The quality of evidence in tablet‐assisted interventions for students with disabilities

• Published in: Journal of computer assisted learning Vol. 33; no. 6; pp. 547 - 561
• Main Authors: Kim, Min Kyung, Park, Yujeong, Coleman, Mari Beth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Wiley-Blackwell 01.12.2017; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: CAI; Computer assisted instruction; Criteria; Direct Instruction; Disabilities; Education; Educational Needs; Educational Technology; Evidence Based Practice; Feasibility studies; Fidelity; Handheld Devices; Indicators; Intervention; Learning; Literature Reviews; People with disabilities; Portable computers; procedural fidelity; Program Effectiveness; quality criteria; Quality of education; Research Design; Search process; Special education; Students; Students with disabilities; Tablets; tablet‐assisted instruction; Teaching Methods; Technology Uses in Education; Telecommunications
• ISSN: 0266-4909; 1365-2729
• DOI: 10.1111/jcal.12206

The purpose of this review is to weigh the evidence of the effectiveness of tablet‐assisted instructions (TAIs) at improving academic outcomes of students with disabilities. An extensive search process with inclusion and exclusion criteria yielded a total of 17 studies to be included in the present study: three group design studies and 14 single‐subject design studies. The quality indicators proposed by Gersten et al. () and Horner et al. () were applied to evaluate the methodological rigour of TAI studies and their feasibility to be considered evidence‐based. Results revealed that (a) most group design studies provided little information about the intervention agent and equivalence of groups across conditions, (b) the social validity of using tablets for students with disabilities was strongly established across all single‐subject design studies and (c) procedural fidelity in assessment and intervention implementation was inadequately addressed in group design studies. Although this review suggests that TAI used in single‐subject design studies can be a potentially evidence‐based practice for students with disabilities, there still remains to be established whether the group design studies can be considered evidence‐based, because of the lack of methodological rigour in group design studies. Finally, implications for future directions and practical ideas are discussed. Lay Description What is already known about this topic One of the technological advances schools have is using tablets to assist academic and behavioural learning for students with diverse learning needs. A good amount of research has documented positive effects of tablet‐assisted instruction for individuals with disabilities. As educators and students are faced with the advancement of digital learning and educational technology in schools, an investigation of the directions of research and practice toward worthwhile uses of tablet‐assisted instruction is warranted. What this paper adds This review explored the quality of tablet‐assisted instruction to determine the evidence of the effectiveness of the instruction for promoting academic outcomes of students with disabilities. The review was to determine what should be done to move the research in special education toward the goal of improving academic outcomes by using tablet‐assisted instruction. Implications for practice and/or policy There is a need to enhance the quality (e.g., methodological rigour) and the quantity of research on tablet‐assisted instruction as an evidence‐based approach. It is crucial that teachers explicitly provide systematic and explicit instruction or training on the use of tablet functions prior to instruction of target content. The field of special education must consider if quality indicators and standard criteria need re‐evaluation regarding the use of technology as learning tools in classrooms for students with disabilities.