Examining 21st century skills in BYOD schools: From programs to practice

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Pedagogy
• Digital Learning

Background:

• Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) strategies aim to enhance technology integration and student responsibility in education.
• BYOD is linked to the development of 21st-century skills, including collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, self-direction, and digital literacy.
• There is a recognized importance of these competencies in both general and vocational education settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) approaches and students' self-reported 21st-century skills.
• To compare 21st-century skills among upper-secondary students with and without personal devices for learning.
• To analyze the impact of official BYOD programs versus actual BYOD practices.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted with 8265 upper-secondary students from 100 schools in Switzerland.
• Multilevel linear modeling was employed to analyze the self-reported 21st-century skills data.
• Students were categorized based on whether they used personal digital devices for learning.

Main Results:

• Students who brought their own devices to school reported higher levels of 21st-century skills, notably in creativity, self-direction, and technology use for learning.
• An official BYOD program was not a significant predictor of students' self-reported skills.
• Actual BYOD practices in class showed a stronger correlation with skill development than official programs alone.
• Self-reported 21st-century skills were higher in general education tracks compared to vocational education tracks.

Conclusions:

• Actual Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) practices, rather than the mere existence of an official BYOD concept, are associated with enhanced 21st-century skills in students.
• The findings suggest that the implementation and integration of personal device usage in the classroom are crucial for skill development.
• Educational policies and practices should focus on fostering effective BYOD implementation to maximize student learning outcomes.