community of inquiry questionnaire, and a perceived learning scale were distributed among the respondents. All the questionnaires were validated by a panel of experts, reliability of the instrument was tested in a pilot study and assumptions of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were checked before analyzing the data. The findings of the study have shown that although differences between the two groups of undergraduate students (male and female) were statistically significant, the amount of differences were not enough to moderate the relationship between CoI components and perceived learning in undergraduate blended learning environments. However, the findings indicate that differences between the two groups of undergraduate students (male and female) were statistically significant
Keywords: Community of Inquiry, Blended Learning Environment, Perceived Learning, Gender, Higher Education
Research Article
Susan Troncoso Skidmore, Linda Reichwein Zientek, D. Patrick Saxon, Stacey L. Edmonson
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 3, pp. 179-197
ABSTRACT
Although the majority of colleges and universities are equipped with the latest instructional technologies, an appreciable integration of technology has not been observed in instructional practices (Flavin, 2013; Garrison & Akyol, 2009; Salinas, 2008). The purpose of this research is to understand the impact that generational differences can have on developmental education faculty members’ self-reported familiarity, use, and challenges with instructional technology as measured by the Developmental Education Technology Survey (DETS; Skidmore, Saxon, Zientek, & Edmonson, 2012). The DETS was developed to examine the level of technology integration in developmental education programs across Texas higher education institutions. Responses from 753 developmental education faculty members from 68 institutions (69% institutional response rate) are the focus of this study. Findings suggest that generational classification serves as a statistically significant predictor of familiarity with instructional technology. A statistically significantly larger proportion of the faculty of the Silent generation also identified their own skill level as a challenge compared to other generations. Developing an understanding of faculty members’ proclivity to use instructional technology through the lens of generational classification can lead to more targeted professional development, which can help faculty members move towards using instructional technology as a resource to improve teaching and learning.
Keywords: Generational status, Developmental education, Integration of technology, Technology usage
Research Article
Matthew U. Blankenship, Erin E. Margarella
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 2, pp. 146-160
ABSTRACT
This article reports a review of the literature that focused on relationship between writing instruction and technology in the secondary classroom since the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act over the past two decades. Based on the search, six themes have emerged across the fields of writing instruction and assessment. Within writing instruction, it was found that researchers often focused on a third space (Bhabha, 1994) where writing can take place in meaningful ways. Also, technology often served as a motivator during the instructional process of writing and worked to engage students in varied lessons. Finally, researchers found an increase in the amount of writing for secondary students when technology was introduced into the instructional classroom. Within writing assessment, the research focused on special populations including special education students, minorities, economically disadvantaged and English language learners. Next, technology served as a motivator in both the instruction and assessment of writing and tended to be a factor that increased writing assessment scores. Finally, researchers posit technology can be used to allow teachers to give effective and efficient feedback through the instructional and assessment cycles and tended to increase student assessment scores. These themes emerged across all articles reviewed and truly demonstrate where writing with technology research has occurred in the secondary classroom.
Keywords: Writing, Instruction, Technology, Policy, Secondary Education, Motivation
Research Article
Tolga Dursun, Kader Oskaybas, Cansu Gokmen
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 2, pp. 121-145
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to measure the quality of distance education services received from educational institutions which are among the leading service enterprises. More specifically, the study aim to find out what the students’ expectations are, to what extent the student expectations are met and whether or not the acquired findings vary according to demographical characteristics of students. Moreover, this study is an attempt to assess if there are any differences among similar higher education institutions that implement distance learning programs in terms of the perceived quality of their educational services. It is hoped to help improve the quality of existing higher distance education services by evaluations based on the results of a comparative study. Therefore, through the SERVQUAL methodology, the current study has focused on determining the level of satisfaction regarding expectations and perceptions of students as customers. The data in the study were collected through a survey administered to a total of 463 university students. The examination of partial SERVQUAL scores and relevant analyses indicate that expectations are not met for any of the five dimensions affecting service quality in the universities providing e-MBA education through distance learning.
Keywords: Distance education, Service quality, SERVQUAL, Higher education, Service expectations, User perspective
Research Article
Atef Abuhmaid
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 1, pp. 73-89
ABSTRACT
Cutting edge technologies are one of the main areas in which private schools compete so they can showcase themselves as pioneers In Jordan, as it is in other education contexts worldwide. The Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) is becoming one of the rapidly adopted educational technologies everywhere. However, while moving too fast to adopt new technologies, often decision is made without taking teachers’ perceptions into account. The current study focuses on teachers’ perspectives on two main aspects of the integration of IWBs in four Jordanian private schools: First, teachers’ perceptions of IWBs as instructional tools, and second, the presence of various supporting factors identified by the literature for the success of integrating IWB into schools. The study used a 26-item Likert scale which was administered to 200 teachers in the participating schools. The results showed that the participating schools spend extensive efforts and resources in integrating IWBs into their contexts; however, some supporting factors for the effective implementation might have been overlooked. In addition, in contrast to what some professionals might expect and some vendors might try to promote, IWBs did not make teachers’ job “easier” in terms of relieving teachers’ workloads, despite their values as reported by teachers.
Keywords: Interactive whiteboard, IWB, Instructional technologies, Technology integration in education, ICT, Educational technologies in Jordan
Research Article
Leila Karimi, Rouhollah Khodabandelou, Maryam Ehsani, Muhammad Ahmad
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 1, pp. 53-72
ABSTRACT
Drawing from the Uses and Gratifications Theory, this study examined the Gratification Sought and the Gratification Obtained from using Social Networking Sites among Iranian, Malaysian, British, and South African higher education students. This comparison allowed to drawing conclusions about how social networking sites fulfill users’ needs with different cultures. Data were collected through a quantitative study applying online and paper- based questionnaire carried out in 2013, using a representative sample (N=320). Findings showed differences in students’ motivation to join to and to use of social network sites in each country. Interestingly, the researchers found that cultural differences may determine the uses and gratifications of social networking sites.
