Mobile Learning: A Summary of Systematic Reviews of Pre-K–12 and Higher Education

• In Event: Advances in Self-Regulated Learning Research Using Learning Technologies: A Synthesis of the Empirical Evidence

Abstract

Objectives. Mobile learning has disrupted education, with technologies that allow learning devoid of spatial and temporal constraints (Lindsay, 2016). Mobile learning is learning across multiple contexts, through social and content interactions, using personal electronic devices (Crompton, 2013). But, how does mobile learning impact self-regulated leanring?
Perpspective. The purpose of this summary is to examine empirical work on mobile learning and how findings inform designing SRL activities. Data from a set of systematic reviews by Crompton and colleagues are focused across subjects in PK-12 (Crompton et al., 2017), and higher education (Crompton, & Burke, 2018), and subjects including science (Crompton, et al., 2016) and mathematics (Crompton, & Burke, 2015), a systematic review of student learning approaches with Bloom’s Taxonomy (Anderson et al., 2001), and how technology is used to further what can be accomplished without technology with the substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR framework: Puentedura, 2009).
Data Sources. The systematic reviews were conducted following PRISMA principles (Liberati et al., 2009) with a aggregated and a configurative thematic synthesis (Thomas & Harden, 2008). The configurative findings resulted from a coded using a grounded theory design with a constant comparative method (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Review findings provide insight into designing SRL activities. Open questions inclcude what, when, how, and why do mobile technologies impact SRL?
Findings. Ou findings reveal that substitution is the lowest level of technology use when technology acts as a direct tool substitute with no functional change. Next Augmentation, Modification, and redefinition were at the top as technology allows for creating new tasks previously inconceivable. Figure 1 provides a visual representation of SAMR levels in subject area studies. The figure reveals that while researchers are conducting studies on the use of mobile devices, the activities students participate in often do not take advantage of the affordances of the mobile device. In addtion, the findings reveal that while 60% of researchers developed activities requiring high levels of cognitive processing at levels 4-6, 40% are integrating mobile devices in ways that keep students working with minimal cognitive processing. The findings revealed that while 60% of researchers developed activities requiring high levels of cognitive processing at levels 4-6, 40% are integrating mobile devices in ways that keep students working with minimal cognitive processing. In both elementary and secondary studies, there was a 40/60% split in the use of lower versus high level thinking opportunities (see Figure 2). In this presentation, we will present our findings based on key questions about SRL, including what, when, how, and why do mobile technologies impact SRL?
Significance. These findings provide insight into how researchers are conducting studies in PK-12 and higher education that can be used as a springboard for SRL researchers in designing activities to further examine cognition, metacognition, motivation, and emotions or social processes. Within the review of extant systematic reviews, there was a lack of studies focused on SRL topics.

Author

• Helen Crompton, Old Dominion University