Kevin Larkin

Griffith University · School of Education and Professional Studies

In the last 5 years, there have been several literature reviews or meta-analyses investigating various aspects of STEM education; however, they have investigated a specific aspect of STEM, e.g. robotics, or digital games, or Early childhood, or Teacher perspectives. In addition, a broad-reaching review on STEM integration has not been conducted in...

This systematic quantitative literature review was conducted to analyse and synthesise the extant corpus of knowledge on dialogic pedagogy within school settings, and thus identify theoretical and methodological gaps in the literature, which might suggest new avenues for research. A search of eight databases (2014-2020) revealed an initial pool of...

This short paper reports on changes to two compulsory mathematics education courses for pre-service teachers (PSTs) that were modified as a response to the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. The modification required that all elements of the course-lectures, workshops, and tutorials were to be offered fully online. Our findings indicate three main themes a...

This article proposes a way of engaging students in mathematical open inquiry using a video clip as stimulus. It discusses findings from a recent study conducted in a Year 5 (9-10 years old) classroom in which the students' problem-posed and developed personal mathematical inquiries based on a video prompt. The article highlights the benefits for t...

In this chapter we critique a range of literature related to digital technologies and their impact in the early years of schooling. First, we examine the impact of digital technologies on young children in general, including issues of access and the overall impact of digital technologies. We then turn our attention to a specific focus on tablets, t...

This book is intended for researchers and educators interested in current best practices for supporting STEM engagement and learning in the early years. For the purposes of this book, the early years are the years from preschool to year three, approximately 4–8 years of age.

In this chapter we present and critique a range of research literature regarding early years STEM in relation to pedagogical and social perspectives. We start with a brief positioning of specific discipline research and situate it within the broader STEM domain. As most early childhood educators operate within a sociocultural perspective, we commen...

Thus far, we have focussed on the macro issues of the social, pedagogical, and economic perspectives of STEM discussed in Chap. 2; the impact of digital technologies on children’s learning in Chap. 3; and the role of play and play-based learning in Chap. 4. In this chapter, we turn our attention towards early childhood educators who are largely res...

In Chaps. 2 and 5, we focussed on the STEM learning that happens in early years centres in the presence of early childhood educators, and how these educators can be supported with well-planned and delivered professional development.

This chapter is structurally different to the previous six chapters, which critiqued the existing literature through the lens of our experiences in designing and leading the Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) Program (2016–2020) (See https://elsa.edu.au/). In this chapter, we initially argue for a new conception of play that moves beyond the dich...

This chapter examines contemporary research regarding play, digital play, and play-based learning in the early years. We commence with a brief account of play guided by the theories of constructivism and sociocultural theory, as these theories underpin most teaching approaches in the early years.

This article describes the conceptual development of a learning app, “Representations”, developed for preschool children (4-5 years of age). In this article we analyse how the app supported the development of logical reasoning via a variety of decoding, encoding, conditionals and debugging activities, which were supported in the game play by the ch...

Patterns are a fundamental component of mathematics, and the patterning ability of young children has been well researched; however, this research has largely been conducted with relatively small cohorts (+/- 70) and in an interventionist way (in laboratory settings or with researchers directly intervening in educational contexts). The current stud...

This qualitative survey study set out to investigate in-service and pre-service primary school teachers’ perceived barriers to and enablers for the integration of children’s literature in mathematics teaching and learning in an Australian educational context. While research over the past three decades have documented pedagogical benefits of teachin...

The study reported here was conceptualised using a theoretical framework that included three dimensions of engagement; emotional, behavioural, and cognitive, and these were used to structure the data collection and analysis vis- -vis learning mathematics outdoors. This comparative case study involved 34 students from two Year 6 classes at a Queensl...

This paper investigates, using a case study methodology, the impact of formative video feedback on the educational experiences of early childhood and primary preservice teachers (PST) completing a pedagogically focused mathematics education unit in a fully online mode. Given the trend over the past 10 years towards the delivery of university mathem...

