A systematic review of tablet use in primary education
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A systematic review of tablet use in
primary education*
Revisión sistemática sobre el uso de la
tableta en la etapa de educación primaria
María-Carmen RICOY, PhD. Associate Professor. Universidad de Vigo (cricoy@uvigo.es).
Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ, PhD. Professor of Practice. Universidad de Vigo (c.sanchez@uvigo.es).
Abstract: axes/categories of the topic of study. The in-
The great social changes caused by the formation extracted was subjected to content
development of digital technologies have analysis and contingency analysis. The lat-
also started to transform the field of educa- ter made it possible to identify the relation-
tion thanks to the incorporation of new de- ship between the qualitative variables and
vices into the learning process. The purpose the temporal perspective, based on Cramér’s
of this research is to provide a comprehen- V. This study’s findings show that tablets are
sive and up-to-date overview of the state of used in the classroom and at home, although
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
the question based on a review of scientific the types of activities differ. In the school
literature regarding primary-school chil- context, it is worth noting the existence of
dren’s use of tablets and changes that can be patterns of practices connected to searching
attributed to it. A fundamentally qualitative online for curriculum content and creating
revista española de pedagogía
methodology with a narrative approach was it, as well as communication and interaction.
used in this research to carry out documen- The learning strategies employed are linked
tary analysis of a sample of 163 articles in- to the individualisation of education, while
dexed in Web of Science, Scopus and ERIC. cooperative and collaborative forms are not
This sample was selected by using different encouraged enough. The indicators of the
search operators according to the respective impact of use of tablets point to an increase
* The content of this work is from a doctoral thesis (2019) on primary-school children’s use of tablets.
Revision accepted: 2020-02-22.
This is the English version of an article originally printed in Spanish in issue 276 of the revista española de
pedagogía. For this reason, the abbreviation EV has been added to the page numbers. Please, cite this article as
follows: Ricoy, M.-C., & Sánchez-Martínez, C. (2020). Revisión sistemática sobre el uso de la tableta en la etapa de
educación primaria | A systematic review of tablet use in primary education. Revista Española de Pedagogía, 78 (276),
273-290. doi: https://doi.org/10.22550/REP78-2-2020-04
https://revistadepedagogia.org/ ISSN: 0034-9461 (Print), 2174-0909 (Online)
273 EVMaría-Carmen RICOY and Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ
in students’ motivation during their learn- da atendiendo a los respectivos ejes/categorías
ing, although at the same time it can also del tópico de estudio. A la información extraí-
cause distractions. da se le ha aplicado un análisis de contenido,
así como otro de contingencia. Este último ha
Keywords: tablets, primary education, di- permitido identificar la relación existente en-
dactic activities, technological change, qual- tre las variables cualitativas y la perspectiva
itative methodology. temporal, a partir de la V de Cramer. Como
resultados y conclusiones cabe destacar que la
tableta es utilizada por el alumnado tanto en el
Resumen: contexto del aula como en el hogar. No obstan-
La gran transformación social que ha ge- te, la tipología de actividades es diferente. En
nerado el desarrollo y la expansión de las TIC el ámbito escolar, cabe señalar la existencia de
comienza también a irradiar el ámbito educa- patrones de prácticas relativas a la búsqueda
tivo, una vez que se han incorporado nuevos de contenidos curriculares en Internet y sobre
dispositivos al proceso de aprendizaje. Por ello, su creación, así como para la comunicación o el
el objetivo de este trabajo es proporcionar un desarrollo de la interacción. Las estrategias de
panorama global y actualizado del estado de la aprendizaje utilizadas están ligadas con la indi-
cuestión, a partir de la revisión de la literatura vidualización de la enseñanza, encontrándose
científica, sobre el uso y los cambios atribui- poco potenciadas las de tipo cooperativo o cola-
bles a la tableta en el alumnado de educación borativo. Los indicadores sobre el impacto del
primaria. El estudio realizado se aborda desde uso de la tableta apuntan a un incremento de
una metodología esencialmente cualitativa, en- la motivación en el aprendizaje del alumnado,
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
marcada en el enfoque narrativo a través del pero también le produce distracción.
análisis documental, con una muestra de 163
artículos de revistas indexadas en Web of Scien- Descriptores: tableta, educación primaria,
ce, Scopus y ERIC; que fue delimitada a partir actividades didácticas, cambio tecnológico,
revista española de pedagogía
del empleo de distintos operadores de búsque- metodología cualitativa.
1. Introduction possible to produce, receive, store, share,
Digital technologies have become wide- access, and process information in dif-
spread and popular among the public. This ferent formats (images, text, sound, and
is partly a consequence of major techno- others). Applying these tools to education,
logical developments and their integration according to García-Martín and Cantón-
into everyday life. According to Camacho, Mayo (2019), enables the use of a large va-
Vera, and Méndez (2018), digital technol- riety of digital resources such as different
ogies can be defined as the intersection of search engines, wikis, blogs, instant mes-
various technological tools that make it saging, podcasts, audio, video, etc. They
274 EVA systematic review of tablet use in primary education
also facilitate content creation, communi- patterns that result from use of tablets
cation, and collaboration with a learning by primary school pupils, considering the
community. time perspective. We also intend to con-
sider tablets’ potential in greater depth
Technology is already part of the wid- as well as the possible changes they might
er culture and environment, as it is used cause and their impact over an extended
in many of the activities in which people time period (six years). From the outset,
from different generations participate. it is to be expected that the time perspec-
While these technologies are not gener- tive will reveal indicators that reflect pro-
ally designed for educational purposes, gress. The following specific objectives
by making the appropriate choices teach- have been established:
ers can still use a wide variety of digital
resources, fundamentally to support the – Associating the settings in which
teaching-learning process. It is important tablets are used with the type of
to note that tablets are one of the digital practices students perform.
technology resources associated with the
implementation of good educational prac- – Determining the learning strategies
tices. According to Feliz-Murias and Ricoy established for classroom practices
(2015), a tablet is a small, single-piece mo- with tablets.
bile computing device that has does not
have a keyboard but does have a touch- – Discovering the impact on pupils of
screen, is very easy to use, and can access the use of tablets.
