Clickers for Dialogic Feedback in the Early Years Care and Education Classroom

Among the learning outcomes from the "Principles and Practices in the Early Years Setting" module is one which requires the student to be able to participate in guided reflection.   We  have found that the greatest... [ view full abstract ]

Among the learning outcomes from the "Principles and Practices in the Early Years Setting" module is one which requires the student to be able to participate in guided reflection.   We  have found that the greatest challenge among first year students was to create an environment which was conducive to open and frank discussion and one where different views are shared. The transition to the third level learning environment can be a daunting experience for some students. This in turn can impact on students' engagement, arguably leaving some students on the periphery of interactive learning as observers rather than participants. The aim of this research was to determine whether the use of clickers in the classroom can help create an environment which engages all students and provides for dialogic and peer feedback.

The study found that 88% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that as a result of the clickers  they were more engaged in the class.93% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they got feedback on their understanding of course concepts. 96% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the use of clickers was a positive experience. Consistent with research (Vital,2012;Caldwell,2007), a sense of fun and enjoyment emerged as a dominant theme.

This research was conducted as part the multi-institutional Y1Feedback ([http://www.y1feedback.ie)]www.y1feedback.ie) project, which was funded by the Irish National Forum for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.”