Research on ICT in K-12 schools – a review of experimental and survey-based studies in Computers & Education 2011 to 2015

Abstract

1. Introduction
What is the role of a journal? Is it to follow the research or lead it? For the former, it is to serve as an archival record of the scholarship in a field. It can serve to permit the research community to engage with each other via the written record. But, for the latter, it can serve the research community by pointing out gaps in the research based on the archival record. This review is intended to do just that.

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been used to enhance learning in schools. There are several reasons for this growing interest. Firstly, ICT has the potential to change the nature of disciplines – it changes the sorts of questions you can answer, the ways in which you go about answering them, and the ways in which you represent your understandings. Secondly, ICT provides new ways of supporting learners – it changes pedagogy. Thirdly, ICT opens up access to information, and some claim that it provides opportunities to widen access to education (OECD, 2015a, OECD, 2015b). Finally, ICT already forms part of the daily lives of children. There is therefore a need to develop learners who can work critically and function in an ICT-rich, connected society.

Many papers have been published by the educational technology research community regarding the needs and effects of using ICT in the classroom (Condie and Munro, 2007, Fu, 2013). Among the reported effects are an improvement in learning and the development of basic, transversal skills or competences. Some of these studies are more teacher-centered, focused on identifying the needs and barriers for ICT adoption at school; others are more student-centered, analyzing the effects that the use of technology has on learner performance. There is consensus among teacher-centered studies that successful implementation of ICT requires the involvement of students, teachers, senior leaders in schools and policy makers as part of the process (Fu, 2013, Mumtaz, 2000, Ringstaff and Kelley, 2002). In terms of educational policies, a recent review, developed by national and local governments of Norway, Flanders and England, analyzed the content features of educational curricula for primary education (Aesaert, Vanderlinde, Tondeur, & van Braak, 2013). The results of the aforementioned review suggest that curricula emphasize the need for developing a critical, safe and responsible use of educational technology. With regards to student-centered studies, the technical report by Condie and Munro (2007) analyzes the results from a literature review of over 350 published articles that reveal the positive impact of ICT use on student performance at school. This study highlights the fact that ICT has the greatest impact on student performance when it is included as a regular part of the classroom experience. Research has also shown that the use of ICT also improves motivation and engagement, resulting in greater persistence and a more profound understanding among students (Underwood, 2009). A positive impact on student performance has also been obtained with particular technologies. This is the case, for instance, of mobile technologies, according to the review by Wu, Jim, Chen, Kao, and Lin (2012).