PROTOCOL: A systematic review of mobile device use in the primary school classroom and its impact on pupil literacy and numeracy attainment

Abstract

BACKGROUND 1.1 | Description of the condition Children today are born into a world surrounded by technology. For this "i-Generation" (Twenge, 2017), most aspects of daily life can be conducted online, including socialising, shopping, learning and engaging with the world around them, and the lines between the online and offline life are becoming increasingly blurred. OFCOM, (2019) reports that 82% of 5-7-year-olds go online regularly, averaging 9.5 h per week, while for 12-15-year olds, 99% go online regularly, averaging 20.5 h per week. This increasingly technological world has influenced educational practice, with the use of technology in classrooms evolving from desktop computers, to interactive whiteboards, to the more recent use of tablets and other mobile devices to deliver the school curriculum. A recent development (UNCRC, 2021) has seen the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopt General Comment 25 which recognises children's rights in the digital world. This includes children's right to the educational benefits that technology can bring, and places responsibilities on States to ensure schools are equipped with the infrastructure, knowledge and skills to support this. Access to technology in the classroom is increasing, however remains disparate across the globe. OECD (2015) reported that in 2012, 72% of 15-year-olds in OECD countries use a computer, laptop or tablet at school (unchanged from 2009), although usage in some countries was as low as 50%. The latest OECD (2020) figures report a global average of almost one computer for every 15-year-old pupil, with variation between 1.25 computers per pupil in countries such as UK or United States, and 0.25 computers per pupil in countries suchas Brazil or Greece. While these figures do not reflect practice in primary-aged schools, they give some idea of the scale of usage and the potential impact for children and young people around the world.For this reason, the role and impact of technology in the classroom has been a growing area of interest for researchers, spanning topics including the impact on educational outcomes (such as reading, numeracy attainment and critical thinking) (e.g., Bebell & Pedulla, 2015); classroom interaction and pupil motivation to learn (e.g.,

Implementation of STEAM-based digital learning for students' numeracy literacy in elementary schools

“…Integrating digital technology in mathematics education shows an increase in students' skills, their mathematical knowledge, and their critical thinking skills (Geiger et al, 2015). The use of digital technology in mathematics learning is also in line with the current generation of elementary school students who are surrounded by online resources and tools so that they can improve their learning experiences and outcomes (Dorris et al, 2021). Other research also reports that computer-assisted instruction can improve preschoolers' literacy and numeracy skills thereby showing a positive effect of technology use on students at an early age (Rogowsky et al, 2018).…”

Mobile device use in the primary school classroom and impact on pupil literacy and numeracy attainment: A systematic review

“…The searches were undertaken between October and November 2020, using the process pre-specified in the Protocol (Dorris et al, 2021). Searches returned a total of 668 records as summarised in Trials to these interventions.…”

“….1 | Criteria for considering studies for this review4.1.1 | Types of studiesThis systematic review, and the method described below, is based on a pre-published protocol(Dorris et al, 2021). The search criteria used to identify studies for inclusion focused on the participants studied, DORRIS ET AL.…”

Mobile Game for Equality of Fractions for Elementary School Students

“…Previous studies have also discussed various variations of mobile technology in elementary schools on the equality of fractions material. The results show that mobile devices can impact students' achievement and numeracy of equality of fractions (Dorris et al, 2021). The Fun Fraction app can teach fractions to students' cognitive strategies, virtual manipulatives, and explicit instructions (Tetzlaff, 2017).…”