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Research

Using ICT to improve learning

Steven Higgins, ZhiMin Xiao & Maria Katsipataki

Research Summary

ICT is now embedded in society. The question is no longer whether to use it in education but how to. Studies associate small improvements in pupil achievement with the use of ICT, but there is no causal link. It is probable that more effective schools and teachers are more likely to use digital technologies more effectively than other schools. The issue is to consider how well the technology is used to support teaching and learning. ICT has to be effectively aligned with what is to be learned. There is no general evidence that ICT improves learning as such.

Researchers

Steven Higgins, ZhiMin Xiao & Maria Katsipataki

Research Institution

Durham University

What is this about?

  • Teachers inevitably face questions about how to use ICT to boost learning – it is no longer whether to.
  • But there is no general evidence that ICT improves learning, in general.
  • It is likely that the most effective use happens because ICT resources are matched well to particular learning or subject demands.
  • What do we know about how to do that?

What was done?

  • A meta-analysis was undertaken as follows – * A systematic literature search search revealed 48 studies which synthesised primary research studies of the impact of technology on the attainment of school age learners (5-18 year olds).
  • These studies were analysed and key findings and recommendations identified.

Main findings and outputs

  • Small group or pair use of ICT is usually more effective than individual use.
  • ICT use can be effective as a short-term, focused learning boost, e.g. in catch-up or remedial learning situations; sustained use over longer periods is less effective.
  • ICT should be a supplement to teaching, not a replacement for it.
  • ICT-related CPD should focus on successful pedagogical use.
  • Questions need to be considered –
    Will learners work more efficiently, more effectively, more intensively? Will the technology help them to learn for longer, in more depth, more productively? Or will the teacher be able to support learners more efficiently or more effectively? Will the technology help learners gain access to learning content, to teachers or to peers? Will the technology itself provide feedback or will it support more effective feedback from others, or better self-management by learners themselves? What will we stop doing, when we use ICT – what will it replace, and how will it be additional?

Relevance to RE

The research is not subject-specific, but refers to school learning in general. RE teachers and departments might reflect on its findings when developing policies for ICT use or lessons that make use of digital technology resources, asking questions such as: how will this particular ICT resource improve RE-specific learning in this case? The key message from the research is to use ICT judiciously and not through a sense that we ‘should’, or ‘because it is there’, though pupils can undoubtedly be motivated by it.

Generalisability and potential limitations

The research draws on a large number of existing international studies and analyses. Rather than offering recipes it underlines the need for teacher professional judgement and careful planning, but this is to be weclomed, and it does offer sound underlying principles.

Find out more

The report is freely downloadable from https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/evidence-reviews/digital-technology/

 

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