Research pick: Boosting science teaching with mobile technology - "An exploration of inquiry-based authentic learning enabled by mobile technology for primary science"

It can almost be taken as read that mobile communications technology can help with science education. However, there is little detailed research that has investigated how well mobile devices have been integrated into what might be called authentic learning in a formal science curriculum.

Now, Wing Kei Yeung and Daner Sun of the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology at The Education University of Hong Kong, have explored how enquiry-based science might be assisted by mobile technology. They have focused on the learning platform nQuire-it which has scientific mobile sensors. They used a mixed-methods approach to test how well students benefited from using the system in their learning.

Their findings suggest that this kind of platform can be useful in improving academic performance, boosting student motivation and interest in learning, as well as their ability to link knowledge gained inside the classroom with the world outside. All such outcomes are a key part of modern education.

The team points out that any tool used in education is just that – a tool. It is, they conclude, important to have well-designed teaching plans in place alongside effective methods of increasing student motivation and engagement whether mobile technology or other approaches. “To merge this learning approach with a formal curriculum,” they add, there is a need to “foster an open learning environment complete with sufficient resources and training.”

Yeung, W.K. and Sun, D. (2021) ‘An exploration of inquiry-based authentic learning enabled by mobile technology for primary science’, Int. J. Mobile Learning and Organisation, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp.1–28.