Place value understanding is recognised as a critical component in the development of number understanding for young children. In this paper we investigate the usefulness of a purpose built app in supporting children's understanding in German and Australian contexts. In particular, we investigate whether the app supports the development of bundling...

This chapter provides a critical synthesis of research onTechnology technology-related classroom practice from the early yearsEarly years of schooling through to tertiaryTertiary and initial teacher mathematics education. The synthesis considers ways in which research has explored the use of digital technologiesDigital technologies through the thre...

Engaging young learners in STEM practices such as robotics and coding gives students the opportunity to use new and emerging technologies to solve problems while extending their own knowledge and understanding of mathematics. In Australia, a digital technologies curriculum was introduced in 2014 to assist with making connections between Technology...

This article builds upon earlier work by mathematics colleagues (e.g. Bailey, 2015; Hartnett, 2018; Rogers, 2012) published in the APMC journal regarding the fundamental importance of place value (PV) understanding. In this paper we explore the utility of an iPad app, Place Value Chart, which was custom-designed to support the development of studen...

This chapter explores how the transition from doctoral student to Early Career Academic (ECA) resolved many of the perturbations - tensions and contradictions - inherent in the doctoral degree by focusing on my experiences of recently completing this journey. These perturbations are conceptualised, via an ‘Activity Systems’ approach, the disquietin...

Purpose The authors argue that middle leaders are the key educators in school-based educational development. Schools often secure small-scale funding to engage in government or systemic initiatives, and these projects require a leadership “close to the classroom” if they are to realise sustainable educational gains. This leadership often comes from...

This paper reports the findings from a pilot qualitative study that set out to investigate pre-service primary school teachers' beliefs concerning the integration of children's literature in their mathematics learning and teaching. The thematic and content analyses were drawn from self-reported beliefs of 33, third-and fourth-year pre-service teach...

The Experience, Represent, Apply (ERA) heuristic is an innovation of the Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) project. It provided educators with an approach that embeds digital technologies in play-based learning in such a way that the focus of the learning remains on the child and not on the device. This paper reports on the experiences of early...

In this paper we critique existing research on the role and nature of digital technology use in Preschools. The majority of the literature points to overwhelmingly positive outcomes for young children when digital technology is thoughtfully used in play based learning contexts. However, despite the wealth of evidence that the use of tablets can be...

This paper presents an heuristic that underpinned the development of a range of early years applications (apps) as part of the Early Learning Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Australia (ELSA) project (2016–19). The heuristic was developed to address a range of challenges that accompany the use of digital technologies in the y...

It is an increasingly common phenomenon that elementary school students are using mobile applications (apps) in their mathematics classrooms. Classroom teachers, who are using apps, require a tool, or a set of tools, to help them determine whether or not apps are appropriate and how enhanced educational outcomes can be achieved via their use. In th...

Learning mathematics is an important and integral part of the primary school curriculum. For many, mathematics achievement is typically associated with skills and formulae application. However, an unintended outcome of learning mathematics in the primary years of schooling is that many students learn to dislike mathematics and regard it as dull and...

Since the introduction of the first iPad in 2010, the overall number of apps and, consequently the number of apps intended to support mathematical learning, have increased exponentially. This observation results in the need for quality information about apps and also on the various possibilities for teachers to evaluate apps in an efficient and rel...

Mathematical apps are now used in many school settings. To support teachers in making appropriate pedagogical decisions regarding their increased use, empirical, quantitative analyses of apps are required. This chapter initially explores how cluster analysis can be used to identify elements within individual apps so that similar apps may be grouped...

Mobile technologies influence the way that we interact with the world, the way that we live. We use them for communication, entertainment, information and research. In education settings, there has been substantial investment in mobile devices, often without a concomitant investment in developing pedagogy and practices. With mobile technologies evo...

