What is known about the effective use of technology in classroom to improve student engagement and outcomes for students?

Thank you for the question you submitted to our REL Reference Desk regarding the effective use of technology in the classroom to improve student engagement and outcomes for students. We have prepared the following memo with research references to help answer your question. For each reference, we provide an abstract, excerpt, or summary written by the study's author or publisher. The references are selected from the most commonly used research resources and may not be comprehensive. Other relevant studies may exist. References are listed in alphabetical order, not necessarily in order of relevance. We have not evaluated the quality of these references but provide them for your information only.

Research References

1. Bebell, D., & O'Dwyer, L. M. (2010). Educational outcomes and research from 1:1 computing settings. Journal of Technology, Learning, And Assessment, 9(1), 5-15.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ873675
   From the abstract: “Despite the growing interest in 1:1 computing initiatives, relatively little empirical research has focused on the outcomes of these investments. The current special edition of the Journal of Technology and Assessment presents four empirical studies of K-12 1:1 computing programs and one review of key themes in the conversation about 1:1 computing among advocates and critics. In this introduction to our 1:1 special edition, we synthesize across the studies and discuss the emergent themes. Looking specifically across these studies, we summarize evidence that participation in the 1:1 programs was associated with increased student and teacher technology use, increased student engagement and interest level, and modest increases in student achievement.”
2. Cheung, A. C. K., & Slavin, R. E. (2013). The effectiveness of educational technology applications for enhancing mathematics achievement in K-12 classrooms: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 9, 88-113.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ999451
   From the abstract: “The present review examines research on the effects of educational technology applications on mathematics achievement in K-12 classrooms. Unlike previous reviews, this review applies consistent inclusion standards to focus on studies that met high methodological standards. In addition, methodological and substantive features of the studies are investigated to examine the relationship between educational technology applications and study features. A total of 74 qualified studies were included in our final analysis with a total sample size of 56,886 K-12 students: 45 elementary studies (N = 31,555) and 29 secondary studies (N = 25,331). Consistent with the more recent reviews, the findings suggest that educational technology applications generally produced a positive, though modest, effect (ES = +0.15) in comparison to traditional methods. However, the effects may vary by educational technology type. Among the three types of educational technology applications, supplemental CAI (computer-assisted instruction) had the largest effect with an effect size of +0.18. The other two interventions, computer-management learning and comprehensive programs, had a much smaller effect size, +0.08 and +0.07, respectively. Differential impacts by various study and methodological features are also discussed.”
3. Dietrich, T., & Balli, S. J. (2014). Digital natives: Fifth-grade students' authentic and ritualistic engagement with technology. International Journal of Instruction, 7(2), 21-34.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1085266
   From the abstract: “Thirty-four fifth-grade students were interviewed about classroom learning and technology. Interview data were considered through Schlechty's (2002) levels of engagement framework to explore students' authentic or ritualistic engagement during technology supported lessons. Student engagement is defined as interest in and commitment to learning. Results indicated that students were engaged in classroom learning when using technology, particularly when they had control of the technology. Control and choices inherent in the learning task support authentic engagement with lesson content more than does technology alone.”
4. Gebre, E., Saroyan, A., & Aulls, M. W. (2015). Conceptions of effective teaching and perceived use of computer technologies in active learning classrooms. International Journal of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, 27(2), 204-220.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1082880
   From the abstract: “This paper examined professors' conceptions of effective teaching in the context of a course they were teaching in active learning classrooms and how the conceptions related to the perceived role and use of computers in their teaching. We interviewed 13 professors who were teaching in active learning classrooms in winter 2011 in a large research university in Canada. The interviews captured what professors consider effective teaching, expected learning outcomes for students, instructional strategies and the role participants saw for computers in their teaching. Analysis of interview transcripts using a holistic inductive and constant comparison approach resulted in three conceptions of effective teaching: transmitting knowledge, engaging students, and developing learning independence. Professors' perception about the role and use of computers was found to be in line with their conceptions of effective teaching. Professors whose conception of effective teaching focused on developing learning independence used computers as tools for students' learning; those with a transmitting knowledge conception considered computers as a means of accessing or presenting information. Data collected from students about their use and their professors' use of computers in the course supports this conclusion. Results have implications for design of active learning environments and faculty development initiatives.”
5. Lei, J. (2010). Quantity versus quality: A new approach to examine the relationship between technology use and student outcomes. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(3), 455-472.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ880152
   From the abstract: “The author argues that to examine the relationship between technology use and student outcomes, the quality of technology use—how, and what, technology is used—is a more significant factor than the quantity of technology use—how much technology is used. This argument was exemplified by an empirical study that used both angles to examine the association between technology use and student outcomes. When only the quantity of technology use was examined, no significant association was observed. However, when the quality of technology was examined by investigating the specific types of technology uses, a significant association was identified between technology use and all student outcomes. Furthermore, different types of technology use showed different influences on specific student outcomes. General technology uses were positively associated with student technology proficiency, while subject-specific technology uses were negatively associated with student technology proficiency. Social-communication technology uses were significantly positively associated with developmental outcomes such as self-esteem and positive attitude towards school. Entertainment/exploration technology use showed significant positive association with student learning habits. None of these technology uses had significant influence on student academic outcome. Specific suggestions for integrating technology into schools and future research were provided.”
6. Murphy, D. (2016). A literature review: The effect of implementing technology in a high school mathematics classroom. International Journal of Research in Education and Science, 2(2), 295-299.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1105104
   From the abstract: “This study is a literature review to investigate the effects of implementing technology into a high school mathematics classroom. Mathematics has a hierarchical structure in learning and it is essential that students get a firm understanding of mathematics early in education. Some students that miss beginning concepts may continue to struggle with mathematical computation and concepts throughout the educational experience. One learning strategy that can be implemented throughout the curriculum that can help students succeed in mathematics is the use of technology in the pedagogy of the classroom. To this end, this literature review is to stimulate reflection on the effect of using technology in the high school mathematics classroom since it can help engage students in the learning process, allow students to have a higher accuracy with computational tasks, help create a less-anxious mathematics environment for students, help motivate students, and help students get a deeper understanding of the mathematical content.”
7. Sawang, S., O'Connor, P., & Ali, M. (2017). IEngage: Using technology to enhance students' engagement in a large classroom. Journal of Learning Design, 10(1), 11-19.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1127721
   From the abstract: “This paper aims to answer how we can increase students' engagement in a large class. We hypothesised that the use of KeyPad, an interactive student response system, can lead to enhanced student engagement in a large classroom. We tested a model of classroom technology integration enhancing the students' engagement among first year undergraduate students (n = 131). This study provides evidence of significant effect of positive attitude and social pressure on the intent to use KeyPads. In turn, the intent to use KeyPads leads to the actual use of KeyPads which is directly associated with the level of student engagement. In addition, we find evidence for the relationship between extraversion and level of engagement such that compared to extrovert students, introvert students felt more engaged.”
8. Sparks, R. J. (2013). Flipping the classroom: An empirical study examining student learning. Journal of Learning in Higher Education, 9(2), 65-70.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1144133
   From the abstract: “Flipping the classroom is the latest reported teaching technique to improve student learning at all levels. Prior studies showed significant increases in learning by employing this technique. However, an examination of the previous studies indicates significant flaws in the testing procedure controls. Moreover, most studies were based on anecdotal observations and not quantitative methods of analysis. This studied examined the true learning improvements attributed to the flipped classroom method. The results indicate that flipping the classroom did improve the test scores for 14% of the students and 88% of the students self-reported that the flipped classroom resulted in more effective learning. However, overall class test scores did not support that flipping the classroom improved the entire class. In fact, 81.5% of the students showed no significant improvement and 3.7% showed lower test scores using the flipped classroom method. The flipped classroom does have the benefit of increasing time on task for the student by using technology to increase learning time outside the classroom. However, this technique is only effective because students spend more time learning the material. Any method that gives more time to learn the material will result in increased learning. The true value of the flipped classroom appears to be not in the method but in the use of technology to increase the time students spend learning.”
9. Tamim, R. M., Bernard, R. M., Borokhovski, E., Abrami, P. C., & Schmid, R. F. (2011). What forty years of research says about the impact of technology on learning: A second-order meta-analysis and validation study. Review of Educational Research, 81(1), 4-28.
   https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ920988
   From the abstract: “This research study employs a second-order meta-analysis procedure to summarize 40 years of research activity addressing the question, does computer technology use affect student achievement in formal face-to-face classrooms as compared to classrooms that do not use technology? A study-level meta-analytic validation was also conducted for purposes of comparison. An extensive literature search and a systematic review process resulted in the inclusion of 25 meta-analyses with minimal overlap in primary literature, encompassing 1,055 primary studies. The random effects mean effect size of 0.35 was significantly different from zero. The distribution was heterogeneous under the fixed effects model. To validate the second-order meta-analysis, 574 individual independent effect sizes were extracted from 13 out of the 25 meta-analyses. The mean effect size was 0.33 under the random effects model, and the distribution was heterogeneous. Insights about the state of the field, implications for technology use, and prospects for future research are discussed.”

