Leadership

Sensor-Based IoET To Facilitate Learning For Children In Rural Thailand

The use of Internet of Things devices in the classroom can have major educational benefits and appeal to both genders if designed and used in the right way, according to new research carried out by the University of Kent.

Researchers from the School of Engineering and Digital Arts (EDA) worked in primary schools in northern Thailand to test how a specially designed Internet of Educational Things (IoET) device could improve both active learning engagement and outcomes. 

The IoET device featured several components, such as a light reader and temperate monitor, which could then send data wirelessly to tablet computers the children had already been provided with by the Thai government. Students using the tool were able to carry out experiments in a variety of ways, such as using its camera to take photos or videos and compare them, monitoring changes in temperature in the objects being studied or measuring the amount of light passing through an object. 

Researchers found that the children using the tool had markedly higher learning engagement and crucially improved learning outcomes than that of a control class that did the same experiments but without access to the device. 

Furthermore, the feedback also showed that gender, age and prior use of technology had no impact on learning outcomes, underlining its educational potential. 

In particular, the positive feedback by both males and females demonstrates that, despite previous studies suggesting boys are more receptive to technology-based learning, it is possible to design tools and platforms that can be used equally well by both sexes. 

Key Points: 

  • The results from this study suggest that technology could be useful in improving educational outcome in underdeveloped areas. Compared to prior studies, the current study was based on rural schools in Thailand, where the technology infrastructure was often obsolete and students generally had less experience and more anxiety towards computer technology than their urban counterparts. 
  • The results from this study show that students who had used IoET to carry out the scientific learning activities had higher improvements in meaningful learning and acquired content knowledge when compared to a control condition. 
  • Another aspect which could have contributed to the higher learning outcome was the rich hands-on learning experience from the students’ interactions as they used the technology to observe various objects during the learning activities and manipulated the variables of the environment to understand their effects. 
  • Students using IoET technology demonstrated higher learning engagement in all four categories compared to the control group. Specifically, students who used the device had higher interest/ enjoyment and less pressure/tension. 
  • Prior studies found that disparities between rural and urban education and ethnicity in Thailand have resulted in imbalanced economic and social development and thus educational inequalities. Interestingly, gender, ethnicity, prior experience with technology and home location did not influence the learning outcome or the learning engagement for students in the IoET group. 
  • The results from the evaluation in this study adds to our existing repertoire of knowledge, showing how mobile and IoET technology could be used to enhance learning, as well as examining the implications of student demographics for those using IoET technology. 

WEB LINK 

Investigating The Use Of Sensor-Based IoET To Facilitate Learning For Children In Rural Thailand

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