Educational Technology Literature Research Articles

DIGITAL LITERACY IN BIOLOGY EDUCATION THROUGH MOBILE LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

The integration of mobile learning technologies in biology education presents a novel approach to enhancing digital literacy among students. This study investigates the impact of mobile learning tools, such as educational apps and virtual labs, on developing digital competencies in secondary school biology lessons. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study combines quantitative surveys to assess changes in students' digital literacy levels with qualitative interviews to gain insights from educators and students. Participants included secondary school students and biology teachers from various schools, who integrated mobile learning technologies into their biology curriculum. The results demonstrate a marked improvement in students’ digital literacy, with a notable increase in their ability to navigate, evaluate, and create information using digital technologies. Furthermore, the integration of mobile technologies was found to enhance student engagement and understanding of biology concepts. This study contributes to educational technology literature by highlighting the role of mobile learning in promoting digital literacy and providing practical insights for its implementation in biology education.

What are the pedagogical characteristics of elementary emergency e-learning? Crosschecking learning activities’ analysis with perspectives of teachers, students and parents

This research examined the pedagogical characteristics of emergency online learning in elementary schools. The study adds to the educational technology literature, exploring the opportunities and challenges for students by triangulating analysis of learning activities with perspectives of teachers, students, and parents. Thematic analysis of the interviews with 22 teachers, 21 students, and 10 parents revealed 913 statements grouped into categories and subcategories. Furthermore, 93 learning activities were analyzed based on the recent e-CSAMR framework that combines the SAMR and collaboration models. Participants reported development of student independence, responsibility, and learning autonomy, while adversely mentioned feelings of disconnection and lack of social communication. However, analysis of learning activities reflected mostly basic rather than advanced techno-pedagogical levels of the original SAMR model and revealed that they did not sufficiently incorporate collaborative activities or design of learning artifacts. Theoretical implications supported the e-CSAMR framework and identified optimal components for emergency learning within the framework. The results highlight the need to integrate collaborative learning into distance online learning and suggest that appropriate support and training can transform challenges into pedagogical opportunities.

Teaching and learning using 21st century educational technology in accounting education: Evidence and conceptualisation of usage behaviour

Technologies are ubiquitous in the 21st century, and educators need to integrate relevant technologies into their teaching practices to meet stakeholders’ expectations and keep abreast with the accounting profession’s advancement. A mixed-method approach of quantitative and qualitative techniques was used in this study, with the latest version of the SPSS software (version 26) and NVivo software to analyse the data. The results depict the accounting educators’ usage efforts of 21st century educational technology tools and platforms; it is neither highly prevalent nor optimised. Future researchers could expand the investigation of 21st century educational technology by utilising the proposed constructs, model and hypotheses from this study’s qualitative findings. The study revives the stagnant educational technology literature in accounting education and explicates technology usage issues in accounting education, specifically in developing countries and the Asian region. Implications for practice or policy: Education ministries, higher education institutions, faculties, policymakers and academics should encourage educators to adopt and integrate 21st century educational technology into their practices. The integration of 21st century educational technology in teaching and learning practice should align with individual attributes, technology characteristics and organisational factors. Accounting educators must acquire technological competence through appropriate professional development and training programmes.

Adolescent Social Media Information Literacy Outside of School: A Scoping Review of the Literacy and Educational Technology Literature

The information literacy practices of adolescents on social media outside of school are worth considering, since adolescents use social media near ubiquitously and must grapple with all types of content they encounter incidentally or intentionally. This scoping review followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) to examine the extent and nature of scholarship on this topic from the perspective of educational technology and literacy scholarship, as both fields are uniquely poised to collaborate on this interdisciplinary topic. Surprisingly, only four articles fit the scope of our review. The literature found, and not found, revealed several themes. These themes were the imprecise use of keywords across scholarship, use of social media for community support, exposure to incidental information, evidence for different literacy practices on social media, and the need for addressing social media information literacy in school. Opportunities for future work and collaborative research between both fields is also discussed.

