Mobile learning for science and mathematics school education: A systematic review of empirical evidence

Abstract The ubiquity, flexibility, ease of access and diverse capabilities of mobile technologies make them valuable and a necessity in current times. However, they are under-utilized assets in mathematics and science school education. This article analyses the high quality empirical evidence on mobile learning in secondary school science and mathematics education. Our study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) using well-accepted and robust guidelines. The SLR resulted in the detailed analysis of 49 studies (60 papers) published during 2003–2016. Content and thematic analyses were used to ascertain pedagogical approaches, methodological designs, foci, and intended and achieved outcomes of the studies. The apps and technologies used in these studies were further classified for domain, type and context of use. The review has highlighted gaps in existing literature on the topic and has provided insights that have implications for future research.

[1]  K. Dickersin,et al.  NIH clinical trials and publication bias. , 1993, The Online journal of current clinical trials.

[2]  Kevin Burden,et al.  Viewing Mobile Learning from a Pedagogical Perspective , 2012 .

[3]  Sang Joon Lee,et al.  Mobile Learning: Trends, Issues, and Challenges in Teaching and Learning , 2014 .

[4]  Jaeki Song,et al.  An investigation of mobile learning readiness in higher education based on the theory of planned behavior , 2012, Comput. Educ..

[5]  Peter Lonsdale,et al.  Mobile technologies and learning , 2004 .

[6]  Kevin Burden,et al.  Future Scenarios for Mobile Science Learning , 2016 .

[7]  Pearl Brereton,et al.  Performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering , 2006, ICSE.

[8]  Karin M. Wiburg,et al.  An historical perspective on instructional design: is it time to exchange Skinner's teaching machine for Dewey's toolbox , 1995, CSCL.

[9]  Lung-Hsiang Wong,et al.  What seams do we remove in mobile-assisted seamless learning? A critical review of the literature , 2011, Comput. Educ..

[10]  Soner Yildirim,et al.  Main Barriers and Possible Enablers of ICTs Integration into Pre-service Teacher Education Programs , 2009, J. Educ. Technol. Soc..

[11]  Bridget Somekh,et al.  Taking the sociological imagination to school: an analysis of the (lack of) impact of information and communication technologies on education systems , 2004 .

[12]  Kenneth Tobin,et al.  A social constructivist perspective on learning environments , 1997 .

[13]  Kevin Burden,et al.  Investigating teachers' adoption of signature mobile pedagogies , 2015, Comput. Educ..

[14]  Rosamund Sutherland,et al.  Screenplay: Children and Computing in the Home , 2003 .

[15]  Marta Martín del Pozo,et al.  A quantitative approach to pre-service primary school teachers’ attitudes towards collaborative learning with video games: previous experience with video games can make the difference , 2017, International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education.

[16]  Julie Kos,et al.  Participation in science, mathematics and technology in Australian education , 2008 .

[17]  Yu-Hui Ching,et al.  Mobile computer-supported collaborative learning: A review of experimental research , 2013, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[18]  Helen Crompton,et al.  Research Trends in the Use of Mobile Learning in Mathematics , 2015, Int. J. Mob. Blended Learn..

[19]  Joseph Krajcik.  The Value and Challenges of Using Learning Technologies to Support Students in Learning Science , 2002 .

[20]  Kevin Larkin.  Mathematics Education. Is there an App for that , 2013 .

[21]  Helen Crompton,et al.  The mobile learning training needs of educators in technology-enabled environments , 2016 .

[22]  Elizabeth O. Hayward,et al.  The impact of individual, competitive, and collaborative mathematics game play on learning, performance, and motivation , 2013 .

[23]  John Ainley.  Monitoring and assessing the use of ICT in education , 2010 .

[24]  Michelle F. Wright,et al.  Computer Gaming and Interactive Simulations for Learning: A Meta-Analysis , 2006 .

[25]  Peter Aubusson,et al.  Teachers Choosing Rich Tasks , 2014 .

[26]  Khe Foon Hew,et al.  A Review of Research Methodologies Used in Studies on Mobile Handheld Devices in K-12 and Higher Education Settings. , 2009 .

[27]  D. Treagust,et al.  Conceptual change: A powerful framework for improving science teaching and learning , 2003 .

[28]  Gerhard Schwabe,et al.  Mobile Learning projects - a critical analysis of the state of the art , 2009, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[29]  Fengfeng Ke,et al.  A Qualitative Meta-Analysis of Computer Games as Learning Tools , 2009 .

[30]  Min Liu,et al.  A Look at Research on Mobile Learning in K–12 Education From 2007 to the Present , 2014 .

