Learning with or without Mobile Devices? a Comparison of Traditional Schoolfield Trips and Inquiry-based Mobile Learning Activities

A central proclamation of the mobile learning field is that decontextualized traditional classroom education can be replaced, or at least complemented, with for instance inquiry-based learning in authentic contexts supported by mobile technology. This paper examines such a proclamation asking the following question: How do children’s learning processes and outcomes develop in the context of traditional inquiry-based field trips without technology and in the context of inquiry-based field trips with technological support? A quasi-experimental study was designed to examine the research question. The treatment group in the study consisted of one group of 15 students performing a mobile supported natural science inquiry-based learning activity while the control group also comprised of 15 students performing a so-called traditional natural science field-activity without mobile support. To study potential learning advantages and disadvantages of respective groups, a qualitative analysis of the learning processes studied was conducted, along with a quantitative analysis of students’ performance. Among the results we found there was no statistically significant difference between the two teaching methods but that mobile technology could support actions relevant to inquiry-based learning.