The Effects of Mobile-Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: Meta-Analysis and Critical Synthesis

Abstract

One of the trends in collaborative learning is using mobile devices for supporting the process and products of collaboration, which has been forming the field of mobile-computer-supported collaborative learning (mCSCL). Although mobile devices have become valuable collaborative learning tools, evaluative evidence for their substantial contributions to collaborative learning is still scarce. The present meta-analysis, which included 48 peer-reviewed journal articles and doctoral dissertations written over a 16-year period (2000–2015) involving 5,294 participants, revealed that mCSCL has produced meaningful improvements for collaborative learning, with an overall mean effect size of 0.516. Moderator variables, such as domain subject, group size, teaching method, intervention duration, and reward method were related to different effect sizes. The results provided implications for future research and practice, such as suggestions on how to appropriately use the functionalities of mobile devices, how to best leverage mCSCL through effective group learning mechanisms, and what outcome variables should be included in future studies to fully elucidate the process and products of mCSCL.

Trends of mobile learning: A review of the top 100 highly cited papers

“…In addition, the learners were frequently situated in learning contexts across multiple real‐world locations (eg, a museum, science park or garden) rather than in the classroom only. This result is different from the review reported by Sung et al (), who stated that researchers frequently conducted mobile language learning in classrooms. It is inferred that these changes might be due to the increasing diversity of the application domains; and hence, the criteria for researchers to design mobile learning activities changed as well.…”

The effectiveness of integrating mobile devices with inquiry-based learning on students' learning achievements: a meta-analysis

“…The main reasons lie in two aspects. On the one hand, it was impossible for learners to get familiar with the mobile devices, software, and tasks within a very short time slot (Sung et al, 2017). On the other hand, the effects of long intervention duration might decrease because of a loss of novelty sense for mobile devices (Cheung and Slavin, 2013).…”

Exploring teachers’ increased knowledge of the potential of mobile phone use: pilot study reducing the difference between students’ and teachers’ ideas

“…2.3 Teachers' increased knowledge of problematic mobile phone use Sung et al (2017) have discussed how vague rules and division of labor could cause problems in students' school activities with mobile phones. To overcome such problems, students' off-task behavior should be reduced through a division of labor, increasing teacher control.…”

“…Moreover, the theory has been previously used to understand how conflicts between people can change (Engeström 1987(Engeström , 2004Engeström et al 2005) and is a well-established theory that has long proven it usefulness. It has been acknowledged for the opportunity it provides to understand activities that implement mobile phones (Chung et al 2019;Sung et al 2017;Zurita and Nussbaum 2007). CHAT is a dialectical approach, meaning that processes and transformations are key issues.…”

“…Nevertheless, student-centered research projects are rare. In a review of published research in journals from 1993 to 2013, Sung et al (2017) emphasized that there have only ever been a few student-centered projects on this particular subject. They noted that mobile phones have often been used to motivate students and strengthen their engagement in school tasks.…”