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
the internet. As this topic is current and is
of socio-educational interest, it requires a
wide range of studies. Indeed, new contri- 2. Theoretical-regulatory founda-
butions are needed to broaden the scien- tions and state of the question
revista española de pedagogía
tific literature, as there are no works that In order to discuss the results in more
offer a longitudinal overview of the use of depth later on, it is of interest to consider
tablets in primary education. the theoretical-legislative framework and
the state of the question.
This work sets out to provide a refer-
ence point displaying the findings record- 2.1. The Integration of Digital Technolo-
ed in scientific literature relating to the gies in the Education System
use of tablets, and to encourage future Digital technologies have great poten-
development of praxis relating to their tial for transmitting information and de-
use. To do this, the strengths and weak- veloping content, among other areas. Tak-
nesses detected could be a starting point ing into account the benefits that can be
for future studies and new outlooks. In attributed to digital technologies and the
line with what is stated above, this study demands of the current world, educational
aims to reveal and analyse the panora- policies in different countries include reg-
ma in scientific literature regarding the ulations to promote their use in school.
275 EVMaría-Carmen RICOY and Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ
The first institutional initiatives in to the creation of the Instituto Nacional de
Spain regarding the incorporation of dig- Tecnologías Educativas y de Formación del
ital technologies into education appeared Profesorado (National Institute of Educa-
in the 1980s (INTEF, 2017). The early tional Technologies and Teacher Training)
stages (1985-1995) saw the implementa- and the functions of the plan focus on pre-
tion of the Atenea and Mercurio projects paring and disseminating curriculum ma-
to introduce computers and video into terials and documents to support teachers,
compulsory education. Subsequently, to as well as designing and implementing
encourage the integration of the internet specific programmes. To do this, it collab-
in education, the Aldea Digital (Digital Vil- orates with Spain’s autonomous regions.
lage) project was created (1996-2000), and
the emergence of broadband and the ap- At a global level, UNESCO (2019), for
pearance of new didactic resources driven example, guides international actions with
by the internet led to the creation of the the aim of helping different countries to
Centro Nacional de Información y Comu- understand the role technology can play in
nicación Educativa (National Centre for providing inclusive, equitable, and quality
Educational Information and Communi- education by promoting lifelong learning
cation – CNICE), of which the Programa opportunities. The governments of differ-
de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Información ent countries generally take into account
y Comunicación (New Information and the recommendations of international
Communication Technologies Programme bodies to establish educational policy re-
– PNTIC), and the Centro de Innovación y lating to digital technologies through their
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
Desarrollo de Educación a Distancia (Cen- own laws.
tre for Innovation and Development of
Distance Education – CIDEAD) form part. It is worth noting some countries’
In July 2008, the CNICE was renamed the commitment to incorporating technology
revista española de pedagogía
Instituto Superior de Formación y Recur- on a large scale, although this is not with-
sos en Red para el Profesorado (Higher In- out pitfalls given a lack of training for
stitute of Online Training and Resources teachers (Yelland, 2018) and a lack of re-
for Teachers – ISFRRP), which was abol- sources to successfully face the challenge
ished in July 2009 when its functions were of giving students digital literacy. Indeed,
taken over by the Instituto de Tecnologías it is logical that the state should be a key
Educativas (Institue for Educational Tech- agent in the promotion of digital policies,
nologies – ITE), the predecessor of the cur- as Lugo and Ithurburu noted (2019) in
rent INTEF. As a result of the rise of the the case of Latin America. In Spain, for
internet and the need to improve teachers’ example, the use of digital technologies
continuous training, the Escuela 2.0 pro- in the educational system is governed by
gramme was launched in 2009. In addi- the Organic Law for Improving Educa-
tion, the Plan de Cultura Digital en la Es- tional Quality (LOMCE, 2013). At the
cuela (Digital Culture at School Plan) has primary level in particular, two of its di-
also recently been launched. This is linked dactic objectives relate to: Introducing
276 EVA systematic review of tablet use in primary education
pupils to the use of digital technologies These devices feature internet access and
(art. 17); and involving them in the con- support browsing, storage, and synchro-
struction of visual and audiovisual pro- nisation apps, among other things. Their
posals. This law also states that digital immediacy, connectivity, and accessibility
technologies will be covered in all areas are key factors for integrating them into
of the curriculum (art. 18). In fact, the the learning process.
