Researching students across spaces and places: capturing digital data ‘on the go’

Abstract

Criticisms have been levelled at e-research that limited knowledge has been produced helpful for guiding educators in using digital tools more effectively for teaching and learning. This issue has become more acute with the emergence of mobile devices that enable learners to transition across different learning spaces and times. Traditional data methods are challenged to adequately capture the dynamic and collaborative exchanges occurring in flexible, technology-saturated environments, such as Bring Your Own Device or innovative learning environments (ILEs). This article details the development and use of an innovative digital data system in a series of studies exploring elementary students' learning using iPads in two ILEs in a New Zealand school. It explains the system, and evaluates its efficacy for capturing data representing use of the devices across learning spaces and tasks. While the system was highly effective, a number of barriers to its use existed. Ethical challenges were also encountered, and difficulties experienced managing and working with the volume of data produced. Although yielding high-quality data, it is up to individual researchers to assess for themselves the pros and cons of using a system such as described in this article, given the resources and time at their disposal.

How to design a digital individual learning RCT-study in the context of the Swedish preschool: experiences from a pilot-study

“…One mode of data collection is insufficient when richness of data is of priority (Falloon 2016;Nicholas 2016). To document the intervention, the researchers conducted multiple participant observations.…”

“…Individual logs in the two digital games Falloon (2016) means that new digital tools offer potentials to provide authentic as well as detailed empirical material revealing unique insights into how children interact with digital tablets across spaces and places. Both Cogmed and MG have game logs connected to the programmes registering the interaction enacted by the child playing the game.…”

The Learning Space as Support to Sustainable Development: A Revision of Uses and Design Processes

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