Keywords: Uses and Gratification Theory, Social Networking Sites, Higher education students, Motivation
Research Article
Katja Fleischmann
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 1, pp. 39-52
ABSTRACT
Technology has not only changed the work practice of designers but also how design is taught and learned. The emergence of digital technology has made computer labs a central learning space for design students. Since this change, studio-based learning in its traditional sense appears to be in decline in higher education institutions. This is in spite of the fact that characteristics of the studio have been identified as supporting interaction, active learning, and social engagement. These, however, are also characteristics connected to the use of Web 2.0 technologies such as Facebook, Flickr, and Skype. Could these services be utilized to revitalize studio culture in a contemporary sense? How can new technologies be used to facilitate interactions between students inherent to traditional studio culture? These questions were explored in practice by documenting student reactions to using Flickr and Skype during a five week project requiring collaboration between first year creative arts students at two geographically distant institutions in Australia. Findings provide a better understanding of how to expand the studio idea into the digital environment, in particular regarding the challenging task of offering the media design major fully online in the near future.
Keywords: Design education, Design studio, Web 2.0 technology, Social media, Higher education
Research Article
Mehmet Akif Ocak, Şahin Gökçearslan, Ebru Solmaz
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 5, Issue 1, pp. 22-38
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate pre-service teachers’ perceptions on the use of blogs regarding ICT integration in the FATIH project in Turkey. Participants were 174 pre-service teachers continuing their education. Data collection tool was a questionnaire which measured pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the blogs. Questionnaire embodied some sub-categories of blog use such as learning, motivation, active participation, writing skills, group work, and critical thinking. Findings revealed that using blogs in classes affected learning and teaching process. The obtained results also showed that the blogs contributed to the recuperation of writing and critical thinking skills. These results indicated that students found social contributions of the blogs such as sharing information and interacting with peers. Based on the findings of study, appropriate conclusions and implications were addressed within the context of the FATIH project.
Keywords: Blogs, FATIH project, Tablet computers, Technology use in education, Technology integration
Research Article
Saifuddin Khalid, Kamrul Islam, Tom Nyvang
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp. 263-280
ABSTRACT
In a rural context in a developing country purchasing a computer and connecting it to the Internet is in itself difficult, even when the lack of money is a minor issue. These issues prevent individuals in rural communities from familiarizing themselves with educational technology and ICT in general. The present study investigates the specific barriers to buying and utilizing ICT and ways in which these barriers can be overcome in a case study involving stakeholders from an educational institution in rural Bangladesh. Through a transformative methodology and a phenomenographic approach to the analysis (Larsson & Holmström, 2007), interview data on the decision-making experience of computer purchases, and the after-purchase experience of learning computer-related skills, the integration of the technology and the skills in interviewees’ (students and teachers) learning environments is analyzed. The barriers to purchasing a computer fall in four major categories: Cultural, financial, infrastructural, and knowledge barriers; with knowledge transcending the other barriers. When addressing the barriers to facilitate purchase of a computer locally situated knowledge is crucial. The study concludes that more research is needed to fully understand the diffusion and development of knowledge and inclination to purchase a computer.
Keywords: Phenomenography, Educational technology, Barriers to technology, Diffusion of innovations, Promoting ICT, Training facilitation.
Research Article
Zeynel A. Misirli, Yavuz Akbulut
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 4, pp. 249-262
ABSTRACT
The use of emerging technologies shape learners’ knowledge creation and transformation processes. In this regard, this study aimed to develop a scale to investigate 8th graders’ competencies regarding the educational technology standards based on ISTE-NETS. After a review of relevant literature, an item pool was prepared. The pool was improved through expert opinions and pilot implementations. The items were administered to 620 Turkish students from six different cities for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A four-factor structure with a total of 21 items emerged and explained 51 percent of the total variance. Factors were named technical proficiency, creativity, digital citizenship and participation, and innovativeness. Each factor had acceptable internal consistency coefficients. For the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the scale was administered to 210 new participants from a different city in Turkey. A few modification indices led to acceptable fit values. Thus, the suggested factor structure was considered plausible. Implications of the study were provided, followed by the recommendations for further research.
Keywords: Technology integration, Technology literacy, Educational technology standards, NETS-S, Scale development
Research Article
Leila Karimi, Tunku Badariah Tunku Ahmad
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 3, pp. 197-211
ABSTRACT
Blended learning, as a new approach to education, is rapidly being adopted by educational institutions for the purpose of teacher education or teacher training. This study reports the results of a survey exploring the relationships between perceived learning and satisfaction in a blended teacher education program among three different groups of specialization at the Institute of Education, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). This study was mainly exploratory in nature, employing specifically the quantitative research method, utilizing cross-sectional survey as the method of data collection. The respondents consisted of 170 teacher trainees who were randomly selected through quota sampling. The instrument used to collect data was a modified questionnaire that measured the respondents’ perception of learning and satisfaction in the blended teacher education program. The respondents reported high levels of perceived learning and satisfaction toward the blended teacher education program. The results showed positive and moderate correlation between perceived learning and satisfaction, while there was no statistically significant difference among all groups of teacher trainees’ perception of learning and satisfaction.
Keywords: Teacher education program, Blended learning, Perceived learning, Student satisfaction
Research Article
Hersh C. Waxman, Anna Witt Boriack, Yuan-Hsuan Lee, Angus MacNeil
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 3, pp. 187-196
ABSTRACT
A sample of 311 principals from a large metropolitan area in the southwest region of the U. S. responded to a questionnaire that addressed public school principals’ perceptions related to the major functions of technology in their schools. Principals reported that the major functions of technology were: (a) communication, (b) instruction, (c) data sharing and management, (d) a resource, (e) administrative tasks, and (f) student learning. Male principals felt that technology was used as a resource and for administrative tasks more than female principals. Furthermore, principals with 12 or more years of experience perceived that technology was used for instruction, data sharing and management, and administrative tasks more than principals with less than 12 years of experience. These results indicate that both gender and years of experience influence how principals perceive the functions of technology in their schools. This could affect the technology leadership of principals, which may influence the success of technology implementation in schools.
Keywords: Technology use, Principals’ use of technology, Educational technology, ICT in schools, Technology integration
Research Article
Gonca Cumaoglu, Esra Sacici, Kerem Torun
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 2, pp. 121-135
ABSTRACT
Reading habits, accessing resources, and material preferences change rapidly in a digital world. University students, as digital natives, are accessing countless resources, from lecture notes to research papers electronically. The change of reading habits with a great scale has led to differentiation on accessibility of resources, archiving them and usage of related technologies. The purpose of this study is to examine the e-book usage preferences versus printed material along with reading habits in a context of different variables. Additionally, different uses of e-books in a variety of faculties have been the focus of this study. The participants comprised of 222 students, studying in 36 different universities across Turkey. A questionnaire was developed specifically for the study. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: Printed book reading habits, e-book reading habits (methods of reaching e-books, aim of usage etc.), and technological knowledge (e-book related tools and file formats etc.). According to the results of study, approximately 68% of university students stated that they read one book in a week and 62% indicated that they are e-book readers. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between social environment and reading habits of students. University students put forward accessibility advantage (68%) of e-book and stated that they mostly read e-book for research (81%). E-book format which is most commonly preferred among students is Portable Document Format (pdf) (73%), while the computer is the most commonly used e-book medium (60%).