«digital competence» this law envisages,
is intended to include informative and We agree with Moreira, Ferreira, Perei-
creative as well as critical and secure ra, and Durão (2017) that the popularity
use of digital technologies to achieve the of mobile devices, especially tablets and
objectives associated with learning, free smart phones, continues to grow thanks
time, and participation in society in the to their great versatility and multifunc-
short and medium terms, and the ones tionality. They can also enrich learning
associated with students’ employability experiences in different contexts (Cromp-
and career development as part of their ton, Burke, & Gregory, 2017). It is also
potential as citizens in the long-term. Ac- important to note the current importance
cordingly, this legislation offers teachers of ubiquitous learning, as this can be rein-
a legal basis for boosting the use of digital forced by using mobile devices. According
technologies in a school setting. to Chung, Hwang, and Lai (2019), ubiqui-
tous learning takes place in any time and
Going beyond the current legislation, place and possibilities for accessing and
Mertala (2019) notes that the main factor creating knowledge are constantly grow-
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
in whether teachers use digital technolo- ing. As a result, students can constantly
gies is the extent to which they believe learn in a multitude of contexts.
that they are integrated in the school,
demand for them and approval of them, Taking into account the possibilities
revista española de pedagogía
the teachers’ beliefs and attitudes to- for mobility that digital mobile devices of-
wards technology, and the training they fer, Derounian (2017) notes that students
receive in using technology in teaching. who use them can easily access, edit, or
All of this determines whether or not the modify content. In fact, the ubiquitous
use of digital technologies is systematic learning this type of resource favours is
and, if it is systematic, the approach to increasingly enriched and amplified, as it
innovation of which the resources will be easily transcends the walls of the class-
an essential part. room. The connection between formal
(classroom) learning settings and informal
2.2. Mobile Devices and ubiquitous ones (social networks, augmented reality,
learning: the spread of tablets etc.) provides great opportunities for life-
Tingir, Cavlazoglu, Caliskan, Koklu, & long formal and informal learning.
Intepe-Tingir (2017) classify mobile devic-
es as small touchscreen tools with wireless In the field of education, in particular
network capacity that are very practical. at the primary level, tablets are one of the
277 EVMaría-Carmen RICOY and Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ
most attractive digital resources owing to Camacho and Esteve (2018) note the
their great potential for movement and importance of tablets in teaching, given
innovation (Ricoy, Sánchez-Martínez, & the existence of different cases in which
Feliz-Murias, 2018). In fact, tablets are a curriculum content is covered in class with
type of technology that is spreading rapid- primary-school pupils to develop different
ly in education (Ditzler, Hong, & Strudler, competences. Similarly, different schools
2016). Their low cost and small size and have already integrated tablets into class-
the short amount of time it takes to un- room practice, with the aim of achieving
derstand how to use them also offer appre- more active learning and stimulating stu-
ciable benefits. Nonetheless, it should be dents’ development of academic content
noted that the inclusion of tablets in class- (Van-Hove, Vanderhoven, & Cornillie,
room settings is still not common, even if 2017). Indeed, they have a positive impact
they are a valuable option. on motivation, even if the «din» created in
the classroom can be a possible negative
Suárez-Guerrero, Lloret-Catalá, and effect. This can detract from learning at
Mengua-Andrés (2016) examined the im- school, especially in the early stages of in-
pact of tablets in the classroom by study- clusion of tablets.
ing the «Samsung Smart School» project
(sponsored by Samsung and Spain’s Minis-
try of Education in the 2014-2015 academ- 3. Material and Methods
ic year in years 5 and 6 of primary educa- This research uses a qualitative ap-
tion), which was implemented in 15 centres proach in a narrative focus. It comprises
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
and was developed strategically all through a literature review based on a systematic
Spain. From the evaluation of curriculum analysis of scientific literature relating to
elements (objectives, implementation of the use of tablets in primary education.
content and activities, methodological fo- According to Bowen (2009), document
revista española de pedagogía
cus, didactic resources used, spatial-tem- analysis is a form of qualitative research
poral organisation, and evaluation of in which the researcher interprets docu-
learning), it is apparent that teachers use ments to give voice and meaning to their
tablets transversally to develop different content and analyse the topic in greater
competences based on doing activities us- depth.
ing apps. Likewise, in the case of Spain it
is worth noting other initiatives in primary 3.1. Sample and Data Collection Proce-
education, such as the One to One project dure
where students use a tablet to complement As this is a qualitative research pro-
their text book, or the Proyecto iPad in ject, the sample was selected in accor-
which, since the 2015-2016 academic year, dance with the criteria for inclusion and
teachers have used this device to enable exclusion established when searching for
them to guide pupils’ pace of work individ- the documents to study (Angarita, 2014).
ually. However, the evaluation of their re- Therefore, the criteria used act as a test to
sults has not yet been disseminated. limit the size of the sample (Nelson, 2016).
278 EVA systematic review of tablet use in primary education
To compile the information, we started last six years, as this topic is relatively new).
by identifying the corpus of applicable sci- When determining which articles to select,
entific journals to identify articles relevant we consulted the most prestigious indexed
to the topic of this study. In this way, the databases in the field of social sciences or in
axes of the research topic have been taken education from: Web of Science (the main
into account (considering the specific objec- collection of Web of Science); Scopus (Social
tives proposed in the introduction) and the Sciences); and Education Resources Infor-
time perspective has been considered (the mation Center (ERIC).
Table 1. Boolean operators used in preliminary and final selection.
