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Tablets, Plants, and Primary School Students: A Study

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Abstract

Primary school students have trouble grasping concepts related to plants. Their misconceptions are also notable. On the other hand, mobile devices (such as tablets) and their apps, are considered effective educational tools. For examining whether the same holds true in relation to plants, we carried out a project, having as a target-group 263 students aged 11–12, divided into five groups. Two were taught using printed material, one using laptops and webpages, while the last two were taught using tablets (one with a commercial app and one with a tailor-made one). We chose Bybee’s 5Es as the teaching framework for all groups except the first, in which lecturing was applied. Six two-hour sessions were allocated in each group. We collected data through evaluation sheets and a questionnaire. The results suggested that students in the tablets groups established a solid base of declarative and procedural knowledge regarding plants. Their misconceptions were eased, at least when compared with the groups that used printed material. We also observed a positive impact on motivation and enjoyment. On the basis of the findings, we recommend the active involvement of teachers in the development of apps and the corresponding learning material, so as to be able to gain valuable insights on how mobile learning is implemented. We also propose a teaching framework that would allow the full exploitation of mobile devices’ advantages.

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Correspondence to Emmanuel Fokides.

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Fokides, E., Atsikpasi, P. & Karageorgou, D. Tablets, Plants, and Primary School Students: A Study. Tech Know Learn 25, 621–649 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09445-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09445-7

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