Keywords: E-book, Printed material, Reading preferences, Reading habits, University students, Higher education
Research Article
Myriah T. Miller, Jill Olthouse
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 1, pp. 66-80
ABSTRACT
This comparative study identified the differences between gifted children’s offline and online peer feedback within a summer talented writer’s workshop. Researchers analyzed ten students’ writings for degrees of critical thinking evident in their feedback. Online feedback included students’ writings in social writing sites Storybird.com and KidBlog. Offline feedback was submitted on a teacher designed rubric, and then incorporated into a revised manuscript using Microsoft Word. Critical thinking was defined as the three upper tiers of Bloom’s Taxonomy: analysis, and evaluation, and synthesis. Each comment in students' online and offline feedback was coded according to one of the levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. In addition, interpretative summaries were written describing how students used feedback within each category. Results indicated that critical thinking (specifically analysis and evaluation) was more evident in the responses that were structured opposed to those that were in the social media contexts. There was also evidence of an increased amount of informal dialogue in the online feedback opposed to the structured feedback. Online writing technologies are seen to be most successful when teachers' expectations for critical thinking and students' desire for informal positive feedback are combined; this success depends on the presence of a skilled teacher and supportive peers, rather than on the presence of a specific technology tool.
Keywords: Critical thinking, Educational technology, Peer feedback, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gifted Students, Social Media, Writing
Research Article
Dursun Yener
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 1, pp. 50-65
ABSTRACT
Distance learning (DL) has become an important part of university education. In the past DL was applied in different universities with different forms. With rapid technological developments, DL gained a new format through the Internet. Students can take courses online wherever they are geographically. Therefore, working people and adults can enroll higher education institutions without time and space barriers. Like many countries, Turkey adapted its education system to this new form. From 1980’s to recent years, this system has been applied through open education faculties in state universities. However as the number of foundation universities increase, DL became more common in various programs at different levels. Conventional universities use this system in some courses so students take both face-to-face and online courses together. Universities can use this system to use their scarce financial resources effectively with saving some costs and provides possibilities for sustainable advantage. In this paper, evaluation of students’, who are enrolled in a traditional university, about DL quality was analyzed using Grönross’ service quality model.
Keywords: Distance learning, Grönross, Perceived service quality, Dual-mode education
Research Article
Mohsen Bagheri, Wan Zah Wan Ali, Maria Chong Binti Abdullah, Shaffe Mohd Daud
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 4, Issue 1, pp. 15-29
ABSTRACT
Given the importance of globalization as well as the need to train skilled and knowledgeable employees for the 21st century workforce, higher education needs to take a more critical look at the educational practices and instructional methods which lead to improvements in students’ essential skills such as self-directed learning. This study sought to examine the effects of project-based learning (PoBL) strategy on students’ self-directed learning skills in a system-based education course offered in the educational technology department of Arak University in Iran. In order to achieve this end, a sample of 78 students in the field of educational technology who enrolled in the system-based education course was selected. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: the experimental group (PoBL strategy) and control group (conventional teaching strategy). The self-directed learning readiness scale (SDLRS) was administrated three times (i.e. pretest, post-test one, and post-test two). The experimental group received the PoBL strategy and the control group was exposed to conventional teaching (CT) methods. The results of two-way repeated measure ANOVA tests revealed that students who were taught using PoBL strategy performed significantly better in terms of self-directed learning skills than did students who were taught using CT strategy.
Keywords: Project-based learning, Self-directed learning, Educational technology, Higher education
Research Article
Tor Soderstrom, Lars Hall, Tore Nilsson, Jan Ahlqvist
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp. 293-307
ABSTRACT
This study compares the influence of two learning conditions – a screen-based virtual reality radiology simulator and a conventional PowerPoint slide presentation – that teach radiographic interpretation to dental students working in small collaborative groups. The study focused on how the students communicated and how proficient they became at radiographic interpretation. The sample consisted of 36 participants – 20 women and 16 men – and used a pretest/posttest group design with the participants randomly assigned to either a simulation-training group (SIM) or conventional-training group (CON) with three students in each collaborative group. The proficiency tests administered before and after training assessed interpretations of spatial relations in radiographs using parallax. The training sessions were video-recorded. The results showed that SIM groups exhibited significant development between pretest and posttest results, whereas the CON groups did not. The collaboration in the CON groups involved inclusive peer discussions, thorough interpretations of the images, and extensive use of subject-specific terminology. The SIM group discussions were much more fragmented and included more action proposals based on their actions with the simulator. The different learning conditions produced different results with respect to acquiring understanding of radiographic principles.
Keywords: Educational computer based simulations, Collaborative learning, Health care education, 3D Simulations, Peer communication
Research Article
Elirea Bornman
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp. 278-292
ABSTRACT
The single most dynamic ICT development in recent years has been the worldwide surge in mobile phone subscriptions. This “mobile miracle” has been continued in the developing world, particularly in Africa. At a time when discourses on the information society have focused on the internet, the mobile phone has been providing access to telecommunication to people at the bottom of the income pyramid – often for the first time in their lives. Moreover, mobile broadband internet has raised hopes that mobile phones will allow Africa to leapfrog across the digital divide towards becoming an information society. This article addresses issues related to Africa’s position in the information society pertaining to access to mobile phones and mobile broadband; pricing, ICT skills and readiness, usage patterns, potential for usage in education, and impact on the lives of Africans. Conclusions are drawn on the potential role of mobile phones as information highways to the information society.