Period Data- Field/ Topic Searched Preliminary Exclusion Definitive
base Area For Search Criteria Sample
· (Tablet* iPad)
AND Primary 235
School
Web of Science
Articles containing studies of tablets that are not in the primary education
Social · (Tablet* iPad)
Sciences AND m-learning 138 36
Citation · (Tablet* iPad)
Index AND (Primary
School AND m-lear-
ning) OR Education 410
· (Tablet* iPad)
framework and/or do not present empirical results
01-01-2013–31-12-2018
AND Primary 17
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
School
· (Tablet* iPad)
Scopus
Social AND m-learning 8 34
Sciences · (Tablet* iPad)
AND (Primary
School AND m-lear-
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ning) OR Education 138
· (Tablet OR iPad)
AND Primary 111
School
· (Tablet OR iPad)
ERIC
Education AND m-learning 18 93
· (Tablet OR iPad)
AND (Primary
School AND m-lear-
ning) OR Education 742
Total 1817 163
Legend: ( ) = Includes the expression used for the preliminary selection and final sample
with the different search operators; * = To search for any number of characters based on
the term presented; AND = To find articles that include all of the search terms; OR = To
locate articles that include at least one of the terms.
Source: Own elaboration.
279 EVMaría-Carmen RICOY and Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ
Various search operators were used to cess through university libraries; setting out
collect information, depending on the study empirical results whether from quantitative,
topic (see Table 1). Logically, articles are qualitative, or mixed studies indistinctly.
only selected for analysis once, even if they
are indexed in several databases. There- It should be noted that the inventory be-
fore, articles already found in another one fore the definitive sample comprised 1,817
of the databases were rejected. The follow- articles of which only 163 complied with
ing sequential order was used to make the the stated conditions and criteria for final
selection: Web of Science, Scopus and ERIC. selection. The articles that were excluded,
even if they contained studies relating to
Articles that complied with the following the use of tablets, were not in the frame-
specific criteria were included in the final work of primary education, and/or did not
sample: journal articles relating to the use present empirical results. The selection
of tablets in primary education; published made is set out in detail according to the
from January 2013 to December 2018 (ear- different databases used, showing the type
lier years were rejected as output was scarce of database in which the study is published,
given that tablets went on sale in 2010); its year of production, and the axes or main
available in full text with free access or ac- categories of analysis (Table 2).
Table 2. Databases, axes of analysis, and period analysed.
Category axes
Context Practice Strategy Impact Preliminary Exclusion Final
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
Sample Criteria Sample
Frequency (f) n* n*
ERIC:
817 817 433 752 871 93
not in the framework of primary education
Articles that contain studies on tablets but
Education
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Database
and/or do not present empirical results
SCOPUS:
Social 113 113 67 98 163 34
Sciences
WoS:
732 732 469 734 783 36
SSCI
2018 423 423 208 383 436 39
Period 2013–2018
2017 398 398 202 353 413 37
2016 298 298 183 258 301 27
2015 163 163 125 238 267 24
2014 174 174 134 166 189 17
2013 206 206 117 186 211 19
Total: 1.817 163
Legend: n*= no. of preliminary/final articles from each database. The data relating to the preli-
minary and final selection of the sample are presented on a dark background.
Source: Own elaboration.
280 EVA systematic review of tablet use in primary education
Following use of the criteria-based the basis of the stated criteria and
selection, the final sample (163) included they are examined from an essential-
around 10% of the preliminary sample. ly qualitative perspective, which also
makes it possible to count the subcate-
3.2. Data Analysis gories obtained.
The results section presents the
information extracted from the ar- In order to analyse the content,
ticles in the selected scientific jour- five working sessions were held with
nals, which was subjected to a content a group of 6 experts (specialists in the
analysis. In accordance with Titscher, study topic and in qualitative method-
Michael, Wodak, and Fetter (2002), ology). Based on their opinions, we de-
in the content analysis process, after cided to perform ad hoc determination
sampling, the axes or central catego- of the categories or 1st level axes based
ries of analysis are identified and de- on their relationship with the general
fined. The information is then codified objective, as the nexus of the research,
around these main units of analysis, and the 2nd and 3rd level subcate-
assigning the it to the different sub- gories based on their connection to
categories. The data are accessed on the specific objectives (see Table 3).
Table 3. Delimitation of Categories.
Categorisation
Ad hoc delimitation
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
Defining Category
1st 2nd and
Criteria Principal Names
level 3rd level
Categories (1st level)
Grouping done in
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accordance with the
Physical context Context
type of context in which
tablets are used. and classification
Determination associated with
Delimitation of practices
specific study objectives
linked to Names established based on associated with
specific the type of practices carried use of tablets Practices
objectives and out using tablets.
originating
through an Actions aimed
inductive Configuration determined
at creating
process, in based on the learning
learning by
accordance strategies employed with Strategies
carrying out
with the raw students when using
practices with
information tablets.
tablets.
obtained.
Labels established based Effects on pupils
on the impact of the use deriving from the Impact
of tablets. use of tablets.
Source: Own elaboration.
