A new study has been published by members of the ArtsApp project. The study is a qualitative study where 26 bachelor’s and master’s students from BIO were interviewed after having identified sedges. The aim of the study was to further understand the thinking process during the identification of species. For instance, the students said that they liked using the app because it was not hierarchically structured as Lids Flora. ArtsApp provided them with choice on which characteristic they could start with. This was specifically useful when they were uncertain about some characteristics of the sedges. The students also said that having colored photographs was useful for determining the correct species. Interestingly, the students felt that they learned more from using Lids Flora, compared to ArtsApp. This was an interesting finding because four other experiments that we have done have found the opposite, that students using ArtsApp tend to perform better on achievement tests. We interpret this as students enjoying learning don’t feel like they are learning, although they actually are learning more than students who are not necessarily enjoying the learning process. Furthermore, the students provided us with several suggestions for improvement of the app. Specifically, they wanted tutorials on how to use the app and how to identify sedges. They also were missing more descriptions of the species and characteristics and more photos of each species. These suggestions, and more, are invaluable for us in the ArtsApp project as we move forward in our project to further optimize ArtsApp.
The study can be read online, and the full reference is found here:
Jeno, L. M., Egelandsdal, K., & Grytnes, J.-A. (2022). A qualitative investigation of psychological need-satisfying experiences of a mobile learning application: A Self-Determination Theory approach. Computers and Education Open, 3, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2022.100108