About
This Students’ Voices website gathers research on the views and expectations of students about learning with technologies.
Recently research was completed which listened to and analysed these views and expectations, conducted in Australia and The Netherlands. New research is planned to build upon these findings in 2010 and the results and plans of all research will be presented here. The overarching question for the completed Students’ Voices I research conducted in both countries was:
What are the views of students and early career educators, about learning with technologies in education and training?
The main research question for the Students’ Voices II research will be: ‘
Which characteristics in successful learning practices implementing Web 2.0 technologies may serve as a role model for redesigning learning environments in similar contexts?
Students’ Voices 1
In 2008 and 2009, students in primary and secondary schools, in vocational education and training (VET), and students in universities studying to become teachers, contributed to the Students’ Voices I research based upon their current experiences and views. Early career teachers, in their first five years of teaching, were asked to reflect on their experiences as pre-service teachers. Data was collected through online surveys and focus groups. The research design was informed by a literature review, which is also available.
The purposes of the Students’ Voices I research were:
- A. To gain an improved and contemporary understanding of the expectations and experiences of learners and early career educators, of how information and communication technologies (ICT) may be utilized to improve learning outcomes; and
- B. To develop a better understanding of students’ and educators’ requirements regarding ICT in education and training.
Access to technologies for teaching and learning
The data collected in the Students’ Voice I research shows that within their educational institutions and at home, students in all cohorts and early career educators have access to and use a range of technologies for teaching and learning purposes, but in particular, use computers and the Internet. Access and convenience to computers and the Internet within education and training institutions varied for the different respondent groups, according to specific locations, including within their education and training institutions.
In general, in both Australia and The Netherlands, the use of the computer and Internet for educational purposes by students increases as the students get older and progress through the respective levels of education. Adult participants in all groups in both countries indicated they use technologies to research information; for communication and group work activities with other students and educators; for solving problems; presenting assignments; and for reflection, planning and for creative purposes.
Benefits of including technologies in education
All cohorts indicated the importance of high quality teachers who form positive relationships and can construct relevant and engaging learning contexts, with and without technologies. Survey and focus group responses identified the following benefits of including technologies in education and training:
- Access to detailed and easy-to-access information;
- Skill building through problem-solving;
- Development of maths and other literacies;
- Opportunities to practice tasks;
- Increased motivation to learn through self-directed and interest-focused work;
- Improved presentation of work including the use of office productivity and multi-media software applications;
- Personalized learning that supports different learning styles and levels; and
- Increased control of their own learning.
Communication
The value of technologies for communication and group work activities was also recognised by all cohorts in both countries. Tertiary students in particular, indicated they value communication with their lecturers through using technologies such as email and discussion lists. Despite students’ preferences for varying approaches to learning however, many students reported their classroom activities often involve considerable teacher/lecturer information-giving. This was reported to be particularly so for pre-service teachers in Australia and secondary students in The Netherlands.
Online games and social media
Online games and social networking and media sites were reported to be of interest and were reported to be used frequently by many respondent groups in both countries, particularly outside of educational institutions. Despite some concerns about possible distractions, over half of the respondents from most groups indicated that educational games should be more widely used because of their motivational and educational benefits, although Australian pre-service and early career teachers were less convinced of this than other cohorts.
The value of social networking sites for learning received variable responses. MSN was commonly identified as ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ being used across all groups. Unique to secondary students in Australia however, was the extent of their involvement in chatting online with other students in regard to their studies, with over 70% of Australian online survey respondents indicating they did so.
Social networking sites for schoolwork?
There were mixed responses about the value of Myspace, Instant Messaging, and Facebook. Although 50% of Australian primary students reported using MSN for learning, around 70% of these primary students indicated they believe sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube are more for fun than for learning, and should be accessed from home rather for from schools. On the other hand, about half of the post-school, adult respondents in Australia disagreed with the younger students. The Australian adult students instead indicated they believe social networking and media sites such as YouTube and Flickr can be used for educational purposes.
Expectations of teachers and schools
All respondents in both countries indicated they have high expectations about access to and use of computers and the Internet at various education and training locations and want intranet access from home. Australian respondents also indicated they expect teachers and lecturers to have confidence in using technologies and to use email to communicate with them.
About a third of adult participants in Australia indicated they believe that improving lecturers’ knowledge of online games would improve students’ learning. Issues such as plagiarizing, distractions in lessons caused by playing games, online bullying, and viruses were raised by some in focus groups. In the surveys however, these issues were not seen as a concern by around half of Australian respondents in all groups.
All cohorts in both countries emphasized the importance of receiving more formative feedback from their teachers and/or lecturers. Participants in both countries also indicated they would like greater variety and more interesting learning approaches, more personalized learning that caters for their individual requirements, and the opportunity for individual help. Importantly however, focus group respondents in Australia highlighted the importance of face-to-face teaching aided by technologies, rather than advocating only face-to-face or only online learning. Furthermore, while more up-to-date technology, faster Internet speed, and more accessible computers such as laptops, were suggested by respondents, particularly in Australia, the quality of the teachers and lecturers was reiterated across all cohorts.
These results suggest multiple possibilities for the effective implementation of ICT. It is clear that it is useful to continue research that focuses on the ideas and contributions of young teachers and students.
Latest news
- The Students’ Voice in learning practices implementing web 2.0: read the report!
- Students’ Voices at Interdidatica 2010
- International Advisory Board for book Student Reactions to Learning with Technologies
- Students’ Voices II: A Theoretical Background
- Students’ Voices at CoSN 2010 : Paving The Way To The Future of Learning From The Web
- Call for Chapter Proposals: Student Reactions to Learning with Technologies
- International interest in Students’ Voices research
- Students’ Voices at Learning And Technology World Forum 2010
- Slidecasts of Students’ Voices session Online Educa
- Students’ Voices at World Forum and CoSN Conference 2010
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Download the research findings and articles about the Students' Voices research into the ideas, expectations and experiences of pupils, students and early-career teachers with respect to the implementation of ICT in learning processes.
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Students' Voices is an international initiative which aims to build collaborations between countries interested in listening to the views of students about learning with technologies.
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