Research Article
Banu Kayınova, Tufan Adıgüzel
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 18, Issue 2, Article No: ep643
ABSTRACT
This study examined primary school teachers’ readiness for the learning environments of generation Alpha, who are greatly influenced by technological advancements and globalization. Although teachers need to be prepared for this new learning ecosystem, existing research offers limited insight into elementary school teachers’ preparedness to address the technologically and pedagogically evolving learning needs of generation Alpha in a globalizing context. Using a qualitative case study approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 34 teachers in Turkey. The findings revealed four key dimensions of readiness for generation Alpha learning environments: (1) student development guidance, (2) teacher characteristics, (3) learning environment development, and (4) technology in education. Project-experienced teachers showed advanced competence in promoting 21st century skills, adopting alternative assessment practices, and using learner-centered classroom management. They integrated diverse instructional technologies beyond content delivery and used diverse teaching strategies. Conversely, teachers without project experience showed limited technological integration and relied more on traditional classroom practices. Furthermore, digital citizenship awareness (online ethics and safety) was underdeveloped across all participants, highlighting an overlooked area in teacher preparedness for generation Alpha learners. This study contributes to the literature by identifying the key components of teacher readiness for generation Alpha and highlighting how project-based learning experience enhances pedagogical and technological competencies. The findings have implications for teacher training and educational policy reforms focused on equipping educators for 21st century learning environments.
Keywords: generation Alpha, education technology, learning environment, primary school teacher
Research Article
Sonia Triana-Vera, Omar López-Vargas
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 2, Article No: ep570
ABSTRACT
This research aimed to determine the effects of motivational scaffolding and adaptive scaffolding on academic and online self-efficacy in learners interacting with a multimedia learning environment within the field of technology. The study involved 146 students from four tenth-grade classes at a public institution in the municipality of Soacha (Cundinamarca-Colombia). The research followed a quasi-experimental design with two independent variables: (1) motivational scaffolding (static and faded by the student) and (2) adaptive scaffolding (fixed and differentiated), it also included two dependent variables; academic and online self-efficacy. A factorial MANCOVA statistical analysis showed a significant interaction of adaptive scaffolding and motivational scaffolding on self-efficacy for online learning. There was also evidence that differential adaptive scaffolding had a substantial effect on academic and online self-efficacy. These findings suggest that the use of motivational and differential pedagogical and/or didactic strategies in virtual learning environments, which integrate scaffolding faded by the student, enhances learners’ personal judgments about their abilities to learn content within the field of technology.
Keywords: self-efficacy, motivational scaffolding, adaptive scaffolding, in computer-based learning environments
Review Article
Alez Lagos-Castillo, Andrés Chiappe, María-Soledad Ramirez-Montoya, Diego Fernando Becerra Rodríguez
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 1, Article No: ep543
ABSTRACT
It may seem that learning platforms and systems are a tired topic for the academic community; however, with the recent advancements in artificial intelligence, they have become relevant to both current and future educational discourse. This systematic literature review explored platforms and software supporting personalized learning processes in the digital age. The review methodology followed PRISMA guidelines, searching Scopus and Web of Science databases. Results identified three main categories: artificial intelligence, platforms/software, and learning systems. Key findings indicate artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in adaptive, personalized environments by offering individualized content, assessments, and recommendations. Online platforms integrate into blended environments to facilitate personalized learning, retention, and engagement. Learning systems promote student-centered models, highlight hybrid environments’ potential, and apply game elements for motivation. Practical implications include leveraging hybrid models, emphasizing human connections, analyzing student data, and teacher training. Future research directions involve comparative studies, motivational principles, predictive analytics, adaptive technologies, teacher professional development, cost-benefit analyses, ethical frameworks, and diverse learner impacts. Overall, the dynamic interplay between artificial intelligence, learning platforms, and learning systems offers a mosaic of opportunities for the evolution of personalized learning, emphasizing the importance of continuous exploration and refinement in this ever-evolving educational landscape.
