Embedding Mobile Technologies in the Classroom

Dear Colleagues,

In the digital age, mobile technologies, such as hand-held tablets and smart phones, are integral to our lives, and the classroom is no exception. The recent COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the integration of mobile technologies within the education sector. Mobile technology has emerged as an enabler to teaching in the modern classroom by promoting multimodal forms of instruction and enhancing personalised learning. At the same time, the pandemic shed light on the challenges and limitations of integrating mobile technologies within education, such as the inequities in access in some settings, for certain groups of learners. Further, mobile technologies appear ubiquitous in achieving the education aspirations reflected in 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to promote inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Despite the proliferation of mobile technologies in classrooms worldwide, there remains a paucity of evidence on embedding mobile technologies in the classroom, in different settings globally, with diverse learners. 

Accordingly, this Special Issue aims to shed light on different perspectives of incorporating mobile technologies in the classroom to enhance the quality of education provision. This Special Issue seeks to collect research on experiences, attitudes, evaluations, intervention-based studies, critical reports, systematic reviews, evidence synthesis, policy reviews, and meta-analyses relating to how mobile technologies have been embedded in the classroom to support learning. 

Themes for this Special Issue include:

• Examining the impact of mobile technologies on foundational learning.
• Assessing the effectiveness of embedding mobile technologies in the classroom on students’ academic performance, social-emotional learning, and/ or motivation.
• Assessing the impact of embedding mobile technologies in the classroom on students’ behavioural, cognitive, and emotional engagement.
• Investigating the use of mobile technologies for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
• Evaluating the use of mobile technologies in inclusive education and special classrooms.
• Scrutinizing the role of mobile technologies in assessing students’ needs and abilities/ academic performance.
• Exploring the use of mobile technologies in classrooms in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
• Using mobile technologies in classrooms in conflict-affected areas.
• Uncovering teachers’ experiences, attitudes, and training needs when using mobile technologies in the classroom.
• Measuring the impact of the use of mobile technologies on students’ school attendance and engagement with the learning process.
• Exploring students’ rights when using mobile technologies for education purposes. 

Prof. Dr. Nicola Pitchford
Dr. Aida Layachi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• mobile learning technologies
• interactive app-based learning
• digital personalised learning
• foundational skills
• special education needs and disabilities (SEND)
• inclusive education
• low-and middle-income contexts (LMICs)
• teacher continuous professional development
• rights to equitable education with mobile technologies