The Impact of the Virtual Learning Platform EDUKA on the Academic Performance of Primary School Children

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The subject of this paper supports other studies that defend the improvement of learning with digital platforms. Their results are supported by current knowledge. However, this article lacks a theoretical and pedagogical contextualization: what does the change of roles between teacher and student imply, in the new teaching-learning process, the importance of participatory-active action of Primary Education students, within of the constructivist and cooperative educational paradigm? methodology, with the use of ICT, as an integral part of platform learning. The article only writes the idea of ​​the importance of learning in virtual environments necessary, with its possibilities, to manage information. But, it would be necessary to contextualize how this precisely influences the new demands of subjects capable of managing, leading, adapting to different contexts, being critical, critical, decisive, creative analysis, etc., and how, in short, students are formed from integral form. . And how it fits into competency-based learning. In fact, the EDUKA assessment is based on performance in skills and abilities. Also, how this paradigmatic context contributes to mathematics, to the learning of mathematics. The article lacks a bibliography in this regard. If there has been interest in this topic for a long time, why are more studies not cited on this topic, and further it is said that "Analyzing the current learning situation of Lithuanian primary school children, stable in the long term". .., which means that there are more studies than are cited

As for the hypothesis is not defined, only a general objective without specific objectives at the end of the introduction to see the impact "effect of the virtual teaching / learning platform EDUKA on the 115 learning outcomes of primary-grade students in the subject of mathematics . ". It would be necessary to specify more, to endorse in the discussion and conclusions.

The study correctly designed and technically sound, The data robust enough to draw the conclusions, ; the methods are described. However, in the procedure and method design part, the use of the EDUKA platform is forgotten. The description is made without taking into account criteria of use and effect of the platform that it may have on student performance. It is like a specified test that will evaluate performance regardless of EDUKA, the reader does not know how those criteria are contemplated in EDUKA.

In the discussion, it is necessary to deepen the differences and comparison of the results obtained in the experimental group and the control group, especially when it is mentioned between lines 342 and 343. In the discussion, greater weight is given to the bibliography and the importance of the benefit of the use of virtual platforms for the achievement of learning in a general way, but the discussion does not focus on the comparison of the results of this study, between the control group and the experimental group, nor on exemplifying the results with an analytical discussion . It makes references to studies of the impact of EDUKA on student learning in a general way, but it is necessary to critically analyze the results of this study, comparing the data, including the bibliography that supports the study and the results. Lack of coherence and relationship between results, discussion and analysis. There is no analysis of the results and it focuses on affirming that the use of virtual platforms benefits learning and only cites impact studies by EDUKA but without relating them to the results of its study. And the conclusions are a mere summary description of the data obtained in the results, which must be analyzed in depth supported by secondary bibliography (especially in the discussion) and as an opening of study possibilities. But, it may be due to the lack of a non-existent specific hypothesis and objectives at paper.

In the bibliography, there are errors in the citations between the name of the journal and the year (there is no semicolon between the name of the journal and the year). Review the first reference, review of citation 10 of how book chapters are cited ( need to put the publisher, Publisher: City, Country); review of the quote from the website of number 16; revision of citation 17 and 20 to cite the order in Publisher books: City, Country, Year. It is necessary to indicate the doi in journal references.

It is a descriptive article, which needs a greater interpretive analysis, a coherent definition of objectives-hypotheses analyzed in results, discussion and consensus: contextualize it and a secondary bibliography that supports these indicated deficiencies.

In addition, this paper has 25% plagiarism centered on the abstract, on the materials and methods (procedure, design, method, results..)with another article :

Irina Kliziene, Ginas Cizauskas , Aldona Augustiniene , Saule Sipaviciene and Roma Aleksandraviciene. The Relationship between School Age Children’s Academic Performance and Innovative Physical Education Programs. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4922; doi:10.3390/su12124922

Author Response

Firstly, the authors want to thank your contribution to our paper. We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience with us.

The answers for reviewer is attached in the file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The topic of research is very topical in today's pandemic times. Very interesting presentation of research results, important current issues. The presented results can be an inspiration for further research in the field of distance and virtual education.

I have no objections or recommendations. Paper is written professionally, I recommend this paper for publication.

Author Response

Firstly, the authors want to thank your contribution to our paper. We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience with us.

Reviewer 3 Report

I am not clear about the relationship of the article to sustainability. Within the aims is: Education and awareness of sustainability, but I do not see the relationship with the awareness of sustainability. Perhaps in lines 90 to 92 but it should be clarified.

In the abstract:

- Line 26: Conclusions is highlighted in bold and with a parenthesis in front. Unify formatting.

- Line 18: present the acronym MDPT

In the summary, line 26 talks about "intensively integrated virtual learning platform EDUKA" but a section explaining this platform and its features would be necessary.