Additional Organizations to Consult

• EdSurge: https://www.edsurge.com/research
  From the website: “We collaborate with organizations to investigate and make sense of complex educational and edtech issues so that practitioners can build community, experiment with new practices and make informed decisions to improve teaching and learning.”
• National Education Association: http://www.nea.org/
  From the website: “The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.”
• The Office of Educational Technology: https://tech.ed.gov/
  From the website: “The U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology (OET) develops national educational technology policy and establishes the vision for how technology can be used to transform teaching and learning and how to make everywhere, all-the-time learning possible for early learners through K-12, higher education, and adult education.”
• Regional Educational Laboratory Program: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midwest/publications/education_technology.aspx
  From the website: “The ten Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) work in partnership to conduct applied research and trainings with a mission of supporting a more evidence-based education system.”

Methods:

Search Strings. Search Strings. Technology use classroom student achievement OR technology use classroom student outcomes engagement OR effective use technology student engagement OR education technology student achievement OR educational technology student engagement

Searched Databases and Resources.

• ERIC
• Academic Databases (e.g., EBSCO databases, JSTOR database, ProQuest, Google Scholar)
• Commercial search engines (e.g., Google)

Reference Search and Selection Criteria. The following factors are considered when selecting references:

• Date of Publication: Priority is given to references published in the past 10 years.
• Search Priorities of Reference Sources: ERIC, other academic databases, Institute of Education Sciences Resources, and other resources including general internet searches
• Methodology: Priority is given to the most rigorous study types, such as randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs, as well as to surveys correlational designs, descriptive analyses, mixed methods analyses and literature reviews.