Presentation from Technology for Excellence 2011

1. Does use of touch screen computer technology (Apples’ ‘iPad’) improve classroom engagement in children? Dougie Marks Tim Laxton Lecturer Researcher University of the West of Scotland, Glasgow University

2. Dougie Marks BA, MSc: Health Psychologist, Lecturer in Alcohol & Drug Studies at UWS, Researcher in Health & Education Tim Laxton BA, PgD: MSc Student at UWS, Researcher in Health, Sociology, & Education Dr Leah Marks BSc, PgCert HE: Lecturer at the Medical School of Glasgow University, Researcher in Technology & Education

3. Overview Engagement in the classroom – why is it important? Gender variations in attainment potentially related to engagement What role can the iPad play in this?

4. Engagement in the Classroom The problem of classroom engagement. Seems to be important in relation to academic success. Engagement encompasses meaningful involvement in the learning process

5. Community environment Expectancies of young people Cognitive characteristics (Vacca & Vacca, 1999) Factors impacting Engagement School environment Exposure of young people to excessive stimuli

6. Why is engagement important? Positively correlates with several factors: 1) school attendance (Voelkl, 1995), 2) achievement (Connell et al, 1994) 3) a sense of belonging (Goodenow, 1993) 4) confidence regarding to achievement (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1994). Antisocial behaviour is inversely associated with engagement (Jenkins, 1995).

7. Problems of current education Why is engagement a problem? Education was NEVER designed with the needs of young people at the heart What we are educating young people for? Educating for Victorian era Volatility of the job market, growing job instability, technological changes Predicted that students of today could have up multiple careers – not jobs – in their working life (estimates vary). The end of rote learning Emphasizing a holistic educational experience

8. A Twofold Problem 1) Lack of job vacancies 2) Meeting employer demands A ‘problem at the supply end’ of talent. “Increasingly, employers complain that today’s young adults are not equipped with the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century workforce” (Pathways to Prosperity, Harvard University, 2011).

9. Engagement Theory (Skinner and Belmont, 1993) Behavioural engagement - concept of participation, (social, academic or extracurricular) Emotional engagement - affective reactions (positive or negative) to those sharing the school environment. 3) Cognitive engagement - intellectual faculties necessary to comprehend new information and skills (Fredricks et al., 2005).

10. Gender differences in attainment & engagement The gender gap is well documented, and widening. Began recording a gender gap with regards to educational attainment in 1988. Since 1995 this gap has remained roughly constant at around 10% in favour of girls (Department for Education, 2003).

11. What causes discrepancy in attainment? Present educational status-quo inherently uninteresting to boys? Un-engaging, resulting in poor academic performance (Jackson, Moore and Leon, 2010). Girls report significantly higher engagement than boys on all aspects of engagement (Fredricks et al, 2004). Potential biological differences, gender stereotyping, lack of role models, curricular design, staff motivation, involvement of parents, and home circumstances

12. Lack of application of knowledge gained on gender differences to the classroom environment. Scotland – despite the broader inclusion agenda, there is a risk that gender issues become overlooked (Forde et al, 2006)

13. Present Study Aim: To evaluate the impact introduction of 1:1 iPad deployment on classroom engagement of school pupils Particularly interested in gender effects

14. Method – 2 components Classroom comparison lesson withiPad Vs lesson without (‘traditional’ lesson) Comparison of engagement Focus Groups Classroom teacher groups Pupil groups Ethical approval gained for both components of the study from the University of Glasgow School of Education

15. Measuring engagement* *Utilized Engagement Theory and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Principles in construction

17. Observational Data Observation and evaluation study conducted : WithoutiPad - pupils working from texts book only. 2 tasks For pupils of p4/5 this meant replicating and coloring in various shapes into their jotters from text books For pupils of p6 this meant reading a short story in a group setting, followed by answering questions in textbooks

18. With iPad- pupils given task to complete solely using tablet technology only, 2 tasks - for p4/5 this involved pupils selecting from a series of products and creating their own advertisement - for p6 this involved pupils creating a melody to accompany a re-written poem about each pupils own personal experience

21. More fun way of learning

22. Easy and helpful to work on

23. Access to web allowed more creativity in their work

24. Homework less of a chore

26. Overall Differences in Engagement

27. Gender analysis Same pattern of results in the overall analysis remained in males BUT no significant differences between the conditions for females’ engagement.

28. Gender Differences in Engagement

30. Is Technology the Answer?

31. Conclusions Use of the iPad in class appears to significantly impact boys engagement, and engagement in the whole sample. Suggests that it is helping a sub-section of girls to engage, potentially those who were particularly disengaged previously. Appears to raise the standard of class engagement to that potentially seen previously in girls who were already motivated to learn.

32. Acknowledgements Collaborators: Iain McPhee, Louise Cremin, Tim Laxton, Anthony Sneider, & Leah Marks Management: Ken Barrie Cedars School: Lesley Rankin, Fraser Speirs, Andrew Jewell, Owen Atkinson