Section 1

Line 55 should perhaps be connected to the revised Bloom Taxonomy for e-learning.

In line 60 the phrase "According to Reference [8]..." seems strange. Cite authors or remove Reference.

In the line the appearance of "gamification" should be explained with more extension.

In line 87 I would change Phoong, Phoong and Phoong to Phoong et al.

From line 94 to section 2, a Background section or similar could be created, since it establishes conditions specific to the authors' study centers.

The introduction of EDUKA between lines 111 and 116 should be extended into a section of its own. Even more so when the reference given is not in English. A comparative framework should be established with other LMSs that have not been named in the paper (Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, ExeLearning, etc.). What does EDUKA contribute differently to this problem?

Section 2

Section 2.1.

On line 134 to 135 "We used have already validated data collection test  (Mathematical Diagnostic Progress Test) [18]...". Review this sentence and remove the colon from the end.

The following sentence on line 135 and 136 should also be checked: "This test was validated by theoretical, content and statistical validation methods.

Last phrase in Line 138-139 could be moved above, when you introduce the schools.

Section 2.2.

Section 2.2.1

Use capital letters with “mathematical diagnostic progress tests”.  At the beginning you use (i.e., unsatisfactory, satisfactory, basic, and advanced) in line 148, but then you use different names (high-level and essential in lines 149-150) Why?

Lines 228-231 repeat the same content in lines 149-152.

The subsection 2.2.2 seems to be a little bit confusing. Perhaps could be reduced.

Subsection 2.2.3

In line 247, you use “experimental and control” (in line 126 “exploratory and control”. Please, unify the vocabulary (probably in more places of the document).

Section3

Subsection 3.1

Linea 282 “pre-trial” or “pre-test”?

In previous subsection you always presents experimental vs. control, but in this section the results are always showed as “control vs experimental” Why did you change the order?

Line 287 “trial (EG)” or “experimental (EG)”?

Review the footer inside the Figure 1. There is something wrong. (Control group two times…)

Subsection 3.2

Again using EG and CG in line 307 but then the results are presented in reverse order.

Section 4

Lines 350 to 354, three phrases beginning with “Virtual learning…”

Lines 356 to 361 is a very long phrase difficult to understand.

Last paragraph (lines 386-388) repeat the same idea at the beginning of the section.

Introduce a threat section: for example, schools are chosen randomly but this can influence (similar characteristics in economically and socially similar areas?) The influence of the teachers, and their selections of tools can change the results. Etc.

Author Response

Firstly, the authors want to thank your contribution to our paper. We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience with us.

Sequential answers for reviewer comment are provided in the attached file

Best wishes

Irina Kliziene, Grazina Taujanskiene, Aldona Augustiniene, Berita Simonaitiene and Gintautas Cibulskas

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

The article presents the results of experimental research on the use of the virtual learning platform EDUKA in teaching mathematics at primary school children. 

In terms of methodology, the text was prepared very well. 

The authors used ner literature on the subject to prepare the text. 

The conclusions indicated that the EDUKA virtual platform can be successfully used in the mathematical education of 7-year-old children, from whom learning during the Covid-19 pandemic causes a lot of problems.

The research results should be published so that the teachers in other countries could use the Lithuanian experience with the EDUKA platform. 

It would interesting if the authors of the manuscript could answer the question whether the EDUKA virtual platform is used in other European educational systems?
- I suggest that the terms “young ladies” and “young men” should be replaced by “girls and boys” (paragraph 2.1)
- The sentence “We used have…” should be - “We have used…” (footnote 18).
- Paragraph 2.2.2 – should be – “aritmetics educational program”.
These comments do not affect the overall rating of the article, which is very good overall.
I recommend the article for publication.

Author Response

Firstly, the authors want to thank your contribution to our paper. We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience with us.

The article presents the results of experimental research on the use of the virtual learning platform EDUKA in teaching mathematics at primary school children. 

In terms of methodology, the text was prepared very well. 

The authors used ner literature on the subject to prepare the text. 

The conclusions indicated that the EDUKA virtual platform can be successfully used in the mathematical education of 7-year-old children, from whom learning during the Covid-19 pandemic causes a lot of problems.

The research results should be published so that the teachers in other countries could use the Lithuanian experience with the EDUKA platform. 

It would interesting if the authors of the manuscript could answer the question whether the EDUKA virtual platform is used in other European educational systems?

