The use of tablets in the teaching of Social Sciences in Primary School Education

Abstract

Human beings are witnessing a process of digitalisation in society which has become transferable to the classroom, visible as a demand to promote digital literacy and motivate the learning of new students, identified as digital natives. Its functionality in didactics has been widely confirmed, although there are still not many studies that address an empirical evaluation of the use of digital resources in educational proposals for teaching social sciences in Primary Education. Therefore, the following study is proposed to assess the degree of historical knowledge and motivation for learning experienced by sixth grade students (52 students) after the design of a teaching intervention in which the use of digital tablets is included throughout the proposal, applying a knowledge assessment questionnaire, before and after, as well as a motivation scale. The data show academic improvements with respect to historical knowledge before and after the intervention and in comparison, with the results obtained in the previous academic year without the use of this type of digital resource. On the other hand, the role of the teacher and the motivational nature of the classes are noted as strengths and the need to improve the assessment processes is highlighted. Thus, the findings obtained confirm the role of digital resources as a means of facilitating the abstraction of complex knowledge such as that associated with the discipline of history, which is why teachers must include, from a functional and not passive approach, the application of this type of support in their teaching-learning proposals.