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Regular recreational book reading is a practice that confers substantial educative benefit. However, not all book types may be equally beneficial, with paper book reading more strongly associated with literacy benefit than screen-based reading at this stage, and a paucity of research in this area. While children in developed countries are gaining ever-increasing levels of access to devices at home, relatively little is known about the influence of access to devices with eReading capability, such as Kindles, iPads, computers and mobile phones, on young children's reading behaviours, and the extent to which these devices are used for reading purposes when access is available. Young people are gaining increasing access to devices through school-promoted programs; parents face aggressive marketing to stay abreast of educational technologies at home; and schools and libraries are increasingly their eBook collections, often at the expense of paper book collections. Data from the 997 children who participated in the 2016 Western Australian Study in Children's Book Reading were analysed to determine children's level of access to devices with eReading capability, and their frequency of use of these devices in relation to their recreational book reading frequency. Respondents were found to generally underutilise devices for reading purposes, even when they were daily book readers. In addition, access to mobile phones was associated with reading infrequency. It was also found that reading frequency was less when children had access to a greater range of these devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In drawing upon cultural-historical theory, this paper reports on the use of computers in Australian schools where a holistic analysis was undertaken to explore the possible associations with social-emotional outcomes. By conducting a quantitative analysis framed around a conceptual model that used the concept of perezhivanie, it was possible to examine a sample of 3345 children (8–9 years old) who participated in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (wave 5) and to fill a gap in the literature on whether computer use has an influence on three social-emotional outcomes: self-concept, emotional problems and school liking. Findings suggest that Australian children are using computers in school in a very similar way, mainly practicing specific learning skills (e.g. maths and literacy) and rarely engaged in creative activities. In addition, findings reveal that overall computer use does not appear to have a significant impact on children's social-emotional outcomes. One exception, a small significant association between creativity and self-concept was found and further explored. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible teaching and learning and the ‘flipped classroom’ are current buzzwords in higher education in Australia and elsewhere in the world. They are reflections of the progressive change in higher education over the last few decades towards more student-and learning centred pedagogies and practices, which are made possible through new technologies and more delivery of online and blended (combination of face-to-face and online components) courses. The increasing personalising and flexibility of learning in higher education requires equal attention spent to assessment practices to ensure a cohesive learning experience. This paper provides the findings and conclusions of a study about a flipped classroom, which also included flexible assessment components. The study showed that students enjoy and are more engaged in a flipped classroom, prefer a blended learning to a fully online learning approach, want and require clear structure and guidelines, and strongly value flexible assessment through more choices and control. The main concern of higher education teachers is the time commitment and lack of institutional support for flipping classrooms and providing flexible assessment. It is argued that personalising learning requires more personalising of assessment, and that it is mainly the responsibility of teachers and institutions to develop ‘flexible students’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of lecture capture has been burgeoning in the higher education sector. Scholarly interest on the topic is also on an upward trajectory. Hence, the goal of this paper is to clarify the literature on the use of lecture capture in higher education through a systematic review, which involved 71 articles that came from Scopus and Education Resources Information Center (ERIC). The systematic review revealed that most research focused on university education in the US, the UK and Australia. The most studied Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subject area in the sample is Biological Sciences. In contrast, the most studied non-STEM subject area is Business/Economics/Management. In terms of methods, descriptive and exploratory research dominates the research landscape while causative evidence is relatively limited. The literature includes two overarching research streams: While one focuses on the benefits of lecture capture, the other focuses on its drawbacks. Apparently, the assumption among most students is that lecture capture is helpful for learning, and among staff is that it takes a toll on attendance. Future research needs to reconcile students' perception of lecture capture, instructors' perception of lecture capture, and the reality of lecture capture. On the practical front, students should be explicitly told about the benefits and the drawbacks of lecture capture. This would ensure that they make the most of the technology. Educators are urged to reflect on why students should be attending the face-to-face sessions, and thereafter also watch the recorded lectures. • Most lecture capture research has been conducted in the US, the UK, and Australia. • Biological Sciences & Business/Economics/Management are well-studied subject areas. • Theory-driven research gleaning causative evidence through experiments is limited. • The assumption among most students is that lecture capture is helpful for learning. • The assumption among most staff is that lecture capture takes a toll on attendance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]