Patterns of Reflection for Problem-Solving in a Mobile Learning Environment

This study explored the nature of students' reflections on solving a given problem in a mobile technology enhanced learning environment of a computer networks course. Participants were 143 college freshmen taught by the same instructor. A process and content analysis method were employed to explore learners' reflective patterns during and after problem-solving tasks. The results suggested 4 conclusions: (a) participants' reflection-in-action declined slightly across lab sessions, and reflection-on-action increased slightly across lab sessions, (b) participants generated more reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action during the early stages of problem-solving with the help of mobile technology, (c) providing learners with sufficient training on the use of mobile technology prior to the tasks is critically important to enhancing learning, and (d) learners with high prior-knowledge revealed higher frequency in reflection. Finally, it was suggested to examine the relationships between participants' flections on given problems and learning performance in a explicitly manner.