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The Effect of Mobile Learning on School-Aged Students’ Science Achievement: A Meta-analysis

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Abstract

Building on past studies showing that mobile learning improves learning outcomes and differs within a domain (e.g., science), this meta-analysis models domain-specific differences (e.g., learning activities) that drive these differences in science performance. A systematic database search (i.e., Web of Science, JSTOR, ERIC, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations, and ACM) identified controlled experiments. A meta-analysis determined the overall effect of mobile learning on 4,145 primary and secondary school students’ science achievement, and tested for moderator effects across 57 effect sizes from 44 studies. Mobile learning increased science achievement (g = .857). Mobile learning’s effect sizes were larger for (a) inquiry or game-based learning, than other learning activities; (b) biology, and progressively smaller for earth and space sciences, chemistry, and physics; (c) activities jointly led by students and teachers, followed by those led by students; and then those led by teachers; (d) collectivistic countries than individualistic ones; and (e) primary or middle school students. Intervention duration, device type, learning environment, and publication year showed no moderation effects. Hence, a comprehensive theory of mobile learning must include age, learning approach, subject area, user roles, and cultural values. These results also suggest that science educators using mobile learning might improve student learning by (a) integrating it with science inquiry or game-based learning, (b) starting with biology before other science topics, (c) using learning activities jointly led by students and teachers, (d) starting with primary or middle school, and (e) starting with students in countries with collectivist cultural values to help one another.

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Funding

This research was supported by the 2023 Humanities and Social Science Program sponsored by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (23YJC880019) and the National Social Science Foundation for Education of China (BHA230143).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chinese Education Modernization Research Institute of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China

    Zehua Dong

  2. Special Education and Counseling, Analytics\Assessment Research Centre, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Ming Ming Chiu

  3. College of Foreign Languages, Donghua University, Shanghai, China

    Shuqi Zhou

  4. Institute of Curriculum and Instruction, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Zihong Zhang

Authors
  1. Zehua Dong
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  2. Ming Ming Chiu
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  3. Shuqi Zhou
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  4. Zihong Zhang
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Correspondence to Shuqi Zhou.

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Dong, Z., Chiu, M.M., Zhou, S. et al. The Effect of Mobile Learning on School-Aged Students’ Science Achievement: A Meta-analysis. Educ Inf Technol 29, 517–544 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12240-3

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