Exploring Geolocation Data: An Inquiry-based Methodology Used in

Lower Secondary Education

Gabriela Lovászová

and Viera Michaličková

Department of Informatics, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 1, Nitra, Slovakia

Keywords: Inquiry-based Learning, Mobile Technology, Computer Science Education, Geolocation Data.

Abstract: The presented research study is focused on building conceptual knowledge of pupils in the field of data

representation and tools for their processing using the inquiry-based methodology (the 5E model was applied).

We have chosen geolocation data as a less traditional type of data, which also provides an opportunity for

a non-traditional form of teaching computer science outdoors using mobile technology. Pupils’ task is to

determine suitable tools for processing geolocation data. They analyze a GPX file’s contents and formulate

questions that can be answered from the available data. During the outdoor phase of the learning scenario,

pupils produce an original GPS drawing and share it in a common digital map. Data collected from teachers

who implemented the proposed methodology in several primary schools confirmed that our methodology

based on the IBL principles was successful in achieving educational goals at higher levels of Bloom’s

taxonomy. The teachers were also confirming that combining the inquiry approach with using mobile

technology stimulates pupils' interest in the subject of teaching significantly.

1 INTRODUCTION

Typically, computer science is taught in a computer

laboratory where the individual work of pupils

prevail. Pupils process data they are creating

themselves (texts, images), have been given by

a teacher or downloaded from the internet.

Sometimes, data are generated by a program or pupils

get it using a specific hardware (e. g. scanner, camera,

microphone or some other sensor). When processing

data of a certain type, pupils usually work with

a specific software tool and solve tasks given by their

teachers. If software is new (unknown) to pupils, they

work according to their teacher’s instructions.

In this paper, we focus on solving the problem of

building conceptual knowledge of pupils in the field

of data representation and tools for their processing at

higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy (BT) using

the inquiry-based (IB) methodology. Conceptual

knowledge is one of the 4 categories of the revised

Bloom's taxonomy knowledge dimension and

comprises the interrelationships among the basic

elements within a larger structure that enable them to

function together. The 3 other categories include the

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6972-5139

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8036-5792

factual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge

(Krathwohl, 2002). We have chosen geolocation data

as a less traditional type of data, which also provides

an opportunity for a non-traditional form of teaching

computer science outdoors using mobile technology.

The well-designed inquiry-based learning (IBL)

enhances learners' curiosity and motivation, mediates

deeper understanding, and fosters critical thinking.

Through IBL activities, pupils are taught to think and

act like the scientists do. The meta-analysis of many

empirical studies presented in (Lazonder and

Harmsen, 2016) points out that whenever learners act

like scientists, their teacher should provide them with

adequate guidance. The authors of the meta-analysis

found out, that the learners who were given some kind

of guidance acted more skillfully during the task,

were more successful in obtaining relevant

information from their investigational practices and

scored higher on final tests. As we agree on the

beneficial implications of the constructivist learning

and teaching strategies, we have decided to apply the

5E instructional model of IBL (Bybee et al., 2006) in

our methodology.

Lovászová, G. and Michali

cková, V.

Exploring Geolocation Data: An Inquiry-based Methodology Used in Lower Secondary Education.

DOI: 10.5220/0011036300003182

In Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2022) - Volume 2, pages 351-360

ISBN: 978-989-758-562-3; ISSN: 2184-5026

351

Tkáčová, Šnajder and Guniš (2019) pursued

a research study on teachers’ perception, attitudes,

experiences, misconceptions, and barriers to IB

teaching of computer science. Though the IB

approach is still considered rather innovative in

Slovak schools, this study confirmed that many

computer science teachers in primary and secondary

schools are willing to apply IBL principles in their

teaching. The teachers seek for additional training

and prefer using ready-made methodologies to

overcome their lack of experience. They found the

IBL appropriate mainly for topics concerned with

programming or data processing.

One project of teaching the basics of

programming in Scratch enriched by IBL elements

was described in (Vaníček, 2015). The author also

suggests that IBL is a response to the improper

teaching methods used in primary and secondary

schools that are often based on mere reproduction of

knowledge, on instruction and tutorials not resulting

in deeper comprehension nor development of

thinking skills.

Since mobile devices have become available in

schools, many educational researchers are focusing

on finding effective ways of using them in the

curriculum. Lovászová, Cápay and Michaličková

(2016) presented the best practices for using mobile

technology in teaching computer science. The main

reasons for considering mobile learning scenarios

more frequently include:

• they can facilitate collaborative learning,

creative projects and authentic learning

activities not bound to the indoor classroom

environment,

• they have potential to contribute to the

intrinsic motivation of pupils (because of

their personal features),

• they can facilitate both, the active

construction of knowledge and development

of new skills.

