LOS PRINCIPIOS GENERALES

This section will elucidate the role of BBC Bitesize in the learning process in general and especially in improving knowledge and skills.

The BBC has a rich history in learning and teaching since 1924 and currently has education in its mission: ‘To enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain.’ (BBC 2016). The BBC has developed numerous learning sources and Online learning courses (BBC 2012). Please find below Figure 3 (The home page of BBC Bitesize).

BBC Bitesize website is well-known by learners in the UK on the one hand and it is common and accessible for any learner on the other hand (BBC Bitesize 2012).

The current study uses BBC Bitesize because it is acknowledged by KS3 & KS4 learners to be the second more popular source after Wikipedia but BBC Bitesize is more reliable (Becta 2008). And most learners welcome the Internet in their studies to support learning (Ibid.).

BBC Bitesize has been designed for learners who are concerned to improve their knowledge and skills (BBC 2013b). Therefore BBC website offers a good source which will not make any unease with the learners who participate in a study that uses it as an Online learning resource (Reida and Pruijsenb 2015). BBC Bitesize has been provided with attractive pictures, photos and figures, video, and activities. This website offers the learning sources at different levels of complexity from simple KS1 to difficult GCSE where learners are able to find a course suitable for their level (See screenshot of BBC Bitesize website above). 60% of all KS3 learners use BBC Bitesize to help them with their examination revision by presenting a subject's facts and concepts in straightforward and obvious methods (Ibid.). Every topic is broken up into ‘Revision Bites’, containing subject information, and ‘Test Bites’, which test learners' knowledge of the subject. Test activities are created to convoy each section of the Bitesize website (Ibid.). The BBC Bitesize has around 7,000 classroom clips. Also, most of the Secondary guides are available covering Key Stages 3 and 4 of the National Curriculum, and National 4, 5 and Higher in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (Ibid.).

All the content is being continuously updated to bring into line with Curriculum changes. Bernal-Merino (2015, p.33) argues that BBC Bitesize is a ‘very popular free resource favoured by teachers and parents in the UK’ (Bernal- Merino 2015). This is reduced to

the fact that the BBC Bitesize provides guidance for all stages in the National Curriculum.

Pachler & Cook (2009, p. 38) believe that BBC Bitesize is helpful because it provides different ways to support learners as well as it ‘break[s] up the monotony of what is an onerous and stressful period. [It also] provides an alternative angel to subject areas which may have been unclear before’ (Pachler and Cook 2009). Chivers & Shoolbred

(2007, p. 157) describe BBC Bitesize as having ‘some helpful guidance’ (Chivers and

Shoolbred 2007). Haydn et al. (2014) consider BBC Bitesize as helpful because it has a large range of audio files for download (Haydn et al. 2014). Dickinson & Benson (2015), Beveridge (2012), and Doyle (2008) also describe BBC Bitesize as helpful for revising (Beveridge 2012;Dickinson and Benson 2015;Doyle 2008). Valente and Marchetti (2012, p.137) consider BBC Bitesize as a ‘collection of Computer-Augmented Exercises’ which

require the players to give the right answer (Valente and Marchetti 2012). What is more interesting about the BBC Bitesize is that it creates a concrete context for abstract Mathematical operations. Paget (2012) outlines the advantages and the disadvantages of BBC Bitesize tutorials as follows in

Table 3:

Table 3: the advantages and Disadvantages of BBC Bitesize (Paget 2012)

Advantages Disadvantages

They are available anytime No teacher is needed

Learners can answer the questions quickly

On- screen explanations and demonstrations are available

The learners cannot ask the teacher questions It is not possible for the learners to skip bits they already know

They proceed at a speed which may not suit all the learners

However, it is not realistic to imagine that the availability of the BBC Bitesize website means that every child can use it. Using the Internet is affected to a large extent with the religious, social and family circumstances of the child. For example, Livingstone (2013) conducted a case study about a child called Anisah while the girl was interviewed with her parents about the use of the Internet at home. The author has concluded that family and the moral values dominant in the family shape the children’s use of the Internet. The study children do not login the Internet because the religious and social values of the family which do not allow them to be free in watching what they want. In this case, children will not trust the Internet as a medium of education or even think about using it in education. There will be a barrier between the children and using the Internet (Livingstone 2013). This example has been mentioned here to show that there are still barriers in the face of using the Internet in general and the BCC Bitesize in particular. This section explained the function of BBC Bitesize in education for children and adults. The next section will explain the three types of learning theories.