Keywords: Information society, Mobile broadband, Information highway, Mobile phone, Mobile technologies in education, Internet access in Africa
Research Article
Adrie A. Koehler, Minchi C. Kim
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 3, pp. 212-233
ABSTRACT
Teachers are faced with many barriers during their first few years of teaching, and they desire support to help them through this challenging time. Unfortunately, many beginning teachers rarely receive this assistance. Lack of support can create barriers that grow into to overall job dissatisfaction and lead to the failure of teacher retention. In the past, state departments of education and school administrators have focused on the use of mentoring programs to help address these concerns. However, much inconsistency exists among these programs’ duration, structure, and intensity, with many beginning teachers changing schools or leaving the profession all together. The purposes of this paper are to discuss key problems and concerns faced by beginning educators, to explore current professional development practices created for assisting beginning teachers, and to examine new ways to support beginning teachers through the use of educational technologies. Specifically, this article proposes principles to guide the design and improvement of beginning teacher induction programs through the incorporation of distance education technologies
Keywords: Beginning teacher induction, Distance education, Barriers to teaching, Guidelines for the use educational technology in teacher training
Research Article
Lúcia Pombo, António Moreira
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 3, pp. 201-211
ABSTRACT
This article discusses the process of evaluation in bLearning courses, namely the objects of evaluation, discussing their relevance according to the opinion of international experts in Online Teaching and Learning, taking into account the curricular proposals of the three cycles of Higher Education (HE). The question ‘what should be evaluated?’ is one puzzle piece of the whole process of evaluation. The other pieces should be articulated among themselves and combined, namely ‘who should evaluate?’, ‘how and when to evaluate?’ and ‘what is evaluation for?’ Those questions were asked in a survey conducted with 35 international experts with an average experience of 13 years in the area, from international HE institutions (HEIs) that offer this kind of courses. The study highlights the need of HEIs to reassess their approach to the quality assurance of bLearning courses, and brings some contributions to those who are in charge of bLearning courses, providing a useful framework for evaluation. Furthermore, this paper contributes to the knowledge on educational technology and raised new issues for further research and discussion
Keywords: Evaluation objects, Benchmarks, Blended learning, Technology-based environments, Higher Education
Research Article
Keith E. Nelson, Aran Barlieb, Kiren Khan, Elisabeth M. Vance Trup, Mikael Heimann, Tomas Tjus, Mary Rudner, Jerker Ronnberg
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 3, pp. 184-200
ABSTRACT
How individual differences in information processing affect second language (L2) learning has been unclear in prior research. Adults lacking prior skill in Swedish were pretested for working memory, processing speed, and executive memory capacity. Participants then received 6 computer-based instructional sessions with pictorial animations of Swedish sentences, with a built-in experimental contrast between some lessons at high and some at low rates of presentation. The faster rate carried greater processing demands for the learners. Higher levels of Swedish performance during Instructional sessions were associated with higher working memory levels, as expected from widely-used models of working memory (e.g., Baddeley & Hitch, 1994). In contrast, results at demanding long-term retrieval on a posttest were more complex and revealed several dynamic relationships between processing speed, working memory, and Swedish language learning. Learners with low rather than high working memory showed higher L2 skills at long-term testing when instructional lessons had employed fast animations. This first-time demonstration that prior cognitive profiles strongly influence learners’ progress in second language requires refinements in existing theories. Further, the results hold certain implications for tailoring second language teaching on-line or in other technology-based instruction to learner profiles on abilities in working memory, processing speed, and executive memory
Keywords: Educational technology, Software, Designing learner-sensitive procedures, Computer-assisted learning, Second language acquisition, Dynamic systems
Research Article
Bandhana Bhasin
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp. 130-140
ABSTRACT
The incorporation of technology into teaching and research is one of the most important challenges for education today. It is time to move beyond the walls of our classrooms to join forces with other institutions and societies to revitalize education. The present paper focuses on the use of technology in teaching-learning process that will greatly contribute to meet student needs for learning anywhere, anytime. Integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into teaching and learning process is a growing field which has variety of definitions according to different points of view. A very common view asserts that the application of ICT processes should be presented in an integrated way as well as concrete model need to be developed for the teachers in order for the integration process to improve students’ learning. Based on the premise that “The integration process should strengthen learning of students”, there is a need to present an integrated point of view in the application of these processes and to develop some concrete examples for teachers. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to develop a model assessing the ICT integration process and helping to improve students’ learning.
Keywords: Information and Communication Technologies, ICT intregration, Enhancing learning, Educational improvement, Teacher Education
Research Article
Serkan Celik
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp. 115-129
ABSTRACT
The interactive whiteboards (IWB) has now been incorporated into the Turkish schools and educational institutions with the launch of the Fatih Project. This article first described the adaptation of a self-efficacy scale on IWB use in Turkish. The secondary aim of the study was to report the self-efficacy levels of primary school teachers toward the technology and the use of IWB in teaching. The participants of the current research were selected on a non-random basis among the primary schools in Kirikkale having at least one designated classroom with IWB. The adaptation studies of the scale including 19 items revealed that it possessed two factors which were implied as common and specific tools of IWBs. The results suggested that the confidence levels of the participant teachers in using IWB tools and features were observed as not satisfactory. This research is expected to serve as a basis for further IWB related studies and contribute to enhancing opportunities to utilize current technologies within the Turkish educational contexts.
Keywords: Interactive whiteboards, New educational technologies, IWB, Teachers’ selfefficacy in the use of technology, Fatih Project
Research Article
Casimir C. Barczyk, Emily Hixon, Janet Buckenmeyer, Heather Zamojski
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp. 99-114
ABSTRACT
Students at a regional campus of a Midwestern university were surveyed using an online questionnaire to determine their ownership, skill, and use of technological devices. Four hundred ninety-three students responded to the survey. It was found that the survey sample mirrored the student population at the university. Students owned and used a wide variety of electronic devices. Eighty five percent of the students owned laptop computers, 62% digital phones, 60% desktop computers, and 52% gaming systems. Students used electronic devices an average of 6.03 hours per week on classroom activities and 3.93 hours per week surfing the Internet for pleasure. They perceived themselves as being very skilled at using email, surfing the web, and word processing. It was also found that there was a significant correlation between students’ ownership of and skill with educational technology and their experience with Blackboard. Technological barriers were found to have a negative impact on students’ experience with Blackboard. Those barriers also negatively impacted their technological use and skill. A simple linear regression model explains that students’ experience with Blackboard is enhanced by having greater skill with technology, but is diminished when confronted with technological barriers. Implications for course design are discussed.