Besides using mobile devices as a versatile

learning tool or to enhance the interactivity and the

collaborative aspect of computer science lessons,

pupils can also program their own mobile

applications as well as take the mobile devices

outdoors to experience location-based games or

collect some specific data necessary for a project.

Yakar et al. (2020) explain how mobile

technology is being adopted in learning nowadays

and how it helps learners and educators with the key

aspects of constructivism such as interaction,

collaboration, and authentic experience. These create

an informal atmosphere where social and cognitive

constructivism can be implemented more easily to

enhance the quality of formal lessons.

In (Suárez et al., 2018), a systematic review of

using mobile technology in IBL was conducted. The

study aimed at examining to what extent the use of

mobile technology for IBL supports and limits

learners' agency. The authors developed an analytical

framework helpful for designing effective mobile

activities that balance learners’ agency with mobile

technology. Their classification includes 12 types of

mobile activities derived from the direct instruction,

access to content, data collection, peer-to-peer

interaction and contextual support type of mobile

activities. Furthermore, they identified 6 dimensions

for learners' agency (control over goals, over content,

over actions, over strategies, and options for

reflection and monitoring). The way the mobile

technology is integrated within the proposed IB

methodology corresponds with their

recommendations. In our methodology, pupils are

given an opportunity to explore geolocation data in

a computer laboratory using multiple software tools

first. But subsequently, pupils are involved into

a collaborative data-collection activity based on using

tablets or smartphones. Pupils are free to set their own

goal (come up with an original idea for a GPS

drawing) and plan the procedure of achieving it.

Throughout the outdoor phase as well as after

visualizing the collected data (the GPS drawings),

pupils are able to reflect their results or refine their

strategy for solving the problem if necessary.

2 EXPLORING GEOLOCATION

DATA WITH PUPILS

At the heart of inquiry-centered learning is the inquiry

question. Thinking is driven by questions, not

answers. If pupils are engaged in inquiry, they are

expected to construct their own meaningful questions,

refine, and improve their questions, strategize on

designing and producing responses to their questions

(Chu et al., 2021). In our methodology, pupils’ task is

to determine suitable tools for processing geolocation

data. They analyze a GPX file’s contents and

formulate questions that can be answered from the

available data.

After learning about GPX files and their

processing using a digital map, pupils are asked to use

their GPS-enabled mobile devices to record

geolocation data while moving outdoors actively.

They are encouraged to express their creativity to

produce original GPS drawings.

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Finally, pupils present their GPS drawings in

a shared map, creating one common product because

of collaborative work of the whole group.

2.1 Design of the Inquiry-based

Methodology

The suggested methodology is meant for pupils in 7

or 8

grade (in Slovakia these are 12-14 years old

pupils). It directly follows a preceding one that is

focused on principles of satellite navigation. We

assume that pupils are already familiar with concept

of geographical coordinates, and they have used their

mobile devices to navigate to multiple places

recently.

The learning activities are planned for a period of

90 minutes (2 lessons). Pupils work in pairs to

promote collaboration and communication while

solving problems. Worksheets are used as an aid for

structuring pupils’ ideas.

To process the recorded routes, teachers have to

prepare a shared digital map with layers for each pair

of pupils. Sample GPX files with geolocation data are

attached to this methodology too. They are selected

on purpose to demonstrate different types of routes.

Teachers can also prepare their own files, e. g. from

around the school area. However, routes must be

recorded in the field and exported to GPX files, not

edited using a map software.

In following subsections, key information about

each of the 5 consecutive phases of the 5E model is

summarized.

2.1.1 Engaging

At the very beginning, the main goal is to generate

interest of the topic, drawing on prior knowledge and

experience of pupils. Teacher raises these questions:

• What types of files do you know?

• What information these files contain?

• What software would you use to view and

process them?

The answers of pupils are written on a board into

a 3-column table (Table 1). Pupils use their

worksheets to record all the acceptable answers.

Alternatively, two lists of file types and applications

could be made by pupils. File types are then assigned

to applications that are applicable for viewing or

processing them.

Table 1: Example of the first activity’s solution.

file t

e contents a

lication

jpg

icture Paint

sb3 programming

roject

Scratch

docx text document MS Wor

xlsx table MS Excel

resentation MS PowerPoint

html web page Google Chrome

wav soun

Windows Media Playe

2.1.2 Exploring

The lesson continues by posing a problem. Each pair

of pupils gets a different GPX file to explore. Teacher

acts as a facilitator observing pupils’ interactions and

asks the following inquiry-oriented questions:

• What software can we use for viewing the

contents of GPX files?

• What kind of data are saved in GPX files?

• What questions can be answered from

analyzing these data?