Technology storylines: A narrative analysis of the rural education research

This piece offers a systematic review of rural (P-12) education technology literature. Drawing upon a social change frame (Ogburn, 1922), current rural education technology research within the subfield is collected, examined, and synthesized. Findings explicate that methodological diversity is a strength; however, some populations (e.g., middle school teachers) have thicker coverage than others (e.g., high school students). Additionally, many studies lean on rhetorical structures about what could and should be happening in rural schools, rarely delving into the how’s and whys associated with actual technology use in rural contexts. The piece concludes with a call for scholarship which assists in shifting power structures to support rural schools in their efforts to work with technology for the betterment of rural students and communities in place.

A study of meta-analyses reporting quality in the large and expanding literature of educational technology

As the empirical literature in educational technology continues to grow, meta-analyses are increasingly being used to synthesise research to inform practice. However, not all meta-analyses are equal. To examine their evolution over the past 30 years, this study systematically analysed the quality of 52 meta-analyses (1988–2017) on educational technology. Methodological and reporting quality is defined here as the completeness of the descriptive and methodological reporting features of meta-analyses. The study employed the Meta-Analysis Methodological Reporting Quality Guide (MMRQG), an instrument designed to assess 22 areas of reporting quality in meta-analyses. Overall, MMRQG scores were negatively related to average effect size (i.e., the higher the quality, the lower the effect size). Owing to the presence of poor-quality syntheses, the contribution of educational technologies to learning has been overestimated, potentially misleading researchers and practitioners. Nine MMRQG items discriminated between higher and lower average effect sizes. A publication date analysis revealed that older reviews (1988–2009) scored significantly lower on the MMRQG than more recent reviews (2010–2017). Although the increase in quality bodes well for the educational technology literature, many recent meta-analyses still show only moderate levels of quality. Identifying and using only best evidence-based research is thus imperative to avoid bias.
 
 Implications for practice or policy:
 
 Educational technology practitioners should make use of meta-analytical findings that systematically synthesise primary research.
 Academics, policymakers and practitioners should consider the methodological quality of meta-analyses as they vary in reliability.
 Academics, policymakers and practitioners could avoid misleading bias in research evidence by using the MMRQG to evaluate the quality of meta-analyses.
 
 Meta-analyses with lower MMRQG scores should be considered with caution as they seem to overestimate the effect of educational technology on learning.

Exploring the Role of xR in Visualisations for Use in Medical Education.

Emerging technologies have the potential to transform our approach to medical education. A goal in this chapter is to inspire researchers, educators and scholars in the bio-medical visualisation field who can benefit from integrating wearable Augmented Reality (AR) technologies, like the HoloLens into their existing teaching and learning environments. We draw from case studies, existing research and the educational technology literature, to propose the design of purposeful learner-centered experiences that might benefit from wearable AR technologies in the classroom.

Is a general extended technology acceptance model for e-learning generalizable?

e-Learning acceptance has received considerable attention in the educational technology literature. In recent years, many frameworks have been proposed, modified, and applied to better understand the factors underlying students’ acceptance of e-learning. Despite the important progress made with the acceptance literature, extant empirical examinations have unfortunately often produced discordant findings. Researchers frequently advance situational factors as possible moderating influences on technology to explain the high degree of variance unexplained in specific technology acceptance situations. Generalized models have been proposed that attempt to integrate situational variables to account for the high degree of situational variability that occurs across technology acceptance contexts. Abdullah and Ward proposed such a general extended technology acceptance model in the context of e-learning (GETAMEL). In the current paper, our objective is to quantitatively evaluate the GETAMEL, and consider it with respect to a situative perspective on technology acceptance in order to more fully characterize the dynamical relationships and situational factors influencing determinants of e-learning acceptance. This study, drawing on a survey of 132 college students, validates the GETAMEL employing a partial least square path modeling approach.

