Technology use, self-directed learning, student engagement and academic performance: Examining the interrelations

The widespread technology use among current college and university students has made higher educational institutions worldwide acknowledge the need of incorporating it in teaching and learning for explicit reasons. But does access and usage of technology enhance academic performance and foster student engagement in reality? Researches in the last over two decades have conjectured both the positive and negative outcomes of the students' continuous interface with technology. Student engagement and self-directed learning (SDL) are the two other themes that have independently attracted considerable interest of researchers, ascribable to the explicit and implicit assertions that both are related to the academic success. Additionally, the relationship of technology use with these two academic behaviors have also been investigated although not very extensively. The current study aimed to inspect a path model with technology use, student engagement, self-directed learning and academic performance among undergraduate students. 761 students responded to an online survey comprising three scales: Media and Technology Usage and Attitude Scale (MTUAS), Self-Rating Scale of Self-Directed Learning (SRSSDL), and student version of Utrecht's Work Engagement Scale (UWES-S). The results showed that use of technology has a direct positive relationship with students' engagement and self-directed learning, however, no significant direct effect was found between technology use and academic performance. The findings point towards the complex interchange of relationships of the students' technology use with student engagement, self-directed learning and academic performance. The implications and future research directions are discussed. A path model tested the relationship of technology use and academic performance.Examined interrelations of technology with engagement and self-directed learning.Results indicated strong support for the model matching hypotheses.Technology use has positive effect on self-directed learning & student engagement.Academic performance affected indirectly by technology via self-directed learning.

[1]  Robert Ho,et al.  Handbook of Univariate and Multivariate Data Analysis and Interpretation with SPSS , 2006 .

[2]  David Rutledge,et al.  Digital learners and the overlapping of their personal and educational digital engagement , 2014, Comput. Educ..

[3]  Ludger Woessmann,et al.  Computers and Student Learning: Bivariate and Multivariate Evidence on the Availability and Use of Computers at Home and at School , 2004, SSRN Electronic Journal.

[4]  Paul A. Kirschner,et al.  Facebook® and academic performance , 2010, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[6]  M. Prensky.  Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1 , 2001 .

[7]  Carrie B. Fried,et al.  In-class laptop use and its e V ects on student learning , 2006 .

[8]  Reynol Junco,et al.  Too much face and not enough books: The relationship between multiple indices of Facebook use and academic performance , 2012, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[9]  John Seely Brown,et al.  Growing Up: Digital: How the Web Changes Work, Education, and the Ways People Learn , 2000 .

[10]  Aaron S Benjamin,et al.  On the effectiveness of self-paced learning. , 2011, Journal of memory and language.

[11]  Jeff C. Clements,et al.  Using Facebook to Enhance Independent Student Engagement: A Case Study of First-Year Undergraduates. , 2015 .

[12]  M. Prensky.  Do They Really Think Differently , 2001 .

[13]  Martin Näf,et al.  Exploring Magic Cottage: a virtual reality environment for stimulating children's imaginative writing , 2008, Interact. Learn. Environ..

[14]  Elisheva F. Gross,et al.  The impact of computer use on children's and adolescents' development , 2001, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.

[15]  Michael Trimmel,et al.  Cognitive, social, motivational and health aspects of students in laptop classrooms , 2004, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[16]  Susana Juniu,et al.  Use of Technology for Constructivist Learning in a Performance Assessment Class , 2006 .

[17]  Rhona Sharpe,et al.  Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age , 2007 .

[18]  Malcolm S. Knowles,et al.  Self-directed learning : a guide for learners and teachers , 1975 .

[19]  Josh Pasek,et al.  Facebook and Academic Performance: Reconciling a Media Sensation with Data , 2009, First Monday.

[20]  Reynol Junco,et al.  The effect of Twitter on college student engagement and grades , 2011, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[21]  Swapna Naskar Williamson.  Development of a self-rating scale of self-directed learning. , 2007, Nurse researcher.

[22]  George D. Kuh,et al.  Student Engagement and Student Learning: Testing the Linkages* , 2006 .

[23]  Katherine K. Esteves.  Exploring Facebook to Enhance Learning and Student Engagement: A Case from the University of Philippines (UP) Open University , 2012 .

[24]  Lars Uhlin,et al.  Self-directed learning – a learning issue for students and faculty! , 2008 .

[25]  Shao-I Chiu,et al.  A model of the relationship between psychological characteristics, mobile phone addiction and use of mobile phones by Taiwanese university female students , 2012, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[26]  Barrie Gunter,et al.  The Google generation: the information behaviour of the researcher of the future , 2008, Aslib Proc..

[27]  Faria Sana,et al.  Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both users and nearby peers , 2013, Comput. Educ..

