Susanna Pöntinen

The bring-your-own-device policy (BYOD) in schools has recently attracted considerable research interest. BYOD allows students to learn subjects like mathematics using personal mobile devices. Accordingly, BYOD can increase students’ desire to learn mathematics in school. In the study we report on here, we assessed 9th grade students’ (n = 500) behavioural intentions to learn mathematics using personal mobile devices in school. Data were collected from 12 urban and rural Namibian public schools through a paper survey. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action with an added facilitating condition component, we predicted students’ behavioural intentions to learn mathematics based on BYOD. The descriptive results show that most students own personal mobile devices and are eager to use them as part of their learning in school. Principal component and confirmatory factor analyses validated the 4-component model. The results indicate satisfactory construct validity. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the influence of the factors on the students’ behavioural intentions. The structural equation modelling results show that the theory of reasoned action and facilitating condition factors predicted students’ behavioural intentions toward BYOD for mathematics learning in school. The findings suggest that educational policymakers should amend existing policies to allow students to learn mathematics using personal mobile devices in school.

Society has become more digitalised, and digital technology is increasingly becoming integrated into various educational levels. However, digital teaching and learning practices remain complex, and the need for the professional development (PD) of teachers has grown over the last few years. Recognising that high-quality PD is crucial for promoting teachers’ learning, this case study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of a PD training programme that supports teachers in enhancing their digital teaching practices. The research data comprises teachers’ interviews (n = 28). According to the results, the programme was experienced positively by the participants. After the programme, the teachers directed their own work tasks more meaningfully, expanded their job profiles, and moved on to new kinds of work responsibilities.

Home-school cooperation aims to support student growth and development in a variety of ways [1],[2]. When considering home-school cooperation, a partnership becomes important, with both home and school setting common goals and actions to support these goals. In this process, digital tools can facilitate cooperation between parents and teachers. However, there are still technological, […]

Children’s digital competence (DC) is often poorly supported in early childhood education (ECE). Furthermore, common definition of DC is difficult to find. Therefore, the aim of this comparative curriculum study was to better understand how objectives and content of DC are defined in ECE. Australia and Finland curricula were analyzed applying theory-driven content analysis. The results indicated that in both countries theoretical basis of DC was present: objectives and content of DC referred to (1) technical skills and practices, (2) applying digital technologies, (3) evaluate digital technologies critically, and (4) motivation to participate in a digital culture. However, aims, content, and practical guidelines on the curricula were unclear. This study recommends that ECE curricula should better emphasis and make explicit the key elements of DC and how to holistically foster children’s DC in practice. Further studies to clarify the important elements of DC in ECE curricula frameworks is required.

Technology-enhanced Reciprocal Peer Tutoring (RPT) was carried out with Finnish, nine to ten year-old primary school students (N=40). The RPT as a method of paired mathematics placed specific emphasis on electrical mathematical writing and drawing. Little is known about the important area of implementing digital mathematical skills at the primary level. The contribution of this study is to address the research gap in implementing Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) into primary school students’ digital mathematics learning. Data was collected from one primary school mathematics lessons by videotaping student’s peer collaboration. In this empirical educational study, the data was analysed qualitatively with content analysis and quantified based on the Contact Summary Sheet (CSS)-instrument and TPACK -framework. This work sheds a light on how students’ collaboration such as instruction, thinking aloud, feedback, support and new ideas during their peer tutoring arouse students’ mathematical attainment and technological discourse. The results indicate that all dimensions of TPACK emerged during primary school students Technology-enhanced RPT. Data reveals that there was a high degree of PK in all videotaped episodes. More research on RPT with an empirical electrical mathematical focus is needed.

The beginning of primary education is an important time to form a good basis for students to develop their digital competence. However, the use of digital technologies is seldom a part of everyday schoolwork during the first years of primary school education. Furthermore, instruction on digital competence is often loosely connected to the students’ own ideas. Since there is obviously a need to investigate student-initiated involvement, this case study examined six to seven-year-old children’s views and ideas of using digital technology in school lessons through drawings and interviews. The results show that some of the students did not share the idea of using digital technology in their school lessons but most of the students did. In particular, the students expected digital devices to be used for learning, not for entertainment. Furthermore, their ideas reflected teacher-centred and student-centred approaches to learning digital competence. The study demonstrates that young students’ drawings and interviews reflect a range of important aspects in respect to teaching and learning digital competence.

It is important that educators create a good basis for young students to develop their digital competence. This two-year case study aimed to find ways to foster the digital competence of young students in the early years of primary school education. The results show that spontaneous problems provided opportunities for students to show their competence and fostered their engagement. In addition, long-lasting changes were associated with learning digital competence at the beginning of primary school. Furthermore, all children were eager in using digital technology for learning, but their commitment in tracking their own development and using digital technology to make their learning transparent to homes varied. This study shows that when fostering young students’ evolving digital competence, teachers need to consider digital technology use holistically and in long-term.

Formulating questions is an integral part of pupils’ learning process and scientific inquiry. Investigating pupil-generated questions in a collaborative science learning setting, combining self-regulation theory and phases of inquiry, can extend the previous research into pupils’ questions. This study considered questions from pupils (n = 24, aged 11–12) as types of interaction to share and reflect on both their own and others’ ideas during a collaborative open inquiry. The study was qualitative in nature. The data was collected by making video recordings of pupils’ team discussions during the study process in 12 science lessons. A content analysis demonstrates that through their questions, the pupils were actively involved in guiding their work from various points of views. These results suggest that fifth graders can successfully conduct a complex open inquiry in teams. Consequently, this study underlines that allowing pupils to work at their own pace, and to take responsibility for their learning, opportunities can arise for pupils to pose questions and regulate their learning through questions.