During the previous activity, pupils have recalled

their knowledge of various information types, their

digital representations as well as tools for their

processing. They have realized that different file

types are processed by different applications and

applications can manage to process or view the

contents of various file types. Therefore, when

examining a GPX file, they may experiment with

opening it in multiple different applications to

discover the most appropriate one. The expected

findings include:

• A GPX file is a text file.

• It can be opened in a text editor, e. g.

Notepad, MS Word, in a web browser, e. g.

Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, in

a spreadsheet editor, e. g. MS Excel (in this

case, data need to be converted).

After viewing the file, pupils analyze its content

putting down notes in their worksheets. They should

be able to identify the time and geographical

coordinates (latitude, longitude), with which they

have experience from previous lessons. The file also

contains elevation data. The numeric data is tagged.

Pupils should recognize their meaning (TIME = time,

LAT = latitude, LON = longitude, ELE = elevation,

TRKPT = track point) either from their English

knowledge or the numerical values themselves. They

should also note the repetitive structure of data and

hypothesize that it is a record of geographical places

in a time sequence (times increase), possibly a record

of one’s movement while walking or running.

Exploring Geolocation Data: An Inquiry-based Methodology Used in Lower Secondary Education

353

Figure 1: Using a web browser for viewing contents of

a GPX file.

Next, teacher asks pupils to formulate questions

that can be answered from data contained in their

GPX file. Discussion should result in a list of relevant

questions, e. g.:

• Where is the route located?

• When was the route recorded?

•

What is the length of the route?

• How long did the recording last?

• What was the maximum, minimum altitude,

what about the altitude difference?

• What was the speed of movement?

2.1.3 Explaining

Guided by teacher, pupils try to explain their

observations and findings in their own words.

Teacher is responsible for connecting pupils’

informal language with formulations based on using

the proper terminology.

Next, pupils have to suggest the way of obtaining

necessary information form data. Some numerical

data could be processed using a spreadsheet editor

(e. g. to calculate the record’s duration or determine

the minimum and maximum altitudes). However, we

need a digital map to process geographic coordinates.

In this phase, the learning activity is focused on

processing data files using the Google Maps

application. Pupils need to find out their route’s

location and give it a concise title. Teacher provides

pupils with link to a shared map comprising dedicated

layers to use. Pupils import their file into their

individual layer. Task of renaming a route according

to its location and nature develops critical thinking –

the ability to interpret data. In every case, the route’s

description also includes basic statistics necessary for

answering questions stated during the previous phase.

Pupils can complete descriptions of their routes by

adding some explaining text or even an image.

Then, pupils present their solutions to each other

in a shared map. They will get examples of different

types of routes, e. g.:

• long hikes in nature with a large elevation

difference,

• shorter routes mapping objects in the urban

environment,

• routes creating a meaningful image in

a structured urban environment,

• routes on free space representing

inscriptions etc.

Teacher encourages pupils to discuss the use of

GPS tracking in everyday life, e. g.:

• for recording sports performances (tourists,

runners, cyclists),

• to record routes traveled by car (business

trips, holidays),

• for map creation purposes (hiking trails,

roads, land properties),

• for creating interesting images, works of art

(graphics, advertisements).

2.1.4 Extending/Elaborating

After working with GPX files and using a shared

Google map, we continue with the outdoor part of the

methodology. Pupils should apply the acquired

knowledge of GPX files and digital map skills to their

own data in a mini project: They will design their own

image, which they will record outside using a mobile

device with GPS and publish it in a shared digital

map. They still work in pairs. Each pair of pupils has

a tablet or a smartphone with Locus Map Free

application installed (or some other application

providing similar functionalities depending on the

targeted mobile platform).

The outdoor part of the route recording activity

should take approximately 25-30 minutes. A school

playground is usually a satisfactory (as for its size)

and safe drawing space. To get nice, aesthetic results,

we recommend pupils drawing simple, single-stroke

line images (e. g. geometric shapes and their

combinations), outlines of buildings or large

inscriptions (written font is more suitable than printed

one).

After returning to school, pupils can view results

of their work first on a mobile device. Then, they

transfer the GPX file they have just produced to a

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computer, either wirelessly or by cable. The final task

is to import their GPX file into a common map, giving

their drawing a proper name.

2.1.5 Evaluating

At the end, pupils evaluate each other's drawings

voting for the most beautiful picture (originality and

aesthetics are considered). The teacher can also

project some additional examples of GPS drawings

made by professional GPS artists or other groups of

pupils. The experience of being involved in the GPS

drawing activity is reflected by pupils and all the

acquired knowledge is summarized. Pupils fill in the

self-assessment cards included in their worksheets.

This helps them with reviewing the contents of

lessons as well as systematizing of the curriculum.