281 EVMaría-Carmen RICOY and Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ
Furthermore, this analysis was performed performed shows that use of tablets as a
using an inductive process starting from working instrument with the class-group
the raw data handled using the AQUAD is positively valued for finding curricu-
program (version 7), which allowed an in- lum content and for other academic
depth analysis. practices. The possibilities tablets and
the internet offer, even if they are asso-
Furthermore, with the aim of strength- ciated with leisure, especially in the con-
ening the analysis of the categories from text of the home, make them an appeal-
the time perspective, a contingency ing didactic instrument. See for example,
analysis was also performed to provide the following extract:
robust indicators. Based on the frequen-
Tablets are very attractive for children
cies of the named subcategories, we used
and adolescents because they combine the
Cramér’s V (a measure based on χ2) to
functions of other devices. Using them
calculate the value of the intercorrelation connected to home Wi-Fi enables children
between the qualitative variables and the to: follow on-demand children’s television
time perspective, for a confidence interval channels; watch films and children’s series
(CI) of 95 % and p ≤ 0.05. Cramér’s V can on platforms like Yomvi; listen to music
have a maximum value of 1, reflecting and watch videos on YouTube; and play
the highest level of association between on their own or online (around the age of
the variables, while 0 reflects a lack of 11). Over the years, use of tablets comes
dependence. A Cramér’s V value greater to form part of the world of education, be-
than 0.3 is regarded as significant in the coming useful tools as an electronic book
and for searching for information (Torde-
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
social sciences. The execution of these
cillas-Lacave, Vázquez-Barrio, & Montea-
analyses was monitored using an Excel
gudo-Barandalla, 2017, p. 100).
template, which included the formula for
doing the calculations. It is important to note that some of the
revista española de pedagogía
research analysed (21/163) refers to use of
tablets at home and in the classroom in-
4. Results terchangeably. However, the present study
In this section, the results obtained shows that there are differences in terms
are presented, based on the three princi- of the patterns of practices primary edu-
pal 1st level categories/axes, that connect cation students do depending on where
with the specific research objectives. they use tablets. For example, classroom
activities are almost always subordinat-
4.1. Context and Classification of Prac- ed to work on curriculum content, while
tices Associated with Tablets at home tablets are commonly used for
With regards to the context in which recreational purposes (with games and
tablets are used with primary-school pu- social or entertainment-educational apps),
pils, the classroom setting is most com- albeit without neglecting the academic
mon (f = 105/163) with the home (f = homework teachers set. Doing this re-
37/163) being less common. The analysis quires the direct involvement of the family.
282 EVA systematic review of tablet use in primary education
The various groups involved in the riculum content (conceptual, procedural,
teaching-learning process (teachers, par- or attitudinal), communication, interac-
ents, and pupils), depending on their role, tivity, and content creation (Table 4). The
display a positive reaction to tablets, es- search and creative activities (for exam-
pecially in the classroom setting. Even ple, finding information about a writer
so, the results obtained show that there and preparing a presentation about his
is little variety in the activities carried or her life story, work, etc.) are part of
out using this device and that the types the new management and production
of use do not differ greatly from those as- of knowledge. Through them, students
sociated with other traditional materials. can actively produce and share different
Nonetheless, tablets are almost always initiatives. Likewise, practices relating
stimulating for students, as they permit to communication (including ones done
the use of a multitude of resources and through a blog focusing on the subject
contribute to the development or im- of the environment) and on interactive
provement of students’ capacities. Sim- work (as in the case of students recording
ilarly, their novelty also contributes to videos about their family or collecting lo-
their appeal. cal traditions) occur commonly and facili-
tate feedback for students from different
Among the types of practices imple- members of the community (adults and
mented using tablets, it is worth noting peers) or from people outside the learning
those associated with searching for cur- community.
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
Table 4. Categorisation of activities performed using tablets.
Category: 1st and 2nd level Period: 2013–2018
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 n* = 163 Cramér’s V
Practices
Σ
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Frequency
Searching for content 8 11 22 19 30 37 127
Communication 7 5 10 14 18 29 83
0.080
Interactive work 5 3 6 9 9 11 43
Content creation 2 3 3 5 8 11 32
Legend: n* = total no. of articles analysed.
Source: Own elaboration.
The analysis performed shows that Thus, teachers improved the abilities
tablets boost students’ creativity and in- of students to create and distribute infor-
centivise creation of their own curriculum mation, for example, to become informa-
content and its reprocessing; consequently, tion producers, in addition to consume
existing knowledge.
students become producers of information
as well as consumers. The following ex-
tract supports this (Shamir-Inbal & Blau, Tablets’ portability and connectivity
2016, p. 986). make them ideal devices for communication 283 EVMaría-Carmen RICOY and Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ
and socialisation activities in which the 4.2. Learning strategies established for
students essentially work with their use of tablets
peers; this makes it possible to develop It has been found that tablets help en-
socio-communicative competence effec- courage a different way of working, as
tively, supporting and incentivising the teachers and students have more options
use of linguistic and social skills. for varying educational tasks by accessing
the internet. Accordingly, one of the strong
Regarding possible effects linked to or points of tablets is associated with their mul-
deriving from the time perspective, the tiple resources and tools, which facilitate
scientific output analysed shows that the pedagogical work by helping to reformulate
patterns of practices (searching for con- or redirect the teaching-learning process.
tent, communication, interactive work,
and content creation) that derive from The study carried out shows that the prin-
the use of tablets became slightly more cipal learning strategies used with tablets are
consolidated over the last two years (2017 linked to the individualisation of the educa-
and 2018). Even so, the contingency analy- tion process (based on the use of techniques
sis carried out on these category variables that enable personalised development of
(practices carried out using tablets and learning), with fewer examples found relating
the time period examined) do not reveal to the use of cooperative strategies (through
significant differences, and do not strong- the implementation of group-work methods)
ly show a significant connection between and collaborative ones (through mechanisms/
these aspects (Cramér’s V = 0.080 with a actions focused on interaction and effective
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
CI of ≤ 0.05). engagement with peers) (Table 5).
