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Technology-supported Learning in Secondary and Undergraduate Biological Education: Observations from Literature Review

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Abstract

We conducted a literature review of using educational technology in biology learning from 2001 to 2010. A total of 36 empirical articles were included for review. Based upon the content analyses of these studies, such as technologies utilized, student sample, biological topics involved, the research purpose, and methodology, the following observations were revealed. Among the different types of technologies, the majority of studies utilized simulations or visualization tools. Genetics and molecular biology were the most popular biological topics. Most studies examined students’ conceptual outcomes, fewer studies examined affective outcomes, and a few studies examined higher-order skills. Also a small number of studies observed students’ learning processes. Beyond simply the comparison for traditional teaching versus technology-assisted learning, some studies emphasized comparing different technologies or different representations. This review also suggested some future research directions. For example, more studies should use technologies for interdisciplinary training and for fostering problem-solving skills.

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Notes

  1. Some studies may be counted in more than one category. For example, in a study, the research sample subjects included both high school students and college students. Thus the tallied number of studies across different categories can be more than 36.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Science Council, under grant numbers NSC100-2628-S-018-001-MY3, NSC99-2511-S-011-005-MY3.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Institute of Science Education, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, Taiwan

    Silvia Wen-Yu Lee

  2. Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chin-Chung Tsai

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  1. Silvia Wen-Yu Lee
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  2. Chin-Chung Tsai
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Correspondence to Silvia Wen-Yu Lee.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 1.

Table 1 A summary of all reviewed studies
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Lee, S.WY., Tsai, CC. Technology-supported Learning in Secondary and Undergraduate Biological Education: Observations from Literature Review. J Sci Educ Technol 22, 226–233 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-012-9388-6

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