Keywords: improving classroom teaching, data science applications in education, human-computer interface, learning communities, distributed learning environments
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
Narin Nonthamand
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 1, Article No: ep492
ABSTRACT
This study aims to design a video-based learning environment using workflow and scaffolding to enhance self-instructional video production ability of pre-service teacher and to explore the impacts of the use of the designed video-based learning environment on learning. The methodology was divided into two main phases. In the first phase, a video-based learning environment was designed using workflow and scaffolding. In the second phase, the impacts of the use of the developed video-based learning environment on learning were investigated. The samples were 47 undergraduate students at the School of Education, University of Phayao. The results were, as follows: (a) The design draft of the developed video-based learning environment was appropriate, and the revision was made according to six criteria: (1) instructional media, (2) content, (3) learning activities, (4) communication devices, (5) learning management systems, and (6) screen design. The analysis of related studies and documents, the instructional video production process consisted of three steps: (1) design, (2) development, and (3) video delivery. (b) The comparison of scores on the instructional video production knowledge test revealed that the pre-service teachers’ average post-test score was higher than the average pre-test score with a statistically significant difference at the .05 level. The assessment of instructional videos, it was found that the pre-service teachers in the field of humanities obtained a higher score than those in the field of science. Male pre-service teachers received a higher score than female pre-service teachers. The average suit-ability score indicated the overall appropriateness of the developed video-based learning environment.
Keywords: video-based learning environment, workflow, scaffolding, instructional videos, self-instructional video production ability
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
Mark Kennedy, Thomas J. Dunn
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 76-89
ABSTRACT
In recent years, the use of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) has risen exponentially throughout higher education in the UK. Whilst TEL is an umbrella term for a range of technologies, evidence suggests that in the UK, TEL is usually delivered via the medium of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) for the provision of lecture materials and additional content. An emerging literature has established both the pedagogical potential and students’ perceived usefulness of TEL. However, researchers have yet to establish how the use of TEL via VLEs can be improved – a core requirement of establishing best practice. The current study sought to address this in a sample of 487 predominately undergraduate students. Content analysis revealed that views were overwhelmingly positive, but that students had clear views on what they wanted to see improved. Students expressed clear desires for the more consistent and more frequent use of TEL within lectures. Further, they felt that the potential of TEL to encourage and facilitate interactions, both within their University and with external stakeholders, has thus far gone unexploited. Implications for teaching practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords: Technology enhanced learning, Virtual learning environment, E-learning
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
Ann-Louise Petersen, Leona Bunting
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 3, Issue 4, pp. 249-264
ABSTRACT
This article focuses on computing in teaching. It focuses on the differences between a traditional view of teaching and a view where the teacher no longer is the knowledge broker but more of a coordinator or a coach. The empirical examples stem from a research project called “One computer one pupil”, a study of two classes in year three with children aged 9 and two classes in year five with children aged 11 in a Swedish primary school. When the project started the pupils had been using the computers for about 2,5 years. In contrast to the teacher in grade five, the classes in year three had teachers with a great interest in developing ICT. The children became very skilled in using ICT and working with the laptop was very popular. According to the theoretical model of Voogt (2008), features of a “traditional pedagogy”, like prescriptions of the activities, were mixed with elements of an “emerging pedagogy”, where the pupils in collaboration performed their tasks in a creative way. However, some of the classroom work was quite unfocused relative to the goals of the subject. Instead of using the technology to reach the goals of the subject, the technology more or less became a goal in itself. To follow up ten Brummelhuis’ and Kuiper’s (2008) terms technology push and educational pull, we have added the term “technology pull.”
Keywords: Teaching design, Computer use, Technology push, Technology pull, Primary school, One–to-one learning environment.
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
Fethi A. Inan, Raymond Flores, Michael M. Grant
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 1, Issue 2, pp. 148-159
ABSTRACT
Adaptive Web-Based Learning Environments (A-WBLEs) provide mechanisms to individualize instruction (e.g., content, interface, strategies, and assessment) for learners based on their individual differences. In this paper, various adaptive methods influencing the design of AWBLEs are explained and how these methods aim to address individual differences is discussed. Empirical evaluations of adaptive systems are synthesized and four levels for categorizing AWBLEs are created to provide a guideline for future design and development of A-WBLEs.
Keywords: Adaptive Web-based learning environments, Individual differences, Online learning, Individualized instruction, Adaptive hypermedia