Table 5. Strategies linked to tablets.
revista española de pedagogía
Category: 1 and 2 level
st nd
Period: 2013-2018
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 n* = 163 Cramér’s V
Strategies
f*/partial sample Σ
Collaborative 4/19 5/17 13/24 15/27 18/37 25/39 80/163
Cooperative 6/19 13/17 15/24 14/27 15/37 14/39 77/163 0.143
Individual 14/19 16/17 15/24 22/27 24/37 25/39 116/163
Legend: f*/partial sample = frequency count obtained, divided between the sample for the
subperiod analysed; n = total no. of articles analysed.
Source: Own elaboration.
It is interesting to note the large of these refer to individualised ones, 23
number of strategies listed in one sin- collaborative, and 12 cooperative); while
gle study. Nonetheless, 74 articles were 68 articles refer to 2 strategies (12 stud-
found that only present one strategy (39 ies mention collaborative and coopera-
284 EVA systematic review of tablet use in primary education
tive strategies, 24 refer to collaborative for example, the following illustrative
and individualised ones, and 32 refer fragment:
to cooperative and individualised ones),
Lesetrainer provides a web platform
and only 21 articles refer to all 3 types
for administration and three individual
of strategy (individualised, cooperative,
iPad apps for the students. On the web
and collaborative). platform, teachers can record their class-
es and create an account for each pupil.
Articles that mention two learning They can create new reading tests or use
strategies gradually become more preva- ready-created ones and adapt them for a
lent in scientific literature over time. In class. (Ebner, Schönhart, & Schön, 2014,
2013, 2014, and 2015 only 5 articles con- p. 165).
taining 2 strategies were found in each
year, in 2016, 15 articles were identified, As noted above, some activities sup-
in 2017, there was a total of 21 studies, ported by tablets involve using coopera-
and, more recently, in 2018, 17 articles tive strategies, normally to promote cre-
were detected. In view of what has been ative activities (laying out work, editing
noted, articles that refer to all 3 strat- sketches, etc.). In addition, the study
egies (individualised, cooperative, and reveals the use of collaborative dynam-
collaborative) are the least frequent type ics in the practices carried out with
and are situated in the last year of the tablets (specifically to introduce students
period analysed. In fact, no articles from to small research activities through pro-
2013 and 2014 were found thar refer to ject-based work). The following frag-
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
all three types of strategy, in 2015 and ment illustrates this. (Suárez-Guerrero,
2016 only 2 articles of this type were Lloret-Catalá, & Mengual-Andrés, 2016,
found for each year, in 2017 there was p. 86):
a total of 5 articles, and in 2018 this in-
They also find that tablets open up
revista española de pedagogía
creased to 12.
options for creativity associated with
graphical activities in the classroom,
The analysis undertaken shows editing sketches, making presentations,
that by using individualised strategies, mocking up a radio programme, research-
teachers suggest the development of ing on line, creating books, and editing
different areas for students in a person- videos and photos. All of this can be
alised way. Accordingly, students carry done not only individually but also coo-
out a variety of activities on the tablet peratively, thanks to these devices.
through web platforms or apps with a
degree of autonomy (these activities, for From the perspective of time, it is
example, include answering questions worth noting that there is a certain
on the content of a video, preparing mul- chronological development in the strate-
timedia presentations, doing a drawing gies used with tablets. In fact, in this
with an app, or solving a variety of dif- sense, we must note the increase in
ferent mathematical operations). See their visibility in academic literature in
285 EVMaría-Carmen RICOY and Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ
the last two years (2017 and 2018), espe- 4.3. The impact of tablets
cially with individualised and collabora- On the whole, the analysis carried out re-
tive strategies and with a slight reduction flects indicators that reveal a progressive and
in importance of cooperative ones as there also small positive impact (a beneficial effect
is very little change in these between on students) of the use of tablets in the time
2015 and 2018. The contingency analysis period examined (2013-2018). It is worth not-
applied to these nominal variables as a ing that the negative impact (harmful effect
group (relating to the didactic strategies on students) caused by the devices is also very
linked to the use of tablets and the peri- slight (Table 6). In fact, the contingency anal-
od examined) does not reflect significant ysis showed no significant differences deriv-
differences or a significant association be- ing from the impact produced (positive and
tween them (Cramér’s V = 0.143, for a CI negative) from a time perspective (Cramér’s
of ≤ 0.05). V = 0.057, for CI ≤ 0.05).
Table 6. Indicators to clarify the impact of tablets.
Category Period: 2013–2018
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 n* = 163 Cramér’s V
1st level 2nd level
f*/partial sample Σ
Minimises spatial-
11/19 10/17 13/24 20/27 27/37 36/39 117
temporal barriers
Active learning 5/19 6/17 13/24 11/27 12/37 14/39 61
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
Innovative/creative
5/19 3/17 6/24 10/27 16/37 17/39 57
practices
Positive impact
Personalised learning 9/19 15/17 17/24 19/27 20/37 21/39 101
Increases motivation 18/19 16/17 23/24 25/27 34/37 37/39 153
revista española de pedagogía
Develops competences 3/19 6/17 8/24 11/27 11/37 10/39 49 0.057
Improved classroom
7/19 9/17 10/24 10/27 17/37 17/39 70
atmosphere
Improved academic
3/19 4/17 9/24 15/27 17/37 18/39 66
performance
Stimulate participation 6/19 13/17 12/24 15/27 17/37 23/39 86
Negative Distraction 4/19 3/17 3/24 7/27 11/37 10/39 38
impact Wasting time 2/19 1/17 3/24 5/27 5/37 3/39 19
Legend: f*/partial sample = frequency count obtained, divided between the sample for the
subperiod analysed; n = total no. of articles analysed.
