Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE

INSTRUCTION?

Literature Review – Does 1:1 Technology Improve Instruction?

Sarah L. Terry

James Madison University

LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE INSTRUCTION? 2

Abstract

This paper is a systematic literature review consisting mainly of peer-reviewed journal

articles from 2016 until present day. Each article focused on the use of 1:1 technology in

American classrooms. The articles studied in this literature review were all accessed through the

online library of James Madison University. Articles were retrieved from the Education Research

Complete and ERIC databases. Terms such as “Chromebooks”, “laptops”, and “educational

technology in the classroom” were used to discover articles. Searching “1:1 technology in the

classroom” also revealed several useful articles. These articles were all used to help support the

research question, “Does 1:1 Technology Improve Instruction?” The majority of the articles

stated positive results from utilizing 1:1 technology, although a couple found negative impacts of

1:1 technology in the classroom. The findings from this systematic review should prove useful to

any school system looking to implement a 1:1 program in their school district.
LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE INSTRUCTION? 3

Introduction

Coupled with major advances in modern technology and the affordability of devices,

school systems across the country are adopting 1:1 initiatives. A classroom is considered 1:1

when every student in the class has access to a device to use on class assignments (Islam &

Grönlund, 2016). A device can be anything from a laptop to an iPad or tablet, a Chromebook or

even a student’s personal cell phone. For the intents and purposes of this literature review, the

focus will be on laptops, iPads and Chromebooks. Although 1:1 implementation can be traced

back to 1990 (Islam & Grönlund, 2016), with the wide variety of technology available, the

affordability of devices and the ease of access to Wi-Fi and the internet, it’s not surprising that

more and more school systems are striving to become 1:1. Through a thorough research process,

including reading peer-reviewed journal articles, this literature review hopes to answer the

question: does 1:1 technology improve instruction?

It is of major importance that school systems work to create accomplished 21st century

learners. Islam and Grönlund (2016) state that “the purpose of 1:1 is to enhance learning in

general, as well as more specifically contribute to development of ‘twenty-first century skills’

such as creativity, critical thinking and communication skills” (p. 192). Twenty-first century

learning works to develop higher order competencies such as, “critical thinking, problem

solving, effective communication and collaboration, creativity and digital literacy” (Varier,

Dumke, Abrams, Conklin, Barnes, & Hoover, 2017, p. 968). Essentially, teachers need to stop

focusing on questions that their students can Google to find the answer. A 1:1 classroom goes a

long way towards creating these types of learners.

In order to fully understand what a 1:1 initiative is, it’s important to know more about the

devices being used. According to a survey of 451 educators in 2018, the website, Kajeet.net,
LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE INSTRUCTION? 4

stated that 17% of schools use Windows laptops in their 1:1 classrooms (Kajeet, n.d.). A laptop

is defined as a “portable computer” (Techterms, n.d.); a laptop provides versatility in that it can

be used both on and offline and documents can be stored directly on the device. The Kajeet

survey also stated that 26% of schools use iPads (Kajeet, n.d.); an iPad is defined as a, “tablet

computer developed by Apple” (Techterms, n.d.). An iPad is more suitable for younger students

“due to its light weight, mobility and ease of design.” (Lu, Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Ding, &

Galzewski, 2017, p. 9) A Chromebook is the best of both worlds, and according to Kajeet.net

(n.d.), 31% of the schools surveyed agree. A Chromebook is essentially a laptop that runs

Google’s Chrome operating system. (Techterms, n.d.) According to Kelly Ahlfeld (2017),

Google changed the landscape of education with the Chromebook. Google introduced the

Chromebook in June of 2011 (Upson & Pichai, 2011). When paired with Google’s G-Suite for

Education Apps, it’s easy to see why the Chromebook is becoming more and more prolific in

today’s 1:1 classroom. Ahlfeld (2017) states that, “20 million school children use Chromebooks

nationwide” (p. 285). However, as inquired earlier, does all this technology really improve

instruction?

Methods

This paper is based on a systematic literature review consisting mainly of peer-reviewed

journal articles, although several websites have been used to assist with defining terminology and

devices used for 1:1 instruction. All of the peer-reviewed journal articles were found using the

James Madison University Library databases. The focus was on articles written in English and

studies conducted in American school systems. All articles consulted were from the year 2016 up

to present day. While searching the James Madison University Library, the Education Research

Complete database from the Education research guide was the most useful. Terms such as
LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE INSTRUCTION? 5

“Chromebooks”, “laptops” and “educational technology in the classroom” provided numerous

results. Searching “1:1 technology in the classroom” revealed several literature reviews covering

this same topic. All of the sources used were full-text resources; none were accessed using inter-

library loan. Each article was printed, read and highlighted. Detailed notes were made prior to

writing an annotated bibliography which contained summaries of 12 peer-reviewed journal

articles. After the annotated bibliography was written, two additional articles were discovered

using the James Madison University library’s ERIC database for education. These two articles

focused specifically on the use of 1:1 technology in the classroom. One of these two latter

articles was a literature review of 145 publications. This article proved to be the most

advantageous for this study. All of the article summaries were compiled and organized to assist

with the writing of this literature review.

