The Effect of Smart Board Use on Academic Achievement: A Meta-Analytical and Thematic Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of smart board use on academic achievement. For this purpose, mixed method where quantitative and qualitative methods are combined is used. In the quantitative phase of the research, 47 experimental studies examining the effect of smart board use on academic achievement, which were accessed by the literature review and conformed to the inclusion criteria determined by the researcher, were analyzed according to random effects model using meta-analysis method. As a result of the analysis, it was found that the effect size of smart board use on academic achievement was positive, large, and significant (ES_(d) = .94, p ˂ .05). The calculated effect size does not differ according to the type of publication, school level, and field of science (course), publication year, sample size and duration of experiment implementation. The data collected in the qualitative phase of the research were analyzed using descriptive and content analysis methods. The following results were obtained under the theme of the positive aspects of smart board use: "it provides permanent learning", "supports visual and auditory learning", "makes topics more concrete". The following results were obtained under the theme of the negative aspects of smart board use: "teachers' inability to use the smart board leads to a waste of time and disrupt the course", "teachers can be overshadowed by the smart board", "smart board makes the student and teacher lazy, and they get used to smart board doing everything". The following results were obtained under the theme of suggestions: "teachers should be trained on smart board use", "different functions should be used besides presentation (video, sound, educational game, animation etc.)", "smart boards should not be used all the time, only when necessary".