The Potentials of Using Mobile Technology in Teaching Individuals with Learning Disabilities: A Review of Special Education Technology Literature

Within the literature, a respectful number of studies related to the use of assistive technologies for special education, resulting in an enormous agenda that encompasses various types of assistive technology applied across disabilities in different types of curricula. These disabilities include, but are not limited to: learning disabilities, mild, moderate and severe mental retardation, speech and communication disorders, hearing and speaking disabilities, and autism Hence, under the intertwined and overlapping umbrellas of assistive technologies and special education, mobile technology finds its promising, new spot on the surface of emerging assistive technologies in the field of special education. This paper addresses the potentials of using mobile technology in teaching individuals with developmental disorders based on current literature.

The role of behavioral expectation in technology acceptance: a CEGEP case study

It is widely recognized and accepted that behavioral intention is the key direct determinant of technology use and the majority of research continues to promote this practice. Yet the influence of behavioral intention (i.e., an individual’s conscious plan to use a technology) has been called into question more recently, as behavioral intention does not always lead to actual use or in some cases exerts little influence on use (Maruping et al. in J Assoc Inf Sci Technol, 2016. 10.1002/asi.23699 ; Venkatesh et al. in MIS Q 32(3):483–502, 2008). Maruping et al. (2016) suggested that behavioral expectation (i.e., an individual’s subjective probability to use a technology) deserves to be considered as a potential construct in the technology acceptance process. Alternative immediate antecedents to use have been largely ignored in the educational technology literature, and behavioral expectation presents an alternative to behavioral intention. We attempt to address this need by examining the determinants and effects of behavioral expectation in the context of College d’enseignement general et professionnel students’ acceptance of e-learning using a partial least squares approach. We do not find evidence sufficient to distinguish between behavioral intention and expectation in practice. We advance the alternative claim that technology acceptance models must take into consideration situative factors such as modality of beliefs. Given specific situational determiners, factors take on different salience and lead to qualitatively different kinds of beliefs varying in terms of necessity, certainty, and conditionality of belief. We argue that behavioral intention is moderated by contextual variables that influence the relationship between intention and use, and cannot be divided into internal and external factors as even internal factors are influenced by situational determinants. The situative perspective on technology acceptance provides an explanatory mechanism for the high variability in accounts reported in the technology acceptance literature as other situative factors influence the modality of antecedent beliefs and moderate the relationship between intention and use. We call for the study of the moderating effects of belief modalities on use relative to intention.

Mediated Effects of Technology Competencies and Experiences on Relations among Attitudes Towards Technology Use, Technology Ownership, and Self Efficacy about Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

This study examined the relations of preservice science teachers’ attitudes towards technology use, technology ownership, technology competencies, and experiences to their self-efficacy beliefs about technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). The present study also investigated interrelations among preservice teachers’ attitudes towards technology use, technology ownership, technology competencies, and experiences. The participants of study were 665 elementary preservice science teachers (467 females, 198 males) from 7 colleges in Turkey. The proposed model based on educational technology literature was tested using structural equation modeling. The model testing results revealed that preservice teachers’ technology competencies and experiences mediated the relation of technology ownership to their TPACK self efficacy beliefs. The direct relation of their possession of technology to their TPACK self efficacy beliefs was insignificant while the indirect relation through their technology competencies and experiences was significant. The results also indicated there were significant direct effects of preservice teachers’ attitudes towards technology use, technology competencies, and experiences on their TPACK self efficacy beliefs.

Discursive constructions of teacher in an educational technology journal

<p class="e">The integration of technology with teaching and learning is a significant area of research in the educational technology field. Teachers play an instrumental role in technology integration and many teacher-related factors have been identified that predict technology use and integration in educational settings. How teachers are represented in the educational technology literature (e.g., as caring, didactic, or lazy) can potentially impact on how technology integration takes place. However, there is little research that specifically explores teacher representations. This paper seeks to address this gap and examines the discursive constructions of <em>teacher</em> in 846 papers from the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET). Using a corpus-based analysis, the multiple representations of <em>teacher</em> in AJET were investigated. The analyses revealed two mainstream representations of <em>teacher</em>: teachers are people on whom researchers impose obligations; and ‘teacherliness’ is old and negative. This paper concludes with a discussion of the potential impact of such representations on technology integration and suggestions of more useful representations of teachers and their teaching.</p>

