Examining the Use of Audience Response Systems in Secondary School Classrooms: A Formative Analysis

摘要

To date, extensive research has been done on the use of Audience Response Systems (ARSs) in colleges and universities, but not in secondary schools. The purpose of this study was to conduct a detailed formative analysis on the benefits, challenges, and use of ARSs from the perspective of 659 secondary school students. Key benefits reported were increased levels of engagement and motivation, the effective use of formative assessment, and a better quality learning environment. Key challenges included a perceived decrease in learning performance when an ARS was used for summative assessment, technological malfunctions, resistance to using a new method of learning, and increased stress due to perceived time constraints. Finally, students consistently rated the use of an ARS significantly higher when it was used for formative as opposed to summative assessment.