Forbidden fruit? Student views on the use of tablet PCs in education

ABSTRACT

In the Republic of Ireland, the decision to introduce interactive technology into secondary schools is typically made at the school level. Tablet PCs are argued to be one form of technology with the potential to promote more student-centred teaching and learning. This article qualitatively examines the student voice on the benefits, drawbacks and potential for this technology, drawing on a thematic analysis of 32 semi-structured student focus group interviews from a theoretical sample of 10 secondary schools of differing ICT orientation. A key finding is that tablet PCs provide another way to actively engage students – provided other conditions such as reliable school and home Internet are satisfied. The article also highlights how students could play an important role in school decision making in this area. Findings suggest that maximising the benefits of this new technology requires ongoing evidence and evaluation, especially during a time of rapid technological advancement.

KEYWORDS:

• Student voice
• tablet PCs
• broadband
• mobile technology
• learning

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the support of the case study schools for their cooperation with the research and for facilitating the visit from the research team. Some special thanks go to the interview participants who dedicated their time and opinion, especially to the students who provided thoughtful, insightful feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The term ‘secondary school’ refers to all second-level school types in Ireland.

2. A small proportion of students take the Leaving Certificate Applied programme, a more vocationally oriented programme that does not allow direct entry into higher education. Students can take a three-year senior cycle programme, beginning with the Transition Year programme, designed to act as a bridge between Junior and Leaving Certificate programmes.

3. The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Irish Schools (DEIS) scheme delivers additional funding to schools serving more disadvantaged populations. School social mix has proved an important factor shaping student development and post-school outcomes (McCoy et al., 2014).

4. The home–school–community liaison scheme is aimed at promoting partnership between parents and teachers to encourage students to continue in the education system.

5. The School Completion Programme is designed to improve retention among at-risk students.

6. This would equate to 3–6% of a class of 25 or 30 students, respectively.

Additional information

Funding

We are grateful for funding from the ESRI Programme of Research in Communications, which is in turn is funded by contributions from Ireland’s Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and the Commission on Communications Regulation (ComReg). The usual disclaimer applies.

Notes on contributors

Bryan Coyne

Bryan Coyne worked as a Research Assistant at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin and is currently completing a PhD in Economics at Trinity College, Dublin.

Selina McCoy

Dr Selina McCoy is an Associate Research Professor and Head of Education Research at the Economic and Social Research Institute, and Adjunct Professor of Sociology at Trinity College Dublin. She has 25 years’ applied research experience, publishing in excess of 140 articles and books, addressing key education policy issues in Ireland and from a comparative perspective.