Digital platform EDUKA is not used in other European educational systems, yet. In 2020, EDUKA, an original teaching/learning digital environment created in Lithuania, was recognized as one of the 50 most innovative educational start-ups in the Nordic and Baltic countries in the category of learning resources and environment at the annual Nordic European HolonIQ Nordic-Baltic EdTech Awards. The learning/assessment digital platform EDUKA, which is purposefully designed for the country's schools, combines two subsystems: classroom and gradebook. EdukaClassroom and EdukaGradebook have integrated functionality: (1) it is a library of digital resources with more than 400 digital textbooks, more than 25,000 different types of digital assignments, diagnostic and pilot tests, and other useful information for teachers, with the content continuously updated; (2) the learning organization function is used by teachers to prepare their lessons, collect and store teaching and methodological material in their account, use EdukaClassroom resources and supplement them with their own solutions (e.g. using Padlet, Canva or other digital tools), tailor subject content according to individual student abilities, and create original tasks and tests of different complexity and different types; (3) the group creation function allows the teacher to divide the students into groups according to the planned goal, thus creating preconditions for students to perform in groups, encourage their interaction and cooperation; (4) the communication and feedback function allows the distribution of individually prepared learning materials and tasks to the student or group of students. Students can independently study the topic more in depth, then complete the task and immediately get feedback; (5) the progress monitoring and data analysis function of the EdukaGradebook allows the teacher to collect and analyse large amounts of data, which helps to make timely learning improvement decisions for a specific student or group of students with similar characteristics.

- I suggest that the terms “young ladies” and “young men” should be replaced by “girls and boys” (paragraph 2.1)

Response:

It was corrected

The control group involved 43 girls and 46 boys aged 6–7. The experimental group contained 45 girls and 44 boys aged 6–7 years.

- The sentence “We used have…” should be - “We have used…” (footnote 18).

Response:

It was corrected

- Paragraph 2.2.2 – should be – “aritmetics educational program”.

Response:

We so sorry, but decided to entitle paragraph 2.2.2:

2.2.2. Distribution of Mathematical Learning Achievements by Curriculum Content

Mathematical determination assesses first-grade children' mathematical information and aptitudes as per the five zones of the arithmetic education educational program:

1. Numbers and calculations;
2. Phenomena, equations, and inequalities;
3. Geometry, measures, and measurements;
4. Statistics;
5. Communication and general problem-solving skills.

The MDPT’s was created by the necessities for the plan of the test and the subjective prerequisites for the assignments. The reason for the structure and the lattice of the test are given in its attributes: the assignments are dispensed relatively as per the degrees of student achievements (i.e., unsatisfactory, satisfactory, basic, advanced), the substance of the subject of arithmetic, the fields of action (i.e., numbers and computations, wonders, conditions, disparities, calculation, measures and estimations, insights, communication, and general critical thinking procedures) and intellectual capacity groups (i.e., mathematical information and comprehension, use of science and higher reasoning capacities).

As per the framework of the created test, the pupils' achievement levels, the substance of the subject of arithmetic and psychological capacity groups, the hypothetically most noteworthy conceivable score was determined for each exploration zone—a hypothetical outcome that was utilized to evaluate the pupils' accomplishments in a specific field demonstrated by the MDPT’s.

To guarantee equivalent assessment of the pupils' MDPT,s results as per the fields of action, MDPT’s assessment directions were utilized, and the restrictions of pupils' achievement levels were characterized dependent on the MDPT's attributes (i.e., unsatisfactory, satisfactory, basic, advanced).

As characterized in the MDPT's attributes, the advanced level degree of achievement requires the pupils to aggregate 26–33 standard points from their MDPT’s tasks done during the examination; the basic level requires 16–25 standard points, the satisfactory level 7–15 standard points, while the inadmissible level requires 0–6 standard points. These levels are portrayed by the pupils' fundamental action capacity groups: mathematical information and aptitudes of performing standard methods, mathematical communication, mathematical reasoning, and critical thinking. In light of these pupils' achievement levels, the proficiency of the pupils' learning association measure is surveyed. The degree of student achievement is a measure for the assessment of the association of the learning cycle. This assessment is utilized in the examination, translation, and correlation of the association between student learning association strategies and achievement.

These comments do not affect the overall rating of the article, which is very good overall.
I recommend the article for publication.

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Author Response

Firstly, the authors want to thank your contribution to our paper. We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience with us.

1. Introduction

Domain-specific instruction theory for mathematics [7] emphasizes a constructivist approach to the conceptual understanding development of mathematics and to mathematics as a human activity. The theory states that only by re-reinventing and rediscovering mathematical ideas will learners be active and able to move from the horizontal mathematization to the specific dimensions of mathematical ideas, ie. vertical mathematization [7].

A growing body of research suggests that constructivist principles are fundamental to our understanding of learning in virtual reality learning [13]. The review of the literature shows that digital environments can support constructivist learning principles since they allow learners to control content, sequences and learning strategies; learners thus can create their own discovery activities that encourage diverse thinking and problem representations, all of which help stimulate intrinsic motivation [14-16]. Within a constructivist paradigm, learners take an active role in their learning, since they connect it with previously assimilated knowledge to construct new knowledge [17] and attempt to reduce the gap between the learner’s knowledge and a real-life experience [18] Important functional properties that can benefit learning in digital learning environments are spatial knowledge representation, experiential learning, engagement, contextual learning and collaborative learning [19].

