A comparative analysis in evaluating ‘ThinknLearn’ from science educators and high school students perspectives

Abstract

The current use of mobile technology in the classroom has attracted many educators and researchers to develop mobile web based learning tools for educational purposes. In school science education, deductive or inductive forms of inquiry are used, while the use of abductive form of inquiry has been sparsely explored. ‘ThinknLearn’, an abductive enquiry tool, was developed and evaluated with students in earlier work. However, this paper addresses the use of such learning practice from the educators’ perspective and compares this with previous evaluations in which students were involved. This may help to investigate the longer term impact of this learning practice in classrooms as students and educators are the main stakeholders of this learning practice. Content analyses of data indicated that both educators and students support the use of ab-ductive forms of inquiry-based learning activities with mobile devices in the classroom.