A formative evaluation of the UCT PMD Programme

Personal mobile devices (PMDs) such as tablets (also referred to as tablet computers or tablet pc) have become important educational technology components for university students. Although advances in wireless, mobile technology have resulted in PMDs becoming widely available and less expensive, PMD ownership still presents a substantial capital outlay beyond the means of many South African university students. Thus, there is a need to explore the opportunities low cost PMD initiatives present. Thus far, limited research has been conducted on if and how flexible learning is achieved through low cost PMDs in the South African higher education context, where access to technology and internet access is inconsistent amongst the student population. This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of the PMD Programme at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The programme aims to create a flexible teaching and learning environment for students in higher education, through the use of low cost tablets. This study focused on whether the programme's short‐term outcomes, namely, improved mobile technology knowledge, portability, mobility, communication, information sharing and collaboration were achieved. The extent to which the programme's medium‐term goals (digital literacy and access to course information) were achieved, were also investigated. Lastly, the degree to which students believed the low cost tablet was good enough for their studies was assessed. This evaluation found that the UCT PMD Programme plays a crucial role in providing students with access to affordable mobile technology in the form of low cost tablets and has demonstrated enhancement of students' ability to learn in a flexible manner. The UCT PMD Programme facilitated improvement in students' mobile technology knowledge, mobility of learning and portability of information immensely. Improved communication and collaboration between peers and lecturers were noted. Information sharing was not enhanced through the use of the tablet. Students' digital literacy skills increased and access to information improved immensely through using the tablet. Overall, through the use of the tablet, improvement in students' flexibility of learning was achieved and students found the low cost tablet adequate for their studies

English-Language Learning at their Fingertips: Educational and Motivational Affordances of Tablet Apps in Children’s EFL Learning

Given the popularity of multi-touch tablets, especially among children, and the amount of educational applications (apps) currently available for their use, tablets offer mobile-assisted language learning opportunities rarely provided by more traditional English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching methods. Tablets are increasingly finding their way into classrooms, as their unique affordances give them educational advantages over other mobile technologies. To date, however, insufficient research has been conducted on the educational applications and motivational potential of this digital tool, particularly with reference to foreign-language acquisition by young beginner learners. The aim of this research was to explore the educational and motivational affordances of tablets and tablet apps in supporting young EFL beginner learners, and the factors affecting students’ self-determination to use tablets to learn English. To fulfil this aim, I designed and conducted a case study in a fourth-grade class in a state primary school in Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia. I used an exploratory qualitative case study design to gain an in-depth understanding of the topic. My approach was social-constructivist, supported by a framework of self-determination theory. I collected the data via participant observation, focus groups, semi-structured interviews and blogging. The sample consisted of 22 female students between 9 and 10 years old. I used inductive and deductive thematic analysis to examine the data. The findings indicate that the technological affordances of tablets, their capacity to mediate and encourage social interaction and collaborative learning, and the overall positive experience of tablet-based EFL learning powerfully motivate children to use tablets to learn English both in classroom settings and beyond. These influential factors were found to elicit, enhance and sustain the intrinsic motivation (IM) and self-regulation of the young EFL participants. The children were highly intrinsically motivated and positively self-regulated by the use of tablet apps to learn English both in the classroom and outside the school setting. Self-determination types such as IM accomplishment, IM knowledge, IM stimulation and identified regulation of external motivation were observed in the data. These findings suggest that the experience of learning via apps was both enjoyable and personally meaningful. However, the students’ self-determination appeared to be affected by certain factors related to the use of tablets (digital and social factors) and apps (app features) that reduced their motivation to deploy these learning tools. The findings of this thesis provide language instructors and researchers, policy-makers and app developers with insights into the educational and motivational tools afforded by tablets and tablet apps for English-language learning, and the factors that enhance or reduce young EFL students’ self-determination to use these tools for learning. In addition, recommendations are made for future research in this area