According to Drijvers [16], successful integration of digital tools in mathematics education is a subtle, promising issue, waiting for its full exploitation, which will require close collaboration between teachers and researchers.

4. Discussion

The main aim of this study was to establish the effect of the learning/digital assessment platform EDUKA on the learning outcomes of primary-grade students in the subject of mathematics. This study provides some of the strongest evidence to date on the relationship between specific virtual learning dimensions and primary school children mathematics achievements. The results suggest that the use of digital learning platform EDUKA was not limited to enhancing knowledge and understanding through better memorization, but also increased motivation and activated the learning process itself. This complements the findings of other researchers that digital learning is adaptive and engaging [10–12], increases the learning time for learners and enhances their learning performance [20]. The use of attractive and advanced teaching / learning tools encourages pupils to create their own activities of discovery that stimulate diverse thinking and problem representations, all of which help generate intrinsic motivation [14-16] for pupils to learn. More active pupil involvement may also lead to better subject learning outcomes (in the case of this study, mathematics). The results of this study suggest that EDUKA, which has been designed prioritizing the pedagogical and constructivist approaches to learning, allows the learner to be present and “pedagogically immersed” in each learning stages: they experience some degree of immersion into the primary representation of the concept, immersion in the task, immersion in the interaction or discussion with others, and experience that meets the intended learning outcomes [19].

We made the assumption that our study revealed that the results of the intervention of the virtual learning platform EDUKA into traditional mathematics lessons was effective, had positive and significant effect on pupils mathematical literacy skills construction.

5. Conclusion

It was found that the intensively integrated learning/digital assessment platform EDUKA into formal education, in the subject of mathematics, had a significant impact on primary school children’s mathematical performance. After the experiment, the difference between the pre-test and post-test results of primary school children with a satisfactory level decreased significantly statistically (p < 0.05). In addition, after the experiment, a statistically significant difference was found (p < 0.05) in primary school children with higher levels. The study revealed that the experimental group demonstrated higher scores in the Application and Higher thinking skills area at the end of the study. Pupils’ higher cognitive skills of thinking and application have significantly developed in comparison to the research group, which does not apply virtual learning/assessment platform EDUKA in the process of mathematics education. The intervention in the experimental group (i.e., integration of the virtual learning platform into the formal mathematics learning process) had a positive impact on access to mathematics; students’ math learning achievements were positive in progressive mathematics. Demonstrating higher achievements in mathematics among students by field of content and activity, significant advances in the cognitive abilities of the students’ thinking and application were evident in the experimental group with the virtual learning platform in the process of mathematics education, but these did not apply to that of the control group.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Review minor typo errors in Figure 1. (e.g. Eksperimental, Satifactory).

Line 170 H1?

I don't see relationship about the new paragraphs in the 4. Discussion section, with threats to the experiment.

Thank you very much for your effort improving the paper. Good work.

Author Response

Firstly, the authors want to thank your contribution to our paper. We really appreciate you taking the time out to share your experience with us.

Review minor typo errors in Figure 1. (e.g. Eksperimental, Satifactory).

Response:

It was corrected

Line 170 H1?

So we formulate research hypothesis The application of the learning/assessment digital platform EDUKA has a positive impact on the improvement of mathematics learning achievements of primary school students

I don't see relationship about the new paragraphs in the 4. Discussion section, with threats to the experiment.

4. Discussion

The main aim of this study was to establish the effect of the learning/digital assessment platform EDUKA on the learning outcomes of primary-grade students in the subject of mathematics. This study provides some of the strongest evidence to date on the relationship between specific virtual learning dimensions and primary school children mathematics achievements. The results suggest that the use of digital learning platform EDUKA was not limited to enhancing knowledge and understanding through better memorization, but also increased motivation and activated the learning process itself. This complements the findings of other researchers that digital learning is adaptive and engaging [10–12], increases the learning time for learners and enhances their learning performance [20]. The use of attractive and advanced teaching / learning tools encourages pupils to create their own activities of discovery that stimulate diverse thinking and problem representations, all of which help generate intrinsic motivation [14-16] for pupils to learn. More active pupil involvement may also lead to better subject learning outcomes (in the case of this study, mathematics). The results of this study suggest that EDUKA, which has been designed prioritizing the pedagogical and constructivist approaches to learning, allows the learner to be present and “pedagogically immersed” in each learning stages: they experience some degree of immersion into the primary representation of the concept, immersion in the task, immersion in the interaction or discussion with others, and experience that meets the intended learning outcomes [19].

We made the assumption that our study revealed that the results of the intervention of the virtual learning platform EDUKA into traditional mathematics lessons was effective, had positive and significant effect on pupils mathematical literacy skills construction.

This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.