Mobile technologies influence the way that we interact with the world, the way that we live. We use them for communication, entertainment, information and research. In education settings, there has been substantial investment in mobile devices, often without a concomitant investment in developing pedagogy and practices. With mobile technologies evo...

Negative experiences of university mathematics education are often laid at the feet of online or blended learning. However, data collected as part of a five-year project at two universities suggests that there is much more to consider in determining the quality of preservice teacher mathematics education courses. This paper outlines a methodology t...

Mathematical applications (apps) are becoming commonplace in educational settings. Despite their increasing use, limited quantitative research has been undertaken that might support teachers in making appropriate pedagogical decisions regarding their use, nor how teachers might go about selecting appropriate apps from the multitudes available at iT...

In this article we critique, disrupt and resist the taken for granted use of the term fun in learning; specifically as it is used to justify mathematics education apps that purport to portray maths learning as a fun experience. We accomplish this critique through the creation of a digital artwork called Arithmomania. This artwork challenges how use...

The growth in interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education has been the catalyst for this book. There has been a worldwide trend to focus on the teaching of STEM across all sectors of schooling, and this is evidenced by the geographical spread of the authors in this book. The initial intent of STEM education was to...

With Christmas approaching, many of us with preschool children or grandchildren will be considering the purchase of apps for our devices. We are often portrayed in the media as “bad parents or grandparents” for purchasing apps for young family members. But in fact, appropriate educational apps can prepare children for life in an increasingly digita...

With Christmas looming, many people will be considering what present to buy for their children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren and friends. Soon, if not already, we will be reading lists of the top trending presents for 2017. These lists will no doubt include, and may even be totally dominated by, all the latest gadgets and devices. The purpose...

This book brings together a collection of internationally renowned authors in the STEM field to share innovations in the teaching of STEM. It focuses on the junior secondary years of education (students aged 11-15), since this is the age range in which students choose whether or not to formally opt out of STEM education. It is here that the book ma...

In this paper, we present data from a study exploring the use of coding to promote mathematical thinking. A teaching experiment was undertaken with 40 Year 2 students participating in six 45-minute lessons of coding (one lesson per week for six weeks). All lessons were video-recorded and analysed to determine students’ mathematical thinking. Insigh...

This paper describes the conceptual framework of the Early Years STEM Australia (ELSA) program. The conceptual framework is developed from STEM practices, rather than from play-based investigations derived from traditional understandings of content within the four STEM disciplines. One of these core STEM practices is spatial reasoning—a practice th...

Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) is a play-based digital learning program for children in preschool to explore the practices that underpin Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). ELSA apps will go beyond the screen to encourage active play that supports STEM practices, such as exploring location, patterns and problem solving. H...

This paper explores the experiences of Junior Secondary teachers in two Queensland schools following the 2015 transition of Year 7 students from primary school to secondary school. There is a well-documented shortage of suitably qualified mathematics teachers in secondary schools in Queensland. A significant concern is that this potential shortage...

One of the key drivers underpinning mathematics education in general, and more specifically mathematics education at a university level, is the use of Web 2.0 technologies to support the delivery of courses to undergraduate, primary pre-service teachers (PSTs) who often form part of large cohorts of students studying education. It is now unusual to...

In this article, we argue the need to use inter-disciplinary paradigms to make sense of a range of findings from a research project. We developed a methodology using iPad diaries to uncover young students’ thinking—mathematical, social and affective—so as to better understand their experiences of mathematics. These students, predominantly from year...

This chapter examines changes to the online component of core primary mathematics education courses for pre-service teachers (PSTs) offered in blended mode (a mixture of online and face-to-face lectures, workshops and tutorials). It also reports upon the impact these changes had on students’ attitudes towards, and experiences of, the course in term...