Exploring Issues of Implementation, Equity, and Student Achievement With Educational Software in the DC Public Schools

In this article, we present analyses from a researcher-practitioner partnership in the District of Columbia Public Schools, where we are exploring the impact of educational software on students’ academic achievement. We analyze a unique data set that combines student-level information from the district with data of student usage of a mathematics game platform: First in Math (FIM). These data offer a window into long-standing issues in the educational technology literature around implementation, equity, and student achievement. We show that time spent in FIM was correlated with improved future performance on standardized math assessments for students in Grades 4–8. However, student time spent using FIM was highly related to factors such as race, gender, and prior achievement. Such observations from data are helpful for school districts and researchers to inform equitable implementation of new technologies and maximize benefits to learners.

Instructor Approaches to Blended Learning: A Tale of Two Business Schools

The body of academic research on technology-supported learning is growing rapidly, with much of the focus upon student learning effectiveness. This paper addresses the gap in educational technology literature on the examination of instructor characteristics. We shift the focus from student outcomes to instructor input, pedagogy and their strategy of technology selection. In particular, we explore instructors' approaches to blended learning, pedagogical aims and instructional design. Our study of management academics at two UK business schools reveals that blended learning adoption varies greatly. Based on forty semi-structured interviews with management academics, we find that this adoption depends on personal predispositions of academics towards educational technology. Personal understanding and interpretations of the blended learning phenomenon cluster into four distinct groups: traditionalist, pedagogy-centric, techno-centric and cautious, and instructional design and delivery preferences vary widely between groups. The findings of this study demonstrate that there is a wide variation in instructor approaches to blended management learning and that manifests itself markedly in the pedagogical strategies and instructional design and delivery of management education.

The Quality of Mathematics Education Technology Literature

Background: The present study evaluated the quality of 1,165 scholarly literature papers about mathematics education technology literature.Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which mathematics education technology literature reports the information needed to support the scientific basis of a study.Setting: N/AIntervention: N/AResearch Design: A systematic review was used to organize the data collection and analysis processes Data Collection and Analysis: A literature search was conducted to identify scholarly papers that addressed the use of technology in mathematics education. A coding process was developed to record descriptive information about each paper. The Quality Framework developed for this process provided a structure to identify key information across research types based on types of analyses conducted, assigning a certain number of possible points based on the type of research conducted.Findings: Dissertations accounted for a surprisingly high portion of the literature and research: 39.7% of the available literature and 57.0% of the research studies. The overall quality of the mathematics education technology literature was lower than we expected, averaging only 48.9% of the points possible. We noted that the quality of research papers, with respect to possible point values averaged 54.6% over four decades. For mathematics education technology researchers, manuscript reviewers, and editors, these results suggest that more attention is needed on the information being included and excluded from scholarly papers, especially with regard to connections to theoretical frameworks and research designs.

The Quality of Mathematics Education Technology Literature

Background: The present study evaluated the quality of 1,165 scholarly literature papers about mathematics education technology literature.Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent to which mathematics education technology literature reports the information needed to support the scientific basis of a study.Setting: N/AIntervention: N/AResearch Design: A systematic review was used to organize the data collection and analysis processes Data Collection and Analysis: A literature search was conducted to identify scholarly papers that addressed the use of technology in mathematics education. A coding process was developed to record descriptive information about each paper. The Quality Framework developed for this process provided a structure to identify key information across research types based on types of analyses conducted, assigning a certain number of possible points based on the type of research conducted.Findings: Dissertations accounted for a surprisingly high portion of the literature and research: 39.7% of the available literature and 57.0% of the research studies. The overall quality of the mathematics education technology literature was lower than we expected, averaging only 48.9% of the points possible. We noted that the quality of research papers, with respect to possible point values averaged 54.6% over four decades. For mathematics education technology researchers, manuscript reviewers, and editors, these results suggest that more attention is needed on the information being included and excluded from scholarly papers, especially with regard to connections to theoretical frameworks and research designs.

