The Contribution of Student-Centered Pedagogy to the Effective Use of Educational Technology: A Meta-Analysis

It is no longer a question whether technology should be integrated into the classroom. The focus has shifted to how to use it to enable and promote effective learning. For better or for worse, technology is pervasive in our lives, and educational settings are no exception. However, it is not sufficient to employ educational technology simply because it is available. How technology is deployed, when and for what purposes it is used, what kind of learning it is applied to, and which categories of students it affects, are now of prime importance. This paper presents findings of a meta-analysis (M-A) that investigated differences between teacher-centered and student-centered (T-C vs. S-C) pedagogical practices in their effect on educational technology use as measured by student achievement outcomes. To describe S-C strategies, eleven instructional dimensions were identified from our previous work. Findings, based on 168 independent effect sizes (ESs) comparing T-C with S-C revealed a weighted average of g+=0.402 indicating that educational technology moderately increases learning achievement outcomes. Significant findings are reported, with four dimensions -Course design, Problem type, Conceptual level, and Peer collaboration - strengthening the impact of educational technology on students’ achievement, and in one dimension - Pacing/Flexibility - weakening it.