Keywords: Educational Technology, Post-Secondary Education, Student Experience with Technology, Barriers to Use Technology, Course Design
Research Article
Cristina Portugal, Rita Maria de Souza Couto
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 60-75
ABSTRACT
This article describes a development work whose focus was examining whether designing a game as an educational technology based on interdisciplinary dialogue between design and education can contribute to education of deaf children in learning a language. Through methods and techniques of design it was sought to identify how this area of knowledge can be part of the processes of teaching and learning in terms of developing learning materials to enhance the strategies of acquiring knowledge. The work was guided by the Multi-Tracks, which is a game to help the acquisition of a second language by deaf children. This game was developed in light of methods and techniques of design, under the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Design/Education - LIDE, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in partnership with the National Institute of Education for the Deaf in Rio de Janeiro-INES/RJ. The development work was particularly interested in designing learning materials for deaf children by considering their special traits and dialogue with the surrounding reality. Considering that educational technology research in special education is rather weak, it was thought that this work may contribute to this interdisciplinary area.
Keywords: Interdisciplinary design, Educational technology, Learning games, Deaf Children, Special education
Research Article
Sirous Hadadnia, Norouz Hadadnia, Nina Shahidi
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 50-59
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted with the purpose of comparing the effect of teaching of the online teacher with that of the real teacher on the students' learning in the university classroom. The study was conducted in the academic year 2009-2010. The sample of the study consisted of 80 students working either in control group or experimental group, 40 in each. The subjects were chosen and assigned by cluster sampling method. For data gathering, a 40 item test was administered in given time intervals to measure prior knowledge, achievement and retention of learning. Research methodology is of empirical, applied, and prospective nature. For data analysis, a t-test for comparing the differences between mean scores was employed. Based on the findings of this study, it appears that to overcome the lack of skilled university instructors, one could use online teachers. The quality of learning provided by the online teacher is the same as the one provided by the real teacher. In the university classrooms, one can use online teachers instead of the real teacher for a number of reasons. Finally, the degree of learning retention in both types of instruction (online versus traditional) is the same.
Keywords: Online learning, Virtual teaching, Face-to-face instruction, Online teacher, Distance education
Research Article
Charles Buabeng-Andoh
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 36-49
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to explore teachers’ skills, perceptions, and practices about ICT in second-cycle institutions in Ghana. Questionnaires were distributed to 273 teachers in different departments, 241 were returned, and 231 were valid for data analysis, representing a response rate of 85%. The validity of the questionnaire was approved by a panel of experts in the field. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was 0.91. Descriptive statistics and correlation were used to analyze data. Of the 231 teachers, 66% were males and 34% were females. Majority of the respondents were between the ages 30-39. The correlation analysis revealed positive correlation between ICT use and teachers’ competences. Further, teachers’ perceptions in terms of using ICT were found to be positive but not statistically significant. Finally, the study revealed inverse correlations among ICT use, age, and teaching experience. The descriptive results indicated that teachers’ knowledge in basic ICT applications as well as integrating ICT into teaching and learning processes was low. These results provide evidence that the introduction of ICT in teaching and learning has not brought any change in the delivery of education in second-cycle schools in Ghana. This also implies that teachers have not shifted from teacher-centered instruction to student-centered learning. From the findings of the study, it is recommended that courses such as computer supported learning, ICTs and designing instructional materials should be introduced in initial teacher training programs to improve teachers’ level of confidence and perceptions towards the use of ICT.
Keywords: Technology integration in schools, Teachers’ perceptions of ICT, Student-centered learning, Information and communication technologies, Teacher education
Research Article
Yalin Kilic Turel, Filiz Varol
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 17-35
ABSTRACT
The main goal of the current study was to analyze early childhood and elementary pre-service teachers’ choices of participant-designed materials and the reasons for their selection. To this end, 57 elementary and 39 early childhood teacher candidates were asked to design one physical material and one electronic material for instruction. Then, they were asked which type of material they would prefer if they were teaching and what their rationale was for this selection. The results revealed several dissimilarities between early childhood and elementary teacher candidates in terms of their choices and the reasons for their choices. In their rationale, elementary pre-service teachers more referred their limited technological knowledge while early childhood pre-service teachers took attention to the need for hands-on activities for their instruction. In general, participants raised critical questions related to teachers’ technological knowledge, and teacher preparation programs as well as professional development programs regarding how to integrate such instructional technologies effectively into course activities to enhance learning.
Keywords: Instructional material, Instructional material design, Pre-service teachers, Early childhood education, Elementary education, Teacher education programs
Research Article
S. Arulchelvan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 1-16
ABSTRACT
Technologies are available for education in various forms now. One primary task involves determining how best to utilize available technology resources to enhance student learning. Electronic Learning Management System (E-LMS) is one the important strategy for learning. It has the ability to document the academic performance of the individual student. This is highly useful in managing all type of academic and other activities of students by institutions. This study aimed to know the facts and effectiveness of E-LMS among the school students. Survey, comparative analysis and Interview methods were used in this study. Major findings from the study are: E-LMS is significantly influence the students and teachers. The absenteeism ratio has declined. This in turn reflected in the academic performance of the students since they have no other option than sustaining with the learning activities. Overall performance of a student is also significantly increased. The effectiveness of E-LMS may be improved from the points of reporting in regional languages when exist, Web-based reporting, and Interactive communication. Because the system has positive impact among the students, this will prove very effective when implemented in large scale in India.
Keywords: Learning management system, LMS, Electronic learning management system, ELMS, E-Learning, ICT in education
Research Article
Bugra Zengin, Arda Arikan, Duygu Dogan
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 4, pp. 294-307
ABSTRACT
University websites serve as sharing information with students whether prospective or enrolled. Often, before entering their departments, students visit them to have an idea as to what it would be like to be a part of that university and/or department. In that sense, websites help students in deciding whether the university matches their expectations. After enrollment, websites start to serve as their representative and an interactive ground for students, academics, and administrative personnel of the university. Because schools exist for students, their opinions matter. This study aimed to have students’ opinions of their departmental websites. For the purposes of this study, students of English or related majors (i.e. English language teaching, English linguistics, English language and literature, translation studies, American culture and literature) were sent a questionnaire to find out their opinions of their departments’ official websites. The results suggest that there are a number of areas for universities and departments to improve their websites to promote themselves in a more realistic manner that suits needs of their students.
Keywords: Web design, University websites, Academic resumes, Educational marketing, Evaluation of websites, Higher education
Research Article
Jose A. Ramos
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 4, pp. 282-293
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in perceived stress and coping styles among non-traditional graduate students in both on-campus and distance-learning programs. The study employed a quantitative causal-comparative design that involved collecting survey data. The sample consisted of 36 non-traditional graduate students who enrolled in distance learning classes along with 36 non-traditional students attending traditional on-campus courses in a graduate program. For statistical analyses, t-test and multiple linear regressions were conducted to simultaneously assess the effects of group membership and all demographic variables on each of the dependent variables (stress level and coping style). An alpha level of .05 was used to test statistical significance. Overall, there is no significant difference between the coping styles and the perceived stress levels of non-traditional graduate students who enrolled in distance-learning and on-campus programs.