This is an opinion piece I wrote for the Conversation - it is in response to some of the commentary around TIMMS national testing - and discusses what parents and teachers might do to better communicate the point of mathematics. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-01/what-to-say-if-your-child-asks-whats-the-point-of-maths/8084494

This is an opinion piece I wrote for the Conversation - it is in response to some of the commentary around TIMMS national testing - and discusses what parents and teachers might do to better communicate the point of mathematics. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-01/what-to-say-if-your-child-asks-whats-the-point-of-maths/8084494

Applications (apps) in the elementary mathematics classroom are rapidly becoming a staple for teachers and students. However, how teachers go about selecting these apps for classroom use has not been well explored in the literature. This paper explores the use of Cluster Analysis to help teachers make decisions regarding which apps might be most ap...

Mathematical apps are becoming commonplace in educational settings. Despite their increasing use, little quantitative analysis has occurred to support teachers in making appropriate pedagogical decisions regarding their use. This paper uses cluster analysis to generate homogenous groupings of apps so that teachers can use these clusters of apps at...

This presentation was part of a report on a Rapport-ability project I was a part of. One outcome of the project was a book chapter. Reference details included below. Larkin, K. (2016 in press). Student engagement in the context of blended learning in mathematics education courses: challenges and implications? in L. Rowan and P. Grootenboer - Studen...

The teaching and learning of Geometry has been identified in much of the literature as being problematic and the mathematics strand where many teachers feel least knowledgeable and least confident to teach. This paper describes a school-based project which sought to develop teacher knowledge and confidence in this strand via the use of Professional...

The aim of this paper is propositional and is based on research findings which suggest that success in mathematics teaching and reform is contingent upon having key personnel in schools to lead curriculum reform. Based on the outcomes of a large national study on successful practice in the teaching of numeracy for some of Australia’s most disadvant...

Although research into the use of mathematics apps in classrooms is becoming more common, robust research into Geometry apps is still in its infancy. Such research is particularly necessary in the case of Geometry apps where accurate and dynamic representations are critical in enhancing mathematical learning. This chapter begins to address the lack...

This chapter is a critical synthesis of research related to the transformations that take place when digital technologies are incorporated into teaching and learning practices. In developing this synthesis, research from all levels of education was reviewed with a focus on the opportunities digital technologies offer for cognitive, pedagogical, aff...

This article examines pedagogical changes to a mathematics education course for preservice teachers (PSTs) over a three-year period. Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) is used as a conceptual framework underpinning the course redesign. A case study of one campus (Campus A) is presented. It is chosen for analysis because, of the three campuses on w...

Accessing children’s feelings and attitudes towards mathematics is a challenging proposition since methods for data collection may be fraught in terms of bias and power relations. This article explores a method of collecting information from young students about their attitudes towards mathematics using iPads, and a video diary technique not dissim...

This article proposes a framework for classroom teachers to use in making pedagogical decisions regarding which mathematical materials (concrete and digital) to use, when they might be most appropriately used, and why. Two iPad apps will also be evaluated to demonstrate the usefulness of the framework in assisting teachers to evaluate digital resou...

Academics and administrators in higher education contexts increasingly invest time, energy and money in the creation and delivery of a positive “first year experience: (FYE)” a term commonly used to refer to a suite of initiatives intended to impact positively upon student satisfaction and maximise student retention. Various forms of technology fea...

Universities throughout Australia are increasingly investing significant amounts of time and money in efforts to improve the quality of first year students’ experiences and, by extension, increase retention, performance and student satisfaction. This paper reports upon a pilot research project conducted at a Queensland university that investigates...

This project was designed to contribute to the evidence base that identifies how technologies are actually being used successfully and effectively in universities. Specifically, this project was tasked with addressing the question ‘What Works and Why?’ Therefore, the project focused on the following key issues: ISSUE #1 - What is the current impact...

Part B provides 10 Case Studies from the Office for Learning and Teaching Project - What works and Why? Understanding successful technology enabled learning within institutional contexts

While relatively new in the digital landscape, mobile technologies and apps offer fresh opportunities to re-envisage some aspects of the mathematics learning experience and enhance students’ engagement and mathematical thinking. As well as the visual and dynamic affordances, touchscreens open up more direct interaction with mathematical phenomena,...