An Examination of Usability of a Virtual Environment for Students Enrolled in a College of Agriculture

Educational technology continues to expand with multi-user virtual environments (e.g., Second Life™) being the latest technology. Understanding a virtual environment’s usability can enhance educational planning and effective use. Usability includes the interaction quality between an individual and the item being assessed. The purpose was to assess the usability of “AgriCulture Island” in Second Life™ to identify possible issues, understand of the severity of these issues, and how they could be effectively addressed in order to use Second Life™ as a teaching tool. The framework allowed the identification of constructs that further defined usability related to assessing a virtual environment. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed including pre/post questionnaires, observations, and a focus group session. The study engaged 12 participants during summer 2012 from a college of agriculture. Findings revealed that participants accepted Second Life™ more after initial exposure. Additionally, participants indicated the experience felt “real” and they could sense others in the environment. Observation data provided a picture of participant interaction with the virtual environment. Elements documented were assistance needs, satisfaction, confusion, and deviation from task. The importance of understanding educational technology usability cannot be underestimated. This study adds to the educational technology literature and provides recommendations for use.

Our anonymous online research participants are not always anonymous: Is this a problem?

AbstractWhen educational research is conducted online, we sometimes promise our participants that they will be anonymous—but do we deliver on this promise? We have been warned since 1996 to be careful when using direct quotes in Internet research, as full‐text web search engines make it easy to find chunks of text online. This paper details an empirical study into the prevalence of direct quotes from participants in a subset of the educational technology literature. Using basic web search techniques, the source of direct quotes could be found in 10 of 112 articles. Analysis of the articles revealed previously undiscussed threats from data triangulation and expert analysis/diagnosis. Issues of ethical obliviousness, obscurity and concern for future privacy‐invasive technologies are also discussed. Recommendations for researchers, journals and institutional ethics review boards are made for how to better protect participants' anonymity against current and future threats.

Higher education scholars' participation and practices on Twitter

AbstractScholars participate in online social networks for professional purposes. In such networks, learning takes the form of participation and identity formation through engagement in and contribution to networked practices. While current literature describes the possible benefits of online participation, empirical research on scholars' use of online social networks in the educational technology literature is negligible. The purpose of this paper is to understand scholars' naturalistic practices in social networks in general, and on Twitter in particular. Tweets from 45 scholars were analysed qualitatively to arrive at dominant themes describing online social network practice. Findings indicate that scholars participating on Twitter (1) shared information, resources, and media relating to their professional practice; (2) shared information about their classroom and their students; (3) requested assistance from and offered suggestions to others; (4) engaged in social commentary; (5) engaged in digital identity and impression management; (6) sought to network and make connections with others; and (7) highlighted their participation in online networks other than Twitter. These findings assist the field in understanding the emerging practice of scholarly participation in online networks.

Educational technology pedagogy: A looseness of fit between learning theories and pedagogy

Bernstein's (1996: 2000) typology of pedagogy as competence and performance pedagogic modalities provides a productive lens for the analysis of different modalities of educational technology pedagogy. The question addressed in this paper is why theories of learning and pedagogy have become conflated in educational technology literature. The paper illustrates that behavioural and cognitive psychologybased pedagogy corresponds to Bernstein's performance pedagogic modality and constructivist educational technology pedagogy corresponds to Bernstein's competence pedagogic modality. The paper shows how concepts, which surfaced initially in the discourse of psychology and particularly in learning theories, have been taken up and recontextualised. Furthermore the paper, using Bernstein's notion of the ‘social logic’ underlying pedagogies, demonstrates why learning theories, particularly that of cognitive constructivism, have appealed to pedagogic constructivists and come to dominate educational technology researc...