ERIC Number: EJ1134915
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-May
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-0100
EISSN: N/A
From Challenging Assumptions to Measuring Effect: Researching the Nokia Mobile Mathematics Service in South Africa
Roberts, Nicky; Spencer-Smith, Garth; Vänskä, Riitta; Eskelinen, Sanna
South African Journal of Education, v35 n2 Article 1045 May 2015
This paper reports on the analysis of the voluntary uptake and use of the "Nokia Mobile Mathematics" service by 3,957 Grade 10 learners. It measures the effect of the service on the school Mathematics attainment of 1,950 of these learners over one academic year. The study reveals that 21% of Grade 10 Mathematics learners voluntarily and regularly made use of this mobile learning resource outside of school time, with little involvement from their teachers. We found that across the group of 1,950 learners, there was an average decline in Mathematics attainment from Grade 9 to Grade 10 of 15 percentage points. We further found that there was a significant difference in the percentage point shifts of the group of non-users (zero questions), where there was a mean decline of 19 percentage points compared to the group of "regular/extensive users" (151+ questions), where the mean decline was 11.5 percentage points. This difference in means was significant (t (1344) = 8.0, p = 2.2 x 10[superscript -15]), with a small to medium effect size (d = 0.45). Research limitations and directions for future research are discussed in light of these findings.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Telecommunications, Technology Uses in Education, Handheld Devices, Educational Technology, Mathematics Instruction, Grade 10, Teaching Methods, Secondary School Mathematics, Quasiexperimental Design, Control Groups, Experimental Groups, Integrated Learning Systems, Mathematics Achievement, Program Effectiveness
Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Tel: +27-12-420-5798; Fax: +27-12-420-5511; Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 10; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A