[28]  Alexander C. McCormick,et al.  An Investigation of the Contingent Relationships Between Learning Community Participation and Student Engagement , 2011 .

[29]  Helen Beetham,et al.  Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age , 2007 .

[30]  James Minogue,et al.  Investigating the impact of video games on high school students' engagement and learning about genetics , 2009, Comput. Educ..

[31]  George D. Kuh.  Assessing What Really Matters to Student Learning Inside The National Survey of Student Engagement , 2001 .

[32]  James Cengiz Gulek,et al.  Learning With Technology: The Impact of Laptop Use on Student Achievement , 2005 .

[33]  Greg Heiberger,et al.  Have You Facebooked Astin Lately? Using Technology to Increase Student Involvement , 2008 .

[34]  Kassandra Barnes,et al.  Teaching and Learning with the Net Generation , 2007 .

[35]  Kevin R. Guidry,et al.  Engaging online learners: The impact of Web-based learning technology on college student engagement , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[36]  Drew Tiene,et al.  Classroom Dynamics in a Technology-Rich Learning Environment. , 2002 .

[37]  G. Kuh.  In Their Own Words: What Students Learn Outside the Classroom , 1993 .

[38]  Jonathan Rosen,et al.  Distractions, Distractions: Does Instant Messaging Affect College Students' Performance on a Concurrent Reading Comprehension Task? , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[39]  Beth McGrath,et al.  Partners in Learning: Twelve Ways Technology Changes the Teacher-Student Relationship , 1998 .

[40]  Tsungjunag Wang,et al.  The Transformational Promise of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) for the Professional Education of Architects , 2009, J. Educ. Technol. Soc..

[41]  George D. Kuh,et al.  What Student Affairs Professionals Need to Know About Student Engagement , 2009 .

[42]  Yi-Ling Chen,et al.  Using a "prediction-observation-explanation" inquiry model to enhance student interest and intention to continue science learning predicted by their Internet cognitive failure , 2014, Comput. Educ..

[43]  George D. Kuh,et al.  The Relationship between Computer and Information Technology Use, Selected Learning and Personal Development Outcomes, and Other College Experiences. , 2001 .

[44]  Samuel S. Peng,et al.  University Students' Internet Use and Its Relationships with Academic Performance, Interpersonal Relationships, Psychosocial Adjustment, and Self-Evaluation , 2008, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[45]  Wade C. Jacobsen,et al.  The Wired Generation: Academic and Social Outcomes of Electronic Media Use Among University Students , 2011, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[46]  A. Bakker,et al.  The Measurement of Work Engagement With a Short Questionnaire , 2006 .

[47]  Paul D. Hyden.  Teaching statistics by taking advantage of the laptop's ubiquity , 2005 .

[48]  Paul A. Kirschner,et al.  An exploration of social networking site use, multitasking, and academic performance among United States and European university students , 2013, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[49]  N. Howe,et al.  Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation , 2000 .

[50]  Sara Hennessy,et al.  Level of technology integration by primary teachers in Cyprus and student engagement , 2010 .

[51]  danah boyd,et al.  It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens , 2014 .

[52]  Louis Leung,et al.  Instant Messaging Addiction among Teenagers in China: Shyness, Alienation, and Academic Performance Decrement , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[53]  Angel Otero,et al.  Factors Associated with Cell Phone Use in Adolescents in the Community of Madrid (Spain) , 2009, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[54]  Shelia R. Cotten,et al.  No A 4 U: The relationship between multitasking and academic performance , 2012, Comput. Educ..

[55]  David Fonseca,et al.  Relationship between student profile, tool use, participation, and academic performance with the use of Augmented Reality technology for visualized architecture models , 2014, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[56]  Reynol Junco,et al.  In-class multitasking and academic performance , 2012, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[57]  Adam Unwin,et al.  The professionalism of the higher education teacher: what's ICT got to do with it? , 2007 .

[58]  D. Randy Garrison,et al.  Self-Directed and Self-Regulated Learning: Conceptual Links , 2013 .

[59]  Ailish Hannigan,et al.  Outcomes of Irish graduate entry medical student engagement with self-directed learning of clinical skills , 2015, BMC medical education.

[60]  Jacob E. Barkley,et al.  The Relationship Between Cell Phone Use and Academic Performance in a Sample of U.S. College Students , 2015 .

[61]  H. Yaratan,et al.  Impact of use of technology in mathematics lessons on student achievement and attitudes , 2014 .

[62]  Chris Rust,et al.  A social constructivist assessment process model: how the research literature shows us this could be best practice , 2005 .

