Impact of mobile technology on student attitudes, engagement, and learning

• Published in: Computers and education 2017-04, Vol.107, p.91-99
• Main Authors: Heflin, Houston, Shewmaker, Jennifer, Nguyen, Jessica
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Collaborative learning; Media in education; Mobile technology; Pedagogy; Student engagement
• ISSN: 0360-1315; 1873-782X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2017.01.006

Mobile devices and collaborative learning environments are common tools in education but not all collaborative learning is structured the same. This study evaluated student learning in three different collaborative learning environments, both with and without mobile technology, to assess students' engagement, critical thinking, and attitudes toward collaborative learning. The results indicate that mobile technology is associated with positive student perceptions of collaborative learning but with increased disengagement by students during class. In addition, the level of students' critical thinking was more closely associated with the tools used to construct written responses than with the collaborative learning environment style. Students constructing paragraph responses on a mobile device demonstrated significantly less critical thinking than those who used a computer keyboard or wrote responses by hand. •Speech and eye contact are strong indicators of student engagement in groups.•Technology serves important functions but often distracts from engagement.•Critical thinking is more evident in typed or written versus texted essays.