Empowering rural children's learning through meaningful technology-enhanced learning designs

Abstract

Rural schools in the Peruvian Andes are attended by indigenous children belonging to Andean communities of ancestral culture and different worldviews. In the last decade, results of national tests have shown a rural educational achievement gap. To overcome this problem, the government created several projects, including one, implemented in 2008, involving the use of new technologies in rural schools to provide more equitable quality education; however, the academic gap has continued to increase. Moreover, rural communities are concerned about the offered education, which is neither contextualized nor fits the communities’ needs.

According to several studies the problem with rural education lies in contents and approaches that are alienating and disempowering learners. Therefore, the aim of this qualitative study is to design socioculturally sensitive learning environments and learning activities for empowering rural children by using the new technologies and learning science. In other words, the study explores alternative solutions and learning spaces across home, school, community and beyond, to empower learners, which means building and increasing learners’ competence, participation, and choices through meaningful learning. The study used Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, and was implemented in one rural school; the intervention was guided by design principles that were refined through three iterations throughout the 2013 school year. A total of 25 learning designs were developed. Technological, and sociocultural artifacts supported the children’s learning. Data were collected through learning activities observations, focus group interviews, and children’s physical and digital works.

It was found that (a) the learning design structure was composed of five learning activity blocks, including identifying interests, planning, implementing, sharing, and reflecting; (b) three generic design patterns emerged (individual-, local-, and global oriented); and, (c) there were three stages of empowerment—top-down, co-participation, and self-directed. Additionally, the study adapted three taxonomies— sensorimotor, socio-emotional, and cognitive—to demonstrate children’s learning outcomes obtained through a process of empowerment. The learning outcomes were analyzed to identify the levels of empowerment, and it was found that the implemented learning designs fostered empowerment. The relationship between learning outcomes and empowerment was demonstrated through children’s competence, choice or self-determination, and participation in the decision-making process for their own learning. Findings reveal that learners’ empowerment was gradual, and reached the highest levels of learning outcomes. Also, children’s personal trajectories showed different pathways, and paces towards their empowerment.

This study contributes theoretically, pedagogically, and methodologically to understanding rural children’s empowerment process. Theoretically, it confirms the theory of psychological empowerment, and also enhances three assessment frameworks, especially the taxonomy for socio-emotional outcomes. Pedagogically, the study tested and refined design principles for empowering rural children, to inform the practice of educators in other, similar contexts. Methodologically, the study demonstrates the procedure for improving educational interventions through the use of iterative implementation considering all stakeholders’ feedback, in order to offer meaningful learning activities. To conclude, the implications of this study are of benefit not only to learners, but also to their community. It is important that policymakers build bridges of understanding and partnership, and offer alternatives to rural education through meaningful learning designs.