mLearning Versus Paper and Pencil Practice for Telling Time: Impact for Attention and Accuracy.
Mobile clock practice helps some third graders pay attention, yet paper practice still gives more correct answers and faster work for others.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Four third-grade students practiced telling time two ways. Some days they tapped clock faces on a tablet. Other days they drew hands on paper worksheets.
The teacher switched the order every day so no kid always got the same method first. She counted how long kids stayed on task and how many answers were right.
What they found
Tablets pulled in two kids: they looked longer and fooled around less. The other two kids scored more correct answers with plain paper.
Everyone finished more problems when they used pencil and paper. Mobile learning did not win across the board.
How this fits with other research
Hu et al. (2020) saw the same pattern with kids who have autism. Computer lessons needed fewer prompts and ended sooner, yet learning stayed equal to teacher cards.
Savaldi-Harussi et al. (2025) also mixed results: a smart-glove beat flashcards for younger students with moderate delays but did nothing for older students with severe delays.
Niland et al. (2026) warns that tablet readiness matters. Two of three children with autism learned fine with digital prompts; one child needed changes and still showed no gain.
Put together, the papers agree: digital tools can speed things up or hold attention, but they do not guarantee better accuracy for every learner.
Why it matters
Before you swap worksheets for tablets, run a quick alternating-treatments probe with each student. Track attention and accuracy separately. If the child stays focused longer on the screen, keep the tablet. If scores drop, stay with paper. Either way, watch completion rate—paper still lets kids finish more items in the same time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of mLearning or mobile device practice on the attention and accuracy of student's use of math concepts, specifically, telling time. A single subject, alternating treatment design was used to compare mLearning to paper and pencil practice in four 3rd grade male students. Results were mixed; two children were observed to be more on-task during the mLearning practice, and two children were observed to perform similarly across both conditions. Additionally, two children performed similarly on correctly completed problems across both conditions, and two children performed better using paper and pencil practice. All students completed more math problems during the paper and pencil practice.
Journal of behavioral education, 2023 · doi:10.1080/14759939x.2016.1193556