[31]  Nick Rushby.  Editorial: An agenda for mobile learning , 2012, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[32]  Joel J. P. C. Rodrigues,et al.  Survey and analysis of current mobile learning applications and technologies , 2013, ACM Comput. Surv..

[33]  Gwo-Jen Hwang,et al.  Applications, impacts and trends of mobile technology-enhanced learning: a review of 2008-2012 publications in selected SSCI journals , 2014, Int. J. Mob. Learn. Organisation.

[34]  David Parsons,et al.  A Mobile Learning Overview by Timeline and Mind Map , 2014, Int. J. Mob. Blended Learn..

[35]  Morgan Ericsson,et al.  A Survey of Research Methods and Purposes in Mobile Learning , 2011, Int. J. Mob. Blended Learn..

[36]  Mike Sharples,et al.  Seamless Learning Despite Context , 2015, Seamless Learning in the Age of Mobile Connectivity.

[37]  Peter Aubusson,et al.  Exploring teacher pedagogy, stages of concern and accessibility as determinants of technology adoption , 2017 .

[38]  Janet Mannheimer Zydney,et al.  Mobile apps for science learning: Review of research , 2016, Comput. Educ..

[39]  Agnes Kukulska-Hulme,et al.  Mobile learning: a handbook for educators and trainers , 2005 .

[40]  Tzu-Chien Liu,et al.  The effects of integrating mobile devices with teaching and learning on students' learning performance: A meta-analysis and research synthesis , 2016, Comput. Educ..

[41]  Gwo-Jen Hwang,et al.  A collaborative game-based learning approach to improving students' learning performance in science courses , 2013, Comput. Educ..

[42]  Deborah M. Switzer,et al.  K-12 Science and Mathematics Teachers’ Beliefs About and Use of Inquiry in the Classroom , 2009 .

[43]  Kate Highfield,et al.  A Framework for Examining Technologies and Early Mathematics Learning , 2013 .

[44]  Peter Aubusson,et al.  Why school students choose and reject science: a study of the factors that students consider when selecting subjects , 2017 .

[45]  Hyun Sook Yi,et al.  A latent profile analysis and structural equation modeling of the instructional quality of mathematics classrooms based on the PISA 2012 results of Korea and Singapore , 2017 .

[46]  Yen-Chun Jim Wu,et al.  Review of trends from mobile learning studies: A meta-analysis , 2012, Comput. Educ..

[47]  D. Perkins,et al.  Chapter 1: Individual and Social Aspects of Learning , 1998 .

[48]  Orrin T. Murray,et al.  Teaching and Learning with iPads, Ready or Not? , 2011 .

[49]  Yeonjeong Park,et al.  A Pedagogical Framework for Mobile Learning: Categorizing Educational Applications of Mobile Technologies into Four Types. , 2011 .

[50]  Ke Zhang,et al.  Examining mobile learning trends 2003–2008: a categorical meta-trend analysis using text mining techniques , 2011, Journal of Computing in Higher Education.

[51]  Marja van den Heuvel-Panhuizen,et al.  Realistic Mathematics Education , 2020, Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education.

[52]  D. Boote,et al.  Classroom Culture, Mathematics Culture, and the Failures of Reform: The Need for a Collective View of Culture , 2012, Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education.

[53]  Neil Selwyn,et al.  Looking beyond learning: notes towards the critical study of educational technology , 2010, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[54]  Roland Klemke,et al.  Effects of mobile gaming patterns on learning outcomes: a literature review , 2012 .

[55]  Lung-Hsiang Wong,et al.  A Brief History of Mobile Seamless Learning , 2016, Seamless Learning in the Age of Mobile Connectivity.

[56]  Chee-Kit Looi,et al.  Seamless learning in the mobile age: a theoretical and methodological discussion on using cooperative inquiry to study digital kids on-the-move , 2013 .

[57]  Muneera Bano,et al.  Feature Based Sentiment Analysis for Evaluating the Mobile Pedagogical Affordances of Apps , 2017, WCCE.

[58]  Peggy A. Ertmer,et al.  Teacher Technology Change , 2010 .

[59]  Helen Crompton,et al.  The Use of Mobile Learning in Science: A Systematic Review , 2016 .

[60]  Kevin Burden,et al.  Exploring mobile learning in the Third Space , 2017 .

[61]  Chris Campbell,et al.  A framework for categorising mobile applications in mathematics education , 2013 .

[62]  Ellen Francine Barbosa,et al.  A requirements catalog for mobile learning environments , 2013, SAC '13.

[63]  Gwo-Jen Hwang,et al.  Research trends in mobile and ubiquitous learning: a review of publications in selected journals from 2001 to 2010 , 2011, Br. J. Educ. Technol..