Source: Own elaboration.
The scientific literature specifically tablets as a positive impact. In particular,
identifies pupils’ increased motivation in a small increase is detected from 2016 to
their learning resulting from the use of 2018. In addition, it is important to note
286 EVA systematic review of tablet use in primary education
a slight trend in the last two years that and of creative or innovative practices that
faintly reflects a reduction in the preju- foster students’ acquisition of competences,
dicial effects of the presence of spatial- in particular transversal ones (digital com-
temporal barriers, as there has been a petence, autonomy, critical sense, etc.). An
greater expansion of ubiquitous learning. extract illustrating this is shown below
Tablets are also important for improving (Camacho & Esteve, 2018, p. 185):
students’ knowledge by expanding their
In first place, it has notably improved
space and time, at both the curriculum
basic aspects in the learning process, such
level and in general.
as classroom climate, attention and mo-
tivation. Secondly, they perceive an evi-
It has been found that when students dent improvement in the development of
use tablets inside and outside class, at students’ transversal competences, such
school or at home, they enjoy more flexibil- as autonomy, initiative, collaboration,
ity and autonomy in building and rebuild- critical thinking or digital competence,
ing their learning. The following extract among others. There is also evidence of
is an example of this (Karalar & Sidekli, a better development of specific compe-
2017, p. 967): tences, linked to areas or subjects, such
as linguistic communication or math.
By applying technology agents such
as tablets in classroom environment, tea-
It has been found that pupils’ perfor-
chers draw students’ attention to course
objectives, learning procedure, and eva- mance improves in general as a result of
luation and feedback sessions, which the positive impact of the use of tablets.
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
means keeping students «alive» during In contrast, the possibility that tablets
instructional time. Besides, students can will have a negative impact in prima-
be attached to out-of-classroom activities ry education is mainly associated with
via tablets, reinforcing their attitudes. them distracting students and various
Therefore, learning procedure can be also
revista española de pedagogía
technological problems resulting in time
transferred to anytime anywhere stu- being wasted. In this sense, the analyses
dents would like to be in. performed show that these devices can
distract the pupils’ attention if the Wi-
Other indicators of a positive impact Fi connection is lost during the learning
of the use of tablets in primary education process. They also show that time can be
relate to improved atmosphere in class. In wasted as a result of technological prob-
fact, the analyses carried out show that lems and because of restrictions different
the classroom atmosphere improves no- platforms impose or being unable to use
tably, in particular in teacher-pupil rela- web content (for example, owing to er-
tionships and relationships between peers. rors when loading pages, lack of updates,
Nonetheless, the research analysed does blocked content, etc.).
not reflect a substantial development
over time. Furthermore, the use of tablets Regarding the time element, it has
stimulates the development of active learning been shown that comments relating to a
287 EVMaría-Carmen RICOY and Cristina SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ
negative impact increased in the scientif- A small positive impact from the use
ic literature up to 2017 but fell in 2018, of tablets with primary education pupils
suggesting the existence of a future down- has been shown. This is mainly apparent
wards trend. The following extract illus- in an increase in their motivation based
trates this (Habler, Major, & Hennessy, on increased participation and the re-
2016, p. 151): moval of time barriers to learning. It is
also important to note that negative ef-
Distraction as tablets can add addition-
fects are rare.
al layers of complexity (due to technical
problems with tablet and applications
used) compared with traditional means of This work contributes to theoretical
completing similar tasks. knowledge by identifying models for prac-
tices using tablets in primary education
and a classification of the tendency of the
5. Conclusions learning strategies considered. There-
Even when they do show indicators fore, it is important to communicate it to
of change, none of the cases relating to increase awareness of a situation about
the use of digital tablets that we studied which little is currently known and where
reflects solid evolution in this use, con- improved practice is needed. As a practi-
sidering the period analysed of the last cal implication, it is worth noting that
six years (2013-2018). Nonetheless, the this study highlights components that
classification of the empirical studies provide a valuable basis for reflection to
analysed regarding the use of tablets in redirect the teaching-learning process
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020, 273-290
primary education in the specific period based on integrating tablets in pupils’ ed-
does reflect a certain progress over time ucational process.
in the six-year period.
6. Limitations and future research
revista española de pedagogía
The practices performed using tablets
are linked to limited methodological One limitation of this work is that
changes. Indeed, there is little variety in the choice of articles analysed is restrict-
the activities carried out and their pat- ed to three databases, although they are
terns differ little from those linked to the most important ones for the scien-
traditional resources. The most common tific community. Therefore, potential fu-
activity was searching for academic con- ture research could include studying this
tent and the least common related to pu- topic with a broader and more diverse
pils creating their own material. None- sample, including other articles from
theless, a slight evolution over time of journals indexed in databases which,
the practices implemented using tablets while they have less scientific recogni-
was discovered, although this has not re- tion, might include good practices. Fur-
sulted in generalised systematic use of thermore, a quantitative focus could be
them. As a result, substantial innovative applied to the study topic in future. In
processes have not been consolidated. this case, it would be important to focus
288 EVA systematic review of tablet use in primary education
Feliz-Murias, T., & Ricoy, M. C. (2015). La table-
on performing statistical analyses that
ta: fascinación por el aprendizaje ubicuo. In E.