In recent years, applications (apps) for iPads are increasingly being used to support learning in primary school contexts. Current estimates put the number of available educational apps at the iTunes store at approximately 500,000. Many of these apps contain mathematical content and purport to improve students’ mathematics ability. Despite their av...

An abiding ambivalence attends the work and identities of contemporary educators. On the one hand, few informed and well-disposed commentators would doubt the importance of teaching and its transformative potential, encapsulated in representations of the teaching profession both in films (Ellsmore, 2005) and in novels (Carr, 1984). On the other han...

In this paper we report on early findings from a project in which we developed a methodology to elicit young students‘ thinking about mathematics. We describe the use of iPad diaries to collect data so as to better understand students‘ experiences of mathematics, from three economically and socially distinct schools, at two key junctures - Year 3 a...

As the use of mathematics apps in classrooms becomes more prevalent, robust research into their effectiveness is required to inform best practice regarding their use. This is particularly the case for Geometry apps where accurate and dynamic representations are critical in enhancing mathematical learning. This paper provides findings from an initia...

This paper explores the value of different paradigms to explain dispositions towards mathematics among primary school students from different social backgrounds. As part of a larger project designed to elicit students’ thinking and attitudes towards mathematics, we seek to develop an explanatory model for the socially-differentiated outcomes in stu...

This paper examines the impact of a series of design changes to an online mathematics education course in terms of transactional distance between learner and teachers, pre-service education students’ attitudes towards mathematics,and their development of mathematical pedagogical knowledge. Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) was utilised to investi...

This paper examines key pedagogical and structural changes, made over two semesters, to a core pre-service teacher mathematics course such that it could successfully be taught in mixed (blended) rather than solely face to face mode. Using Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) as a conceptual framework, it outlines the impact of design changes on the...

Accessing children’s feelings and attitudes towards mathematics is a challenging proposition since methods for data collection may be fraught in terms of bias and power relations. This paper explores a method using iPads and a video diary technique not dissimilar to the ‘Big Brother” room with which many children are familiar. We describe the devel...

As schools move to 1:1 computing, research is required to inform the design and provision of access and usage by students. The study draws upon Activity Theory as the conceptual framework, and through employing a mixed method methodology, it seeks to determine the effects of ubiquitous netbook access on communication patterns and classroom environm...

Recently I charged my first-year university students with the task of locating and critiquing a digital resource that could support mathematical learning for primary-school-aged children. iPad apps were a popular initial choice due to the devices becoming increasingly used in primary schools and the apparent ease of finding an app. However, a searc...

Applications (apps) for hand-held devices, such as IPads and smart phones, are in great supply. Many of these focus on mathematics. A recent search revealed more than 4,000 apps for mathematics education. The ease of access and the fact that they are generally low cost, often free, means that they are readily available to the general population but...

This paper describes the use of transactional distance theory (TDT) as a conceptual framework to underpin the design and delivery of a fully online first-year mathematics education methods course to pre-service teachers. It identifies key issues evident in the mathematical literature concerning mathematics education in general and pre-service teach...

This paper reports the findings of a research project investigating the use of iPods by student nurses to enhance their interactions with content, instructors and peers while located at a distance from their university campus. Wireless handheld devices (WHD) are an important tool in nursing environments that are undergoing rapid technological chang...

Students are seeking flexible study opportunities. Smartphones have potential to support learning at times and places chosen by learners but their introduction presents challenges in negotiating the changes in the behaviour of learners and in the materials and activities provided by university courses. This project, funded by DEHub in two Queenslan...

This paper explores the implementation of a Flickr (Web 2.0 photo sharing software) learning task in a first year primary education course. The context for the task was a Multiliteracies course where students designed digital media activities for later use with primary age students. The Flickr task was constructed to determine how a learning activi...