[63]  Alexander von Eye,et al.  A longitudinal study of the effects of Internet use and videogame playing on academic performance and the roles of gender, race and income in these relationships , 2011, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[64]  Sue Bennett,et al.  The 'digital natives' debate: A critical review of the evidence , 2008, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[65]  V. Mehdinezhad.  First Year Students' Engagement at the University , 2011 .

[66]  Montse Guitert,et al.  Learning in Digital: An Approach to Digital Learners in the UOC Scenario , 2011 .

[67]  P. Candy,et al.  Linking thinking: self-directed learning in the digital age , 2004 .

[68]  Lorenzo Cantoni,et al.  "Digital Natives" and learning with the ICTs. The "GenY @ work" research in Ticino, Switzerland , 2010 .

[69]  Larry D. Rosen,et al.  The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale: An empirical investigation , 2013, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[70]  S. Brand-Gruwel,et al.  The challenge of self‐directed and self‐regulated learning in vocational education: a theoretical analysis and synthesis of requirements , 2010 .

[71]  Hsiao-Ching She,et al.  Learning through playing Virtual Age: Exploring the interactions among student concept learning, gaming performance, in-game behaviors, and the use of in-game characters , 2015, Comput. Educ..

[72]  Andrew Lepp,et al.  The relationship between cell phone use, academic performance, anxiety, and Satisfaction with Life in college students , 2014, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[73]  Punya Mishra,et al.  Do 21st Century Learning Environments Support Self-Directed Learning? Middle School Students’ Response to an Intentionally Designed Learning Environment , 2013 .

[74]  George D. Kuh,et al.  Computing experience and good practices in undergraduate education: Does the degree of campus "wiredness" matter? , 2001 .

[75]  John R. Barrows,et al.  Internet Use and Collegiate Academic Performance Decrements: Early Findings , 2001 .

[76]  Elizabeth Losh,et al.  The War on Learning: Gaining Ground in the Digital University , 2014 .

[77]  M. Prensky.  Do They Really Think Differently , 2001 .

[78]  Judithe Sheard,et al.  Student engagement in first year of an ICT degree: staff and student perceptions , 2010, Comput. Sci. Educ..

[79]  Linda B. Nilson,et al.  Laptops in class: What are they good for? What can you do with them? , 2005 .

[80]  Robert M. Gonyea,et al.  Unmasking the Effects of Student Engagement on First-Year College Grades and Persistence , 2008 .

[81]  Sawyer A. Hunley,et al.  Adolescent computer use and academic achievement. , 2005, Adolescence.

[82]  Shelia R. Cotten,et al.  Perceived academic effects of instant messaging use , 2011, Comput. Educ..

[83]  Su-Yen Chen,et al.  College Female and Male Heavy Internet Users' Profiles of Practices and Their Academic Grades and Psychosocial Adjustment , 2010, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[84]  Pao-Nan Chou,et al.  Engagement in Online Collaborative Learning: A Case Study Using a Web 2.0 Tool , 2008 .

[85]  N. Selwyn.  Faceworking: exploring students' education‐related use of Facebook , 2009 .

[86]  Katrin Saks,et al.  Distinguishing Self-directed and Self-regulated Learning and Measuring them in the E-learning Context☆ , 2014 .

[87]  Toru Sato,et al.  Cell phone use and grade point average among undergraduate university students. , 2011 .

[88]  Lorayne Robertson,et al.  Implementing assistive technologies: A study on co-learning in the Canadian elementary school context , 2015, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[89]  Avril Loveless.  Where do you stand to get a good view of pedagogy , 1998 .

[90]  Melissa Cole,et al.  Using Wiki technology to support student engagement: Lessons from the trenches , 2009, Comput. Educ..

[91]  D. Tapscott.  Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation , 1984 .

[92]  Diane Keyser Wentworth,et al.  Technology use and academic performance , 2014, Comput. Educ..

[93]  Roy Williams,et al.  Emergent learning and learning ecologies in Web 2.0 , 2011 .

[94]  Pamela M. Golubski.  Utilizing Interactive Technologies to Engage, Integrate, Involve, and Increase Community amongst College Students , 2012 .

[95]  P. Pintrich.  A Conceptual Framework for Assessing Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning in College Students , 2004 .

[96]  Mary Thorpe,et al.  The impact of ICT on Lifelong Learning , 2005 .

[97]  Gary D. Malaney.  Student Use of the Internet , 2004 .

[98]  Kausar Suhail,et al.  Effects of Excessive Internet Use on Undergraduate Students in Pakistan , 2006, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[99]  George D. Kuh,et al.  Student Experiences With Information Technology And Their Relationship To Other Aspects Of Student Engagement , 2005 .