Zimmerman (2002) notes that one of the key attributes of a self-regulated learner is the “restructuring of the physical and social context” when attempting to achieve previously set goals. This usually entails finding a quiet place to study uninterrupted, typically one that a learner can return to again and again. Sundgren (2017) suggests that personal technologies can blur the time and location boundaries in higher education, comparable to Martin and Ertzberger’s “here and now learning” (Martin & Ertzberger, 2013). The use of headphones is mentioned by five out of the eight participants and use appears to be a type of modern “do not disturb” sign signalling that they are engaged in learning and would rather be left alone. While they do attempt to find a quiet place, they appear to be just as willing to engage in
Dipping in to snippets of learning in a busy place such as the cafeteria, but clearly signalling
that they are busy by wearing the headphones:
If none of the rooms are free, I go into the café and put my headphones on. And then people know that I am busy. (John)
Yeah, I tend to be the kind of person that if I am sitting down to do something … it depends. If I am sitting down to do anything kind of work related or studying, or just something I need to focus on, that’s very much I do not want to be disturbed. And putting earphones in is a great way of doing that because especially if I am just sitting in the canteen, I do not deal well with background noise. (Rodger)
However, one participant suggests that that the headphones are more of an aid to learning than a signal of intent. Clara notes how she actually needs noise to study and that the quietness of the library does not help her:
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Because sometimes, it is too quiet in the library, so I cannot study. (Clara)
She reveals a little nugget of information on her study technique, stating how she needs music to study:
[I like to]listen to the music while studying.
Researcher: So the music is to quieten out everything else, so you can focus on study? Clara: yes.
Researcher: ...and is there a particular music that you would choose? Clara: I would go to YouTube and search for "study music"
Researcher: Oh, there's actually "study music"?
Yeah, for studying music. It [helps] you concentrate on your study.
While the present research did not seek to investigate aspects of SRL and SDL, the evidence presented does not make any claims that participants can be comprehensively described as self-regulated and self-directed learners. However, participants displayed some attributes of SRL and SDL that appear to be tied to the tablet devices.
4.14 Summary
The range of uses to which a tablet device can be put is evident from the results presented. The emergent themes of physical characteristics, utility and connectedness help build up a picture of resourceful undergraduate students putting technology to use in a way that suits their own learning styles and situations. But to neglect the off-campus use of their device would omit a significant component of the learning experience. As is evident, use of the tablet device outside of formal learning environments appears to play as big a part in the participants’ lived experience as use on-campus. As the boundaries between academic use and non-academic use blur, I now turn to what it means to be an undergraduate student using a tablet device.
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5 Discussion
5.1 Introduction
This study aimed to investigate what it means to be a student at a higher education institution for whom tablet devices play a not inconsequential role in their learning. Using such a device outside a formal initiative by an institution opens up questions as to the goals and motivation of students, in addition to student perceptions of the benefits of such devices. While there never has been a clear delineation between student life on campus versus off campus, the ubiquitous nature of mobile connected devices blurs that delineation even more (Davis & Jurgenson, 2014). No longer is learning confined to within the campus, technology now facilitates the concept of here and now learning (Sundgren, 2017), suggesting learning does not stop once the device is put down, that it occurs informally, within the social networks students have built up (Niu, 2019). The question also arises as to when do students switch between using their tablet device in an educational context and using the device for entertainment or social purposes. In this era of ubiquitous network connectivity, there is never a time when students are not connected. I will explore whether there is a duality of existence as a student and a person, or a dichotomy of being a student and being a person, framed within the context of the role the tablet device plays, particularly in relation to social media.
The findings of this research are almost as diverse as the participants and the range of uses to which they put the tablet devices. However, there are a number of core findings that appear common among the majority of participants. While the participants could not be described as a homogenous group, they could be described as somewhat representative of the broader student body in any higher education institution, with a mixture of ethnicities from Ireland, the EU and Asia. There are a number of categories of tablet use that would be broadly expected when in use at higher education. Such uses include using apps to enhance the student learning experience on a module within a programme (Van Der Ventel et al., 2016), collaboration and sharing of information (Wakefield, Frawley, Tyler, & Dyson, 2018) and for general use in the learning of theory (Stamm et al., 2019). Each of these categories of use are evident in this study, however there are a number of distinct activities that emerge from the findings that do not appear in the literature. These rhetorical gems (van Manen, 2014) are referred to as “nuggets” and much like their mineral counterparts have been
146 uncovered and refined to contribute to building up the picture of what it means to be an undergraduate student using a tablet device. The usage of tablet devices that emerge from this study can be roughly divided between use that would be expected (using apps, browsing the internet, watching videos, communication) and those that would not be expected (taking pictures down the eye-piece of a microscope, reading ecomics, learning a second language for the sake of it). But while the utility of the device is evident, there is also an underlying frustration with the technology. Tablet devices, by their very nature, present a trade-off between utility and usability, which was particularly evident in the findings. Yet the participants saw advantage in the utility, they were able to utilise the tablet devices as tools to further their educational goals. Accepting the limitations of the functionality, participants used the devices in many diverse, and sometimes unique, ways. The variety of uses to which the tablet devices were put is testament to the initiative and innovativeness of the participants, in particular with an ability to see in these devices a potential that was arguably invisible to manufacturers. I now discuss how tablet devices are used and the part they play in the lived experience of the undergraduate student.