A Critical Literature Review of Perceptions of Tablets for Learning in Primary and Secondary Schools

Abstract

There is growing interest in the use of tablets in classrooms, and educational policies from different countries promote their integration. Previous literature reviews were conducted on the effects of the use of tablets in learning. There is, however, a strong need to understand how students perceive the use of tablets for learning as these perceptions determine the adoption, use and, thereby, the value of tablets for learning. Thus, the purpose of this article is to systematically review the existing literature on students’ perceptions toward the use of tablets in primary and secondary schools. The literature search selected 41 relevant qualitative and quantitative studies meeting our inclusion criteria. Their results and methodological aspects were analyzed and discussed. Overall, the results showed that students have rather good perceptions of the use of tablets, though some limitations were highlighted, particularly in the qualitative studies. Moreover, this review highlighted the complementarity of quantitative and qualitative methods. Finally, educational implications and recommendations for further research were discussed.