make it possible to identify differences Vázquez-Cano & M. L. Sevillano (Eds.), Dispo-
and correlations between different coun- sitivos digitales móviles en educación (pp. 85-
tries, and between variables associated 103). Madrid: Narcea.
with the use of tablets at different edu- García-Marín, S., & Cantón-Mayo, I. (2019). Uso de
tecnologías y rendimiento académico en estu-
cational levels and in different types of diantes adolescentes. Comunicar, 59 (27), 73-81.
school (government run and private). Habler, B., Major, L., & Hennessy, S. (2016). Tablet
use in schools: A critical review of the eviden-
ce for learning outcomes. Journal of Computer
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Authors' biographies
(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Universi- María-Carmen Ricoy is a PhD in Edu-
dad de Vigo, Ourense. cational Sciences and Associate Professor
Shamir-Inbal, T., & Blau, I. (2016). Developing digital at the Universidad de Vigo, mainly deliver-
Wisdom by students and teachers: The impact of
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integrating tablet computers on learning and pe-
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gual-Andrés, S. (2016). Teachers’ perceptions
ioural Sciences, Director of doctoral theses
of the digital transformation of the classroom
through the use of tablets: A study in Spain. and Vice-Dean for Quality and Education-
Comunicar, 24 (49), 81-89. al Innovation in the Faculty of Education-
Tingir, S., Cavlazoglu, B., Caliskan, O., Koklu, O., al Sciences at the Universidad de Vigo.
& Intepe-Tingir, S. (2017). Effects of mobi-
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meta-analysis. Journal of Computer Assisted http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7074-5890
Learning, 33 (4), 355-369.
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(2002). Methods of text and discourse analysis. Doctorate in Educational Sciences and is
Londres: Sage.
Tordecillas-Lacave, T., Vázquez-Barrio, T., & Mon-
Professor of Practice at the Universidad
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los padres sobre el empoderamiento digital de and book chapters and participated in in-
las familias en hogares hiperconectados. El ternational and national conferences. She
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cacion (Consulted on 2019-05-13). ing herself to research, and also delivering
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(2017). The tablet for second language voca-
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bulary learning: Keyboard, stylus or multiple
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290 EVrevista española de pedagogía
año 78, n.º 276, mayo-agosto 2020
Spanish Journal of Pedagogy
year 78, n. 276, May-August 2020
Table of Contents
Sumario
Editorial Jesús Miguel Jornet Meliá, María Jesús Perales
Editorial Montolío, & José González-Such
The concept of validity of teaching evaluation
José Antonio Ibáñez-Martín processes
An educational consideration on the pandemic: El concepto de validez de los procesos de evaluación
endure...and progress de la docencia 233
Una consideración educativa sobre la pandemia: resistir…
Fernando Acevedo Calamet
y adelantar 181 Explanatory factors for dropout from higher education
in unfavourable socio-academic contexts
Factores explicativos del abandono de los estudios en la educación
Studies
superior en contextos socio-académicos desfavorables 253
Estudios
Bernardo Gargallo López, Fran J. García-García,
Notes
Inmaculada López-Francés, Miguel Ángel Jiménez Notas
Rodríguez, & Salomé Moreno Navarro
The learning to learn competence: An assessment María-Carmen Ricoy, & Cristina Sánchez-Martínez
A systematic review of tablet use in primary education
of a theoretical model
Revisión sistemática sobre el uso de la tableta en la etapa de
La competencia aprender a aprender: valoración de
educación primaria 273
un modelo teórico 187
Jaime Carcamo-Oyarzun, & Christian Herrmann
Construct validity of the MOBAK test battery for the
assessment of basic motor competencies in primary
school children
Validez de constructo de la batería MOBAK para la evaluación
de las competencias motrices básicas en escolares de
213 educación primaria 291Concha Iriarte Redín, Sara Ibarrola-García, & Maite Book reviews
Aznárez-Sanado
Proposal for a school mediation evaluation Esteban-Bara, F. (2019). La universidad light: Un análisis
tool (MEQ) de nuestra formación universitaria [The light university: An
Propuesta de un instrumento de evaluación analysis of our university education] (José L. González-
de la mediación escolar (CEM) 309 Geraldo). Ruiz-Corbella, M., & García-Gutiérrez, J. (Eds.)
(2019). Aprendizaje-Servicio. Los retos de la evaluación
Bruno Echauri Galván, & Silvia García Hernández [Service learning: The challenges of evaluation] (Andrea
Translating in colours: Translation as an Muñoz Villanueva). Lafforgue, L. (2019). Recuperemos la
assessment tool for reading comprehension escuela [Reclaiming the school] (Beatriz Gálvez). Ferraces-
in English as a second language Otero, M. J., Godás-Otero, A., & García-Álvarez, J.
Traducir en colores: la traducción como herramienta (2019). Cómo realizar un estudio científico en ciencias
de evaluación de la comprensión lectora en inglés sociales, de la educación y de la salud [How to do a scientific
como lengua extranjera 327 study in the social, educational, and health sciences]
(Carolina Rodríguez-Llorente). 347
This is the English version of the research articles and book reviews published orig-
inally in the Spanish printed version of issue 276 of the revista española de pe-
dagogía. The full Spanish version of this issue can also be found on the journal's
website http://revistadepedagogia.org.
ISSN: 0034-9461 (Print), 2174-0909 (Online)
https://revistadepedagogia.org/
Depósito legal: M. 6.020 - 1958
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