Daily inspiring text messages fail to inspire US students to perform better
A groundbreaking experiment that bombarded US high school students with inspiring text messages was found to be a success on all counts except one: it made no difference to how the students performed in school.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jun/11/text-messages-us-high-school-students
I worry about research like this. Too many people are casting around for technical solutions or the next disruptive thing, when the basic answer is to provide better teachers and provide some flexibility to let them teach.
I don’t know how this was funded, but it seems (particularly in the U.S) that a lot of EdTech related companies and funds are getting into supporting research that is likely to have a direct benefit to their bottom line and the bottom line of universities, at the expense of teaching students well. It’s a bit like a coal mining company funding climate research. It always ends up being a bit wobbly when you give it a poke.