One-to-one initiatives have been linked to making school more engaging for today’s digital natives, but the evidence is not decisive about whether they increase student achievement. McConnel (2018) listed the following as some of the indicators that have been used to measure student engagement: attendance, attitude, sense of community, goal setting, reflection, and motivation. McConnel (2018) indicate that goal-setting and self-reflection increased student motivation, which led to more engagement.
Research has shown that students are looking for things to stimulate them intellectually in the classroom. The 2006 High School Survey of Student Engagement (Voices of Students on Engagement, 2007) surveyed 81,499 students in 110 schools from 26 different states to understand what students think about the life and work of their high schools. In analyzing the survey data, three primary dimensions of engagement were developed: Cognitive / Intellectual / Academic Engagement, Social / Behavioral / Participatory Engagement, and Emotional Engagement. The survey showed that 43% of respondents spend one hour or less on written homework each week and 55% of respondents spend one hour or less each week on reading/studying for class. Fifty percent of the students reported that they are bored in high school every day, and 17% say they are bored in every class. Students were also asked to identify the kinds of class work that would excite or engage them in the learning.
Overall, students were most engaged by teaching methods in which they learn with their peers or where the students were active participants in the learning. The most engaging methods identified by the respondents were discussion and debate, group projects, presentations, role plays, and art and drama activities. Teacher lecture was the least engaging activity identified by the students.
When one-to-one initiatives are implemented, students are more engaged. One-to-one initiatives have been found to support the transition to learner-centered classrooms (Varier et al. 2017). In one project, (Indiana’s TECH-KNOW-Build Project, 2006), teachers reported, anecdotally, that students had greater engagement in their assigned work, increased motivation, fewer behavioral referrals, and higher attendance. However, analysis of achievement data and writing assessments showed few differences between one-to-one students and students in more traditional settings. According to Indiana’s TECH-KNOW-Build Project (2006), students learned practical skills and believed that laptops help them learn and that their 21st century learning skills increased.
Lowther, Inan, Ross & Strahl (2012) noted improvements in student engagement and attentiveness in comparison to control students learning without the aid of a personal technology device. One-to-one initiatives have demonstrated a decrease in classroom discipline problems, which in turn may promote increased student engagement (Shapley, Sheehan, Sturges, Caranikas-Walker, Huntsberger, & Maloney, 2006). Studies have shown that one-to-one computing brings about increased student engagement; decreased disciplinary problems; increased use of computers for writing, analysis, and research; and a movement towards student-centered classrooms (Bebell & Kay, 2010). The use of technology in the classroom can improve motivation and interest levels for students who have an interest in technology. Improved motivation to learn and engagement in learning activities could, in turn, lead to an increase in time spent on learning activities and higher quality work (Islam & Gronlund, 2016). Much evidence suggests that one-to-one initiatives enhance students’ academic engagement and motivation, quality of academic work, independent learning, computing skills, and collaboration. Teachers are reported to benefit from engaging with flexible teaching, collaboration, and professional development.
However, it is still unclear whether one-to-one initiatives will lead to improved standardized test scores because most of the studies on one-to-one initiatives look at grade point averages as indicators of achievement but not standardized test scores (Islam & Gronlund, 2016). Varier et al. (2017) found positive outcomes associated with the implementation of one-to-one initiatives; however, there are mixed results whether they are reaching optimal outcomes on standardized tests.