Keywords: Distance learning, Non-traditional students, Stress, Coping styles, Graduate education, On-campus programs
Research Article
Jyoon Yoon, Lynn Brice
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 250-263
ABSTRACT
This article reports a qualitative study on computer-supported collaborative learning during a multidisciplinary education project on environment. The water project is designed to provide the elementary teacher candidates opportunities to explore issues related to water and find solutions to them through the Internet. As a production of the water project, they created posters and fliers in a photograph application to educate people regarding water issues and discussed how their creations affected people’s awareness of water issues, using a web-discussion tool. The teacher candidates’ reflections revealed that the water project was a meaningful e-learning activity to raise awareness of the global water issues and create an opportunity for them to share their learning, incorporating science and social studies. This water project provided a computer-supported collaborative e-learning model for integrating science and social studies.
Keywords: E-learning, Computer supported learning, Collaborative learning, Integrated education, Science education, Social studies
Research Article
Kennedy O. Odu
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 238-249
ABSTRACT
The importance of science and technology education cannot be over-emphasized. Human capital development in science and technology education is the gateway to a scientific, technological, and progressive society. It is also the very bedrock upon which modern and advanced nations are based. However, science was featured in a few secondary and teacher training schools in Nigeria between 1859 and 1929. The major subjects taught in the schools were astronomy, chemistry, physiology, geology, and botany. These were later systematized and then changed first to Nature Study and later General Science. Training of technology education teachers in Nigeria started in 1962 with the establishment of the Department of Vocational Teacher Education at the University of Nigeria-Nsukka under the supervision of Michigan State University (USA) at its formative years. Human capital development in science and technology education is faced with a lot of challenges such as retraining of science and technology teachers, dearth of qualified technology trainers, and inadequate funding among others. This paper addressed how these challenges could be forestalled for successful implementation of human capital development and also the new responsibilities of the teachers for science and technology education in Nigeria.
Keywords: Human capital development, Technology education, Science education, Training of science and technology teachers
Research Article
Nkasiobi S. Oguzor
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 188-199
ABSTRACT
The use of computers has become one of the driving forces in the delivery of instruction of today’s vocational education and training (VET) in Nigeria. Though computers have become increasingly accessible resources for educators to use in their teaching activities, most teachers are still unable to integrate it in their teaching and learning processes. Computers are used to improve teaching quality where quality is very expensive to reproduce, or to substitute for the lack of teachers, or schooling opportunities that cannot be made available with conventional teaching methodologies. This paper examines the challenges of integrating ICT into instructional practices in VET and the barriers confronting implementation. Hence, the need for compatible computer education policies, suggestions to integrate ICT into teaching and learning practices are provided to assist the teachers to the use of computers in order to help the students acquire theoretical knowledge, grounded in real practice. It is the contention of this paper that though creating an ICT environment for teaching and learning in Nigeria may seem difficult, it would enhance students’ achievement in vocational education and training.
Keywords: Instructional resources, Computer Usage, Information and communication technology, Vocational education and training
Research Article
Ali Simsek
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 3, pp. 177-187
ABSTRACT
This study examined the relationship between computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy of students and teachers in elementary and secondary schools. The sample included a total of 845 subjects from two private school systems in Turkey. The Oetting’s Computer Anxiety Scale was used to measure computer anxiety whereas the Murphy’s Computer Self-Efficacy Scale was used to measure computer self-efficacy of subjects. The results demonstrated that elementary students were less-anxious than secondary students; males had lower anxiety scores than females; and the difference between anxiety scores of students and teachers was not significant. However, students had higher self-efficacy scores than their teachers; elementary students were more self-efficient than secondary students; and males had higher computer self-efficacy scores than females. The correlation between the variables of computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy was moderate, negative, and significant.
Keywords: Computer anxiety, Computer self-efficacy, Attitudes toward computers, Beliefs about computers, Elementary education, Secondary education
Research Article
Tomas Cerny, Bozena Mannova
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp. 163-173
ABSTRACT
To provide computer scientists with good materials and interesting topics in a class does not necessarily mean that their education is of a high quality, students need to be motivated and evolve skills needed in a real-life employment. Social skills, teamwork, collaboration and competition are valuable aspects they should know in other to become professionals. This paper presents a study with intention to improve education of computer science students in employment-like environments. The study utilizes experience with competitive and collaborative learning in education and Programming Olympiads. Multiple methodological aspects are applied and discussed with regard to students’ evaluation. The results show increased student motivation and interest in the course, which produces larger workload in the class.
Keywords: Competitive learning, Collaborative learning, Pace environment, Computer Science Education
Research Article
Filiz Tiryakioglu, Funda Erzurum
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp. 135-150
ABSTRACT
Social network, particularly Facebook, can be defined as a unique online service, platform, or area where social communication and/or social relations can be established and individuals intensely share information. This definition implies that communication specialists should have more expertise and interest in social media than any other group of experts. Based on this assumption, the present study investigated the views and attitudes of instructors in the Faculty of Communication Sciences at Anadolu University in Turkey, which is a country where the total number of Facebook users ranks fourth in the world. The sample of the study consisted of 67 professors with various levels of academic titles. Data were gathered through a specially-designed survey form including 52 items in four subcategories. Results suggest that three fourth of instructors have a Facebook account and they spend less than half an hour per day on Facebook. There is no gender-related difference among the faculty in terms of attitudes toward Facebook. Instructors who are younger than 45 years old login Facebook on daily basis, while senior faculty login several times a week. Two in every three instructors use Facebook mainly as a tool of communication with friends. Finally, two thirds of the faculty think that Facebook can provide important contributions to social interactions among students as well as to communications between instructors and students.
