A scoping review of wrist-worn wearables in education

Abstract

Within the past ten years, the public's use of wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, has greatly increased. Recently, researchers have published systematic reviews to examine how wearables are used in educational settings. However, not all wearables are alike. Head-mounted wearables and exoskeletons may be viewed as invasive, whereas smartwatches and wristbands are commonly worn by the public. In this scoping review, we systematically review the literature around wrist-worn wearables (WWs) in educational settings. Our systematic search revealed 1,932 unique research items, of which 46 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Our findings reveal the trends in the field, we discuss the vast heterogeneity seen in the field, and we make a call for further in-depth systematic reviews in the areas of WWs as educational interventions, of studies where the data from WWs is used to predict or classify different types of outcomes, and about data privacy, data security, ethics, and legal concerns around WWs in educational settings.