Results and Findings

Of the 15 articles cited in this literature review, ultimately 13 proved to be the most

useful and are included in the systematic review. Throughout the research, many common

threads were discovered. According to Sauers and McCleod (2017), many schools chose to adopt

1:1 initiatives to achieve a “variety of goals including, increasing equity, increasing the

economic competence of a region, and transforming the quality of instruction” (p. 893).

Educational equity was the focus of Rosanna Mucetti’s study of 1:1 initiatives. This article

discusses how 1:1 technology played a role in transforming an urban school system in California.

According to Mucetti (2017), developing a 1:1 initiative improved the culture of the district. It

also “laid a phenomenal foundation for deeper transformation” (p. 33).

Many articles focused on creating 21st century learners through student centered learning.

Chromebooks allowed for “self-monitoring and student empowerment” (Currie, 2016, p. 17).
LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE INSTRUCTION? 6

Varier, et al. (2017) stated that “1:1 initiatives have been found to support the transition to

learner centered classrooms” (p. 969). This helps the teacher to become more of a facilitator,

which creates a positive change in the classroom (Varier, et al., 2017).

Several articles stated that teachers’ attitudes towards technology had major impact on

student achievement with technology. Sahin, Top, and Delen (2016) stated that “teachers’

attitudes towards technology use affect the quality of instruction” (p. 362). It’s important that

teachers have a strong grasp of their content prior to introducing technology into their classrooms

(Sahin, et al, 2016). Sahin, et al. (2016) also mention that “teachers need to have sufficient desire

of using technology to benefit from technology-integrated instruction” (p. 363).

The majority of the articles stated the implementation of 1:1 devices had a positive

influence on the classroom. Numerous articles mention that the devices increased student

motivation to complete assignments as well as increased student engagement (Brown, 2016;

Currie, 2016; Hoffman & Ramirez, 2018; Islam & Grönlund, 2016; Sahin, et al., 2016, & Varier,

et al., 2017). In a study conducted by Hoffman and Ramirez (2018) with 73 students in a

Southern California school, “86% of the students said they were more engaged when allowed to

use technology for assignments” (p. 53). Although the study conducted by Rebecca Brown

(2018) stated that instruction via Chromebook did not increase the pass rate on end of course

math tests, it “positively affected the learning outcomes among poor students” (p. 228). Use of

Chromebooks in classrooms has made research more thorough and effective (Ahlfeld, 2017).

Sauers and McCleod (2018) discovered that 1:1 teachers had higher competency scores than

teachers in classrooms without 1:1 technology.

Two articles felt that 1:1 technology in a classroom had adverse effects. Carrier (2017)

found that “allowing any computer usage in the classroom – even with strict limitations –
LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE INSTRUCTION? 7

reduces students’ average final-exam performance by roughly one-fifth of a standard deviation”

(p. 70). They also found evidence that 1:1 technology has a larger negative effect on male

students than female students (Carrier, 2017). Harris (2018) discovered that taking notes via

laptop or computer was not as effective as taking notes by hand. “The bottom line seems to be

that test results are better if notes are taken by hand,” (Harris, 2018, p. 322).

Summary

Overall, the findings were very positive. Most articles supported 1:1 initiatives. Improved

student motivation and engagement were the leading factors in 1:1 policy adoptions. Islam and

Grönlund (2016) stated that student engagement was one of the biggest overall impacts. A 1:1

classroom allows a teacher to become more of a facilitator who can support student centered

learning. Creating 21st century learners was the main goal for almost all of the articles. Students

who collaborate, problem solve, and think critically are the bi-products of an efficiently run 1:1

classroom.

Relevance and Implications

School systems looking to become 1:1 divisions or those who have already adopted 1:1

initiatives would be interested in these findings. When a district is looking into making a major

investment in technology, it’s important to take all of these factors into account. These school

systems should consider current infrastructure and teacher technological confidence, in addition

to the cost and procedure for a 1:1 deployment prior to adopting a 1:1 initiative. A good, solid

district-wide policy should be in place well before any devices are purchased.

Limitations

As with any study, there is always room for improvement and further research. The

articles included in the research for this literature review were from the last two years. A longer
LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE INSTRUCTION? 8

research period including several more years would help lend credence to the positive reports of

using 1:1 technology. Fortunately, this is a relatively new area of study, and there are still

countless articles, literature reviews and thesis papers that could be read and referenced.

Individual school systems could benefit from conducting a study of their own prior to a system

wide adoption. Piloting several different types of devices at multiple grade levels, with teachers

who have different levels of competency, would be extremely beneficial.

Conclusions

Students of today need to be prepared for the jobs of tomorrow. Many of the jobs current

students will have do not yet exist. In order to prepare students for these jobs, educators need to

take a step back from the traditional classroom. Rote memorization is no longer needed. Students

need to collaborate, problem solve, and think critically. A 1:1 classroom is a step in the right

direction. With proper guidance and expectations in place, school divisions can help their

students become successful 21st century learners. School systems need to take into account the

ability and technological confidence of its educators and administrators. Although there are

many examples from a multitude of different schools systems, every district is unique.

Individual, specific data collection would be invaluable prior to making such a large commitment

and financial investment. After a systematic review of its own limitations and abilities, any

school system should be able to implement an effective 1:1 initiative.

LITERATURE REVIEW – DOES 1:1 TECHNOLOGY IMPROVE INSTRUCTION? 9

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