Search

Although the Education sector has pioneered the use of technology, the pace of technological change has outstripped the slower processes of theoretical development and critical reflection, so the field is highly fragmented and lacks a comprehensive evidence base to support future development. In this paper, we consider how the insights offered by games and a psychological perspective can address the current challenges. Both games and e-learning specialists are facing similar challenges and would therefore benefit from adopting a more integrated approach in the future. We demonstrate how this integration can best be achieved by viewing the challenges through a psychological lens which informs theory, research and practice in user-centred design, supports the development of more widely applicable theories of learning and pedagogy, recognises of the complexity of the contexts in which learning occurs and offers an established evidence-based framework to aid integration at the theoretical level. This emphasises the continued importance of classic concepts such as transfer, cognitive load and the increasing blurred boundaries between formal and informal learning, but also in terms of methodology and as a catalyst for future debate and discussion.

Serious Games (SG) are increasingly used to deliver education and training to support well-being, social skills, independent living and online safety. This presents opportunities and challenges for users, developers and educational providers to ensure their benefits are available to all. People with intellectual disability (ID) experience high levels of digital exclusion. This article reviews and synthesises the literature on the use of SG with people with ID. Recent work indicates the importance of the psycho-social profile of the gameplayer, mechanics and game context. We consider how these factors influence the inclusivity of SG and how they could be addressed. We demonstrate how a psychological perspective illuminates the impact of the user's psychological profile on game use and effectiveness, and explore how culture, personalisation and learning analytics can increase inclusivity of SG. We conclude by identifying wider challenges such as the need for multi-disciplinary working and a more integrated, conceptual framework for games design which addresses diversity in learning needs.

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer an exciting range of opportunities to widen access and participation in education. The massive and open nature of MOOCs places the control of learning at the discretion of the learner. Therefore, it is essential to understand learner behaviour. This paper examines the psychological considerations inherent in learning and explores the psychological determinants of learner behaviours relevant to MOOCs. A number of psychological challenges specific to the development and use of MOOCs such as the motivational, emotional and intellectual commitment of MOOC learners, and the skills profile that effective MOOC learners require are discussed. The psychological barriers that learners may encounter when engaging with MOOCs are identified. In doing so, we highlight the importance of considering the psychosocial and cognitive profile of the learner, and provide a psychological characterisation of many of the practical and theoretical issues that inform the design, development and delivery of MOOCs. For example, digital literacy skills, individual differences in motivation and self-regulation are key learner attributes in the context of MOOC-based learning. The temporal dimension of learning is also addressed: how learners perceive time online, how this influences time spent on tasks and how this may impact on the effective use of MOOCs. Given that MOOCs are increasingly being accessed using mobile devices, the psychological challenges of mobile MOOC-based learning are explored. It is anticipated that the insights derived from a psychologically informed consideration of MOOC-based learning will serve as a catalyst for debate, discussion and future research.

The use of technology to support learning is well recognised. One generation ago a major strand of human--computer interaction research focussed on the development of forms of instruction in how to interact with computers. Today, however, the advanced usability of modern technologies has all but removed the presence of many user manuals. Learners, educators and developers now need to know not how to use the technology per se: the adoption of user-centred design has solved much of this. Rather, they must understand the nature of learner behaviour across contexts: insight is required into "how to learn" using mobile technology and "how to manage and structure" learning behaviour across changing contexts whilst mobile. To this end, we advocate a reinvention of effective user instruction at the metacognitive level, and use a classic framework developed in the early 1980s to structure our conceptualisation of the onward research and development effort that is required for 21st century user instruction and support.

Psychological perspectives have long been reflected in educational theory and practice. Therefore, we expect psychology to contribute to our understanding of the impact of technology on the temporal aspects of teaching and learning in this digital age. Understanding how we learn, and how learning and teaching can be facilitated, are key to understanding the temporal dimension of e-learning. In this article the authors review the research literature with the purpose of developing a psychologically informed understanding of the temporal aspects, challenges and skills required for successful digital mediated learning. They consider how time has previously been addressed in educational theories and evaluate whether these theories retain their psychological validity in the context of e-learning. How is time perceived and experienced? How do such perceptions and expectations impact on e-learning? What skills will learners require? The authors' consideration of these and other issues leads them firstly to advance five psychologically informed challenges associated with the temporal aspects of e-learning. Secondly they identify three categories of psychological skills that support the ability to manage these temporal challenges and illustrate how they function as psychological enablers to e-learning. Psychological insights will not only deepen our understanding of the temporal aspects of e-learning, they will also inform the design of educational materials and the deployment of technology to support their effective use.

The provision of Open Educational Resources (OER) means that learning horizons are no longer restricted by time and space. However, if the learning potential of OER is to be fully realised, educators and students must have the media literacy skills to select, use and produce information in a judicious and useful way. A consideration of the psychological dimensions of media literacy skills is crucial to maximise the learning opportunities offered by OER. Although learning platforms may be shifting to online content, the fundamental issues remain: How do we learn? How can learning be facilitated? These core psychological issues are key to the appropriate deployment and use of OER. The authors highlight how psychological theory and research has contributed to our understanding of technology- mediated interactions and the learning process, and consider how psychology can contribute to our understanding and application of OER as a learning facilitator. They discuss how advances in Web 2.0 technology may help maximise participation in learning and consider the potential psychological barriers and enablers to the uptake and use of OER.

Web 2.0 technology not only offers the opportunity of massively parallel interconnected networks that support the provision of information and communication anytime and anywhere but also offers immense opportunities for collaboration and sharing of user-generated content. This information-rich environment may support both formal and informal learning. The increasing use of mobile technology affords additional opportunities to utilise this learning potential from any location and even when on the move. In this paper, we identify five important psychological challenges learners may encounter when using mobile devices for mobile learning. We argue that mobile learning theorists, practitioners and developers alike must be aware of the five challenges and aim to address them to maximise the potential of mobile learning.

Individuals with dyslexia may have lower self-esteem and exhibit more emotional and behavioural difficulties than those without reading problems. However, the nature of any relationship between self-esteem and psychopathology remains unknown. This exploratory study assessed levels of self-esteem using the "Self-Perception Profile for Children" ("Manual for the Self-Perception Profile for Children." University of Denver, CO: Denver; 1985) and psycho-social adjustment using the "Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire" ("J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry," 1997; 38: 581-586) and examined child and parent understanding, attitudes and the perceived impact of reading difficulties on daily life. Sixty-eight children assessed as dyslexic on the basis of discrepancy scores (mean age 11.2 years; 44 male), and their parents, participated. No global self-esteem deficit was found, but the mean score for both child and parent-rated "scholastic competence" was significantly lower than that of the general population. Rates of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties were significantly higher than in the general population and were correlated with self-esteem. For children who had high global self-worth, both children and their parents had more positive attitudes towards their reading difficulties and were less likely to perceive a negative impact on relationships. The association between academic self-esteem and emotional symptoms is consistent with the proposed link between dyslexia and internalizing difficulties. Good self-esteem and a good understanding of dyslexia may help children avoid some of these difficulties. Further research with larger more representative samples is necessary as understanding the factors that promote successful psycho-social adjustment is essential to the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies. (Contains 5 tables.)