The Role of Education Technology in Student Engagement and Motivation
A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 687
Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Educational technologies are now deeply embedded across K–12, higher education, and informal learning contexts. Learning management systems, adaptive platforms, collaborative tools, simulations, and AI-enabled supports are frequently promoted as solutions for enhancing student engagement and motivation. However, empirical findings remain mixed, and important questions persist regarding how, for whom, and under what conditions educational technologies meaningfully support learning. As technology adoption accelerates, there is a growing need for research that moves beyond implementation to examine the motivational and engagement processes underlying technology-mediated learning experiences.
This Special Issue aims to advance understanding of how educational technologies shape students’ cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and social engagement, as well as key motivational processes such as interest, self-efficacy, belonging, and persistence. The scope of the Special Issue emphasizes theoretically grounded and empirically rigorous work that examines mechanisms linking technology use to engagement and motivation, attends to design features and instructional contexts, and considers issues of equity, inclusion, and accessibility across diverse learners and settings.
Suggested Themes and Topics of Interest Include (but Are Not Limited To):
- Motivational and learning theories applied to educational technology
- Design features and instructional practices that support student engagement
- Learning analytics and process data for studying engagement and motivation
- Technology-supported interventions targeting interest, self-efficacy, or persistence
- Equity, inclusion, and accessibility in technology-mediated learning environments
- Engagement and motivation across online, hybrid, and in-person contexts
We welcome experimental, quasi-experimental, qualitative, mixed-methods, learning analytics, and design-based research contributions. Collectively, this Special Issue seeks to advance theoretical clarity, empirical insight, and practical guidance on when and why educational technologies foster meaningful student engagement and motivation.
Dr. Matthew Graham
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- educational technology
- student motivation
- student engagement
- learning analytics
- equity and inclusion
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