Keywords: Facebook, Social networks, Communication technologies, Educational tools
Research Article
Sinem Aslan, Yeol Huh, Dabae Lee, Charles M. Reigeluth
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp. 95-117
ABSTRACT
Aslan and Reigeluth (2011) described a possible future period of educational computing as a “Personalized Computing Period” (p. 12). They described a potential educational technology system, PIES (Personalized Integrated Educational System), to support student learning in this period of educational computing, based on the major and secondary functions proposed by Reigeluth, Watson, Watson, Dutta, Chen, and Powell (2008) for the information-age paradigm of education. Major functions include record keeping for, planning for, instruction for, and assessment for/of student learning. Secondary functions include communication, general student data, school personnel information, and technology administration. In this qualitative research study, seven classroom teachers and one technology coordinator from three high schools were interviewed to reveal how they used their current technology systems with respect to the functions described by Reigeluth et al. (2008). The results revealed that there were discrepancies between the participants’ current use of the systems and the ideal use for the information-age paradigm of education. Based on the results, recommendations are offered to teachers, policy makers and technology system designers for better meeting students’ information-age educational needs.
Keywords: Information-age learning paradigm, Personalized integrated educational system (PIES), Learning management system (LMS), Functions of technology
Research Article
Nuray Parlak Yilmaz
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 1, pp. 37-54
ABSTRACT
Twenty-six years have passed since computers entered the Turkish Education System. Studies regarding the evaluation of the integration process reveal that the technology use has not yet been reflected into classroom activities sufficiently. This article aims to evaluate studies conducted from the beginning of the process to determine problems with regard to the integration process, especially by focusing on the elementary education. The article carefully examined the relevant literature, short-term action plans, circulars, regulations, project documents, and research studies. It appears that all the investments and projects carried out so far regarding the generalization of the use of ICT in education have remained mostly at macro level. More concrete policies and practices taking all the dimensions into consideration were put into practice only in the last period of the technology integration process. There are still problems at present situation particularly in the dimensions of infrastructure, teacher education, instructional materials, and software. Micro-level studies, which are carried out at the level of individual school, should be supported. Then, there will be better chances to convert the results of studies into policies for effective reform.
Keywords: Technology integration, Educational reform, K-8, Turkish education system
Research Article
Modasiru O. Yusuf, Modupe R. Balogun
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 1, pp. 18-36
ABSTRACT
The importance of ICT in empowering teachers and learners, and enhancing teaching and students’ achievement has been highlighted in several studies. Similarly, the digital divide between the developed and developing nations had been of a serious concern to educators. The paucity of studies on ICT integration in the developing nations needs to be addressed so as to ensure total integration of ICT in the school curriculum. This study examined empirically student-teachers’ competence and attitude towards information and communication technology. Gender influence on their competence and attitude were also examined. Participants were 382 student-teachers (181 males and 201 females) from the Faculty of Education, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. The data collected through a questionnaire were analysed using percentages, means, and chi-square statistics. Findings revealed that majority of the student-teachers have positive attitude towards the use of ICT and they are competent in the use of few basic ICT tools. Overall, no significant difference was established between male and female student-teachers’ attitudes and use of ICT. The implication is that the student-teachers lacked the necessary competence in the full integration of ICT in the curriculum. This underscores the need to improve the ICT contents of teacher education programs in universities in developing nations.
Keywords: Student-teachers, ICT Competence, Attitude towards ICT, Teacher education
Research Article
Sinem Aslan, Charles M. Reigeluth
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 2, Issue 1, pp. 1-17
ABSTRACT
Although machine use in education was introduced in the 1920s with instructional radio and 1950s with instructional television, these technologies lacked one of the most important components of learning - interaction. Computers have filled this void. The functions they have served, the ways they have been used, and the terms they have been given have changed since their introduction to our schools, but their rooted presence in our educational lives has continually increased over time. Our in-depth review of the literature illustrated that there are three distinct periods of educational computing based on the predominant computer technologies and computer functions of the time. We named these three periods the "Mainframe Period", "Microcomputer Period", and "Internet Period". Taking the past and current trends into account and considering such shifts in society as moving from standardization to customization and personalization, from proprietary resources to open resources and from using different tools for different functions to convergence of functionalities in one tool. We propose the next period, which we call the "Personalized Computing Period", in which the predominant computer technology will be "Personalized Integrated Educational Systems" that serve four major functions to support the information-age paradigm of education: Record-keeping, planning, instruction, and assessment, as well as such secondary functions as communication, general student data, school personnel information and system administration.
Keywords: History of educational computing, Information-age paradigm, Personalized Integrated Educational System, Social networking
Research Article
Yavuz Akbulut
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 322-334
ABSTRACT
A recent survey study with 2515 pre-service teachers suggested an underlying structure to shelter ICT integration indicators. Eleven indicators were extracted, which were Teaching-Learning Methods, E-learning, E-interaction, Learning Communities, Infrastructure, Access, Ease of Use, Technical Assistance, Policy, Special Education and Health. In addition, the study provided interrelationships among variables which could lead to an ICT integration model for teacher training institutions. The current study administered the survey to 255 pre-service teachers to confirm the suggested factor structure. Based on the relationships among constructs that were provided in the previous study, second-order analyses were conducted revealing a potential pathway to an ICT integration model. The model indicated that the Policy of the institutions was at the center predicting Infrastructure, Special Education, Health and Teaching-Learning Methods. Infrastructure predicted Access, Ease of Use and Technical Assistance; whereas Teaching-Learning Methods predicted E-interaction, E-learning and Learning Communities. Implications and recommendations for further research are provided.
Keywords: Country-specific developments, Post-secondary education, Teacher training, ICT integration, Structural equation modeling
Research Article
Hwee Ling Lim
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 306-321
ABSTRACT
Sociocultural constructivism assumes that a learner’s capacity for intellectual growth increases with the presence of scaffolding or support during interaction. Moreover, from participating in dialogic interaction, there is appropriation of the knowledge shared and jointly created by learners which could transform individual understandings. Hence, interactions are opportunities for scaffolding and appropriation that affect intellectual development. This paper presents a study of an online course based on constructivist principles and evaluates the extent to which an instructional activity, supported by synchronous communication technology in a virtual environment, fosters collaborative learning. Survey findings on two student groups’ experiences of collaborative learning during online tutorials are presented. The results indicated that scaffolding was available as peers’ efforts in provision and clarification of ideas during tutorial discussions. Also, appropriation of shared knowledge was present as students’ perceptions of own attainment of learning from peer contributions during discussions. The conclusion discusses the effectiveness of the instructional activity in facilitating collaborative learning and offers recommendations for future research.
Keywords: Collaborative learning, Computer-mediated communication, Educational technology, Sociocultural constructivism, Virtual learning environment.
