Abstract
In the digital era, tech devices (hardware and software) are increasingly within hand’s reach. Yet, implementing information and communication technologies for educational contexts that have robust and long-lasting effects on student learning outcomes is still a challenge. We propose that any such system must a) be theoretically motivated and designed to tackle specific cognitive skills (e.g., inference making) supporting a given cognitive task (e.g., reading comprehension) and b) must be able to identify and adapt to the user’s profile. In the present study, we implemented a feedback-based adaptive system called A-book (assisted-reading book) and tested it in a sample of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. To assess our hypotheses, we contrasted three experimental assisted-reading conditions; one that supported meta-cognitive skills and adapted to the user profile (adaptive condition), one that supported meta-cognitive skills but did not adapt to the user profile (training condition) and a control condition. The results provide initial support for our proposal; participants in the adaptive condition improved their accuracy scores on inference making questions over time, outperforming both the training and control groups. There was no evidence, however, of significant improvements on other tested meta-cognitive skills (i.e., text structure knowledge, comprehension monitoring). We discussed the practical implications of using the A-book for the enhancement of meta-cognitive skills in school contexts, as well as its current limitations and future developments that could improve the system.
Highlights
The advent of increasingly accessible and cheaper digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) has raised the question about their role in the context of formal education
The current study constitutes a proof of concept for the following hypothesis: the effective use of ICTs in learning contexts depend on whether this technology is designed to enhance and support specific cognitive skills that underlie specific cognitive tasks
We proposed that any effective ICT system must be designed to provide a theoretically motivated context for learning and that such system must have the ability to adapt to the user’s profile
Summary
The advent of increasingly accessible and cheaper digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) has raised the question about their role in the context of formal education. There are, detractors and critics of indiscriminate use of ICTs in school contexts (e.g., Buckingham, 2007) and less successful examples of their application to classrooms (see, e.g., Kramarski and Feldman, 2000) It is still unclear what kind of technology is most appropriate to support children’s learning and development (see Hermans et al, 2008). What is clear is that only making ICTs available to schools does not guarantee a significant impact in student performance and learning processes (Cuban et al, 2001; Selwyn et al, 2009). The answer to this question might depend partly on whether the technology in use is
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