Research Article
Ali Simsek, Shirley Nuss
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp. 288-305
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary students can learn about the culture of another country and how technology can play a role in this process. The sample of the study included 135 fifth grade students from the United States and Turkey. Initial knowledge and information sources of students were assessed at the beginning of the study. Then, they exchanged multimedia presentations which they prepared to make their peers more knowledgeable about their own country. After studying the presentation about the other country, the students responded to a post-survey assessing their knowledge gains. Results showed that the Turkish students had much more initial knowledge about the American culture compared to knowledge of the American students about Turkey. Both groups had certain prejudices or misperceptions about each other. Media, school, and family were main sources of information, while books and friends played a small role. Studying multimedia-based presentations and discussing its content as a group was highly effective to learn about the culture of another country. By exchanging intercultural information through technology, students became less prejudiced and more understanding of each others’ respective cultures.
Keywords: Intercultural learning, Cross-cultural education, Multimedia-based learning, Information and communication technologies, Snapshots
Research Article
Necmi Esgi, Vildan Cevik
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 221-232
ABSTRACT
This study investigated primary education students’ perception of the Internet through resorting to the images they produced for the Internet concept. Sixty five primary education students constituted the sample of the study. Participants were asked to draw a picture concerning the Internet concept. In addition, researchers gave a 10-item survey form to voluntary students to collect demographic information. Frequency, percentage and Chi-square analyses were carried out for the demographic data collected. Qualitative analyses were conducted on the pictures students drew, and an evaluation chart was prepared. The images that students generated concerning Internet concepts have been categorized as: “game, homework, chat, research, music, video, violence and news”. Furthermore, other remarkable themes were torch, individualism, motionlessness and so on. Most common reasons of using the Internet were homework and games. It was revealed that personal Internet usage coincided with the images created concerning the Internet. There appeared a direct connection with the first three objects which came to mind about the Internet and the images they produced.
Keywords: Students of Primary Education, Internet, Perception, Painting, Images
Research Article
Juliet Stoltenkamp, Jephias Mapuva
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 3, pp. 208-220
ABSTRACT
The utilization of the knowledge economy in the information age has been promoted by various tools developed both for communication and marketing purposes. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have proved their propensity to influence the flow, acquisition and dissemination of information across the globe. The business and education sectors have been the most conspicuous of all beneficiaries of ICT applications, especially in the fast-globalizing environment where interaction has become a necessity and an obligation rather than leisure. Enhanced tools for education, marketing and communication purposes have been coined with unprecedented efficacy and efficiency. Some of these technologies (e.g. blogs) have even livened communication and interaction among users. This paper will therefore focus on various e-tools and their application to open education, with prevalence being on the blog tool.
Keywords: E-tools, Globalized education, E-learning, Communication, Technology, Blogs
Research Article
Metin Argan, Necip Serdar Sever
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 2, pp. 118-133
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate the constructs of edutainment applications and their relationships during marketing communication courses. A sample of 347 undergraduate students completed a 27-item questionnaire to gather research data. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed five valid constructs: Participation and interaction, perceived learning effects, drama and practice, instructor and classroom atmosphere, and story and material. These constructs were further analyzed by the structural equation modeling (SEM), which indicated that four of the constructs were found to be effective on the perception of learning. Instructor and classroom atmosphere was revealed to have a direct (mediating) impact on perceived learning, whereas other constructs had an indirect effect on perceived learning. It appears that the research findings would help tertiary institutions to develop more learner-centered approaches to learning, and will certainly help marketing individual courses at the micro level.
Keywords: Edutainment, Entertainment, Marketing Communication Education, Experiential Learning
Research Article
Roberto Joseph, Charles M. Reigeluth
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 2, pp. 97-117
ABSTRACT
This paper provides a conceptual framework for a systemic change process, both to help researchers advance knowledge about how school districts can engage in paradigm change, and to help educators and policy makers understand the big picture for such change. The conceptual framework is comprised of key ideas that have emerged from the authors’ experiences in facilitating change in school districts, and from a review of the educational change literature. The authors first present an argument for the need for systemic change. They then present the conceptual framework, which is comprised of six elements that are important for any systemic change process to succeed: broad stakeholder ownership, learning organization, understanding the systemic change process, evolving mindsets about education, systems view of education, and systems design. The description of each element includes suggested activities for implementation. Finally, the authors recommend that policy makers address each of the elements within the framework, and that educators and scholars explore how the interrelationships and interdependencies of the elements can lead to successful educational reform.
Keywords: Systemic Change, Educational Change, Educational Reform, Conceptual Framework, Change Process
Research Article
Ali Simsek, Jale Balaban
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 1, pp. 36-45
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to assess the most commonly used learning strategies of undergraduate students and how these strategies were related to their academic performance. Toward this purpose, a 60 item Likert scale was administered to a sample of 278 undergraduate students. The students were selected based on their cumulative grand-point-average as the most successful and the least successful five senior-year students from each majoring area in the faculties of arts, engineering, science, communication, and sports. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient of the scale was 0,93. Results showed that successful students used more, varied, and better learning strategies than unsuccessful students. Female students were more effective in selecting and using appropriate strategies than male students. There were a variety of differences among fields of study; students of fine arts used the strategies least, while students of sports used them the most. The most preferred group of strategies was metacognitive strategies, whereas the least preferred group was organization strategies. The same pattern was found for the level of success, gender, and field of study. The results overall imply that certain strategies contribute to student performance more than other strategies, and majority of university students are aware of this situation.
Keywords: Cognitive strategies, Higher education, Learning strategies, University students
Research Article
Steven M. Ross, Gary R. Morrison, Deborah L. Lowther
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 1, pp. 17-35
ABSTRACT
Today, the exponential growth of technology usage in education, via such applications of distance education, Internet access, simulations, and educational games, has raised substantially the focus and importance of educational technology research. In this paper, we examine the past and present research trends, with emphasis on the role and contribution of research evidence for informing instructional practices and policies to improve learning in schools. Specific topics addressed include: (a) varied conceptions of “effective” technology uses in classroom instruction as topics for research, (b) historical trends in research approaches and topics of inquiry; (c) alternative research designs for balancing internal (rigor) and external (relevance) validity; and (d) suggested directions for future research. Attention is devoted to describing varied experimental designs as options for achieving appropriate rigor and relevance of research evidence, and using mixed-methods research for investigating and understanding technology applications in complex real-life settings.
Keywords: Educational technology research, Technology and learning, Research designs and trends, Impact of technology on learning