3 RESEARCH STUDY

The proposed methodology was developed within the

national project IT Academy which was aimed at

designing and implementing innovations into the

science and technical education with special focus on

teaching computer science to foster pupils’

motivation for pursuing career in IT sector. The

methodology was implemented by teachers from

several Slovak schools. In our research study, two

research questions (RQ) were posed:

RQ1: What is the knowledge level of lower

secondary pupils as for the field of data

representation and tools for their processing?

RQ2: How is the proposed methodology

beneficial for developing the conceptual knowledge

at higher levels of BT?

3.1 Methods

The research involved 30 teachers from 30 Slovak

primary schools. They applied the methodology in the

7th or 8th grade classes once or repeatedly with

different pupils in the school years 2018/2019 and

2019/2020. We provided teachers with detailed

lesson plans, supplementary methodical and technical

instructions, worksheets, and data files. After the first

year of verification, we conducted interventions

based on feedback from teachers. Some minor

changes in learning materials for pupils were made

(re-formulating of the assignments and updating

manual of the recommended mobile application). The

methodical instructions for teachers were extended to

explain some issues identified from the feedback data

(some instructions or tasks for pupils were

misunderstood by teachers). Also, a list of

documented pupils’ misconceptions was added.

For research purposes, teachers provided us with

data of two types:

1. Their pupils’ products - completed worksheets

as well as geolocation data pupils recorded with

mobile devices and subsequently processed in Google

Maps.

2. Written structured reflections, in which

teachers commented on goals of the learning

activities, the extent to which they were met, the

content’s complexity, the teaching forms, methods,

tools and didactic technologies applied.

We analysed the obtained data qualitatively.

Pupils’ solutions in worksheets were evaluated and

categorized to identify the level of knowledge, most

common mistakes, and misconceptions. Teachers'

reflections were also analysed in depth to better

understand the context in which pupils were working

while solving problems. We were interested in

abstracting teachers’ essential views on the proposed

methodology as for its key attributes (IBL principles,

learning outdoors, using mobile technology).

3.2 Results

The results of data analysis from worksheets are

presented according to solutions of tasks in the

individual phases of IBL:

Task 1 (Engaging): Name various types of files.

What kind of information do they contain? What

application do we need to view and process them?

There were 41 different answers found in

worksheets that we have categorized in 12 categories.

In Figure 2, the frequencies of responses are

visualized.

Figure 2: The frequencies of file types stated by pupils.

Exploring Geolocation Data: An Inquiry-based Methodology Used in Lower Secondary Education

355

Most often, pupils mentioned the files containing

text, image or a computer presentation, audio/video,

tables, compressed files, programming codes,

executable or some other system data files, structured

data, special files having an educational content as

well as various incorrect answers (http, https, gps, w).

In most of the answers (80%), the information

kind and the related applications were identified

correctly. Though, also some mistakes were noticed:

• Pupils did not distinguish between the

contents of a file and the tool for processing

it. They stated e.g., that the file “xls” contains

“spreadsheet” and the processing tool is

“Excel”, “doc” contains “text editor” and is

processed by “OpenOffice.org”.

• Pupils stated http, https (mistaken with html)

as the file type.

• Pupils identified applications with company

names: Adobe (instead of Adobe Reader),

Google (instead of Google Chrome),

Microsoft (instead of MS Word).

• Pupils confused operating system and

applications: they presented Android,

Windows, iOS, Linux as applications for

word processing or websites.

Most teachers found the difficulty of this task

appropriate to prior knowledge of pupils (“In 7th

grade, pupils have already experience with various

data files.“). However, for some teachers, the activity

was difficult, because “pupils do not know lots of

files and are not capable of naming it properly”.

According to many teachers, pupils did not

understand the assignment at first. But after giving

a specific example (e. g. a text file having the txt

extension contains text data and a text editor, such as

Notepad, is applicable for viewing it), they were

ready to respond on their own (“First, pupils were

a bit confused, but after a short reminding, they

continued further without major problems.”).

Task 2 (Exploring): Find out the following: What

software do we need for viewing data in GPX files?

What data are contained in GPS files? What

information can we get from the data?

The purpose of this task was to find out what data

the unknown file type contains. To do this, pupils

should first find out what application they can use to

view the contents of the file. In their worksheets,

pupils gave more options. They suggested a text

editor, a spreadsheet processor, a web browser, even

some map software was mentioned (Google Earth,

Google Maps, MapSource, OpenStreet Maps). The

incorrect answers comprised applications that are not

applicable for viewing GPX files at all, e. g. a graphic

editor (Paint) or pupils stated something other than an

application (e. g. GPS, XML).

The second part of the task was focused on higher

cognitive processes: to analyse the text and abstract

essential data (time, latitude, longitude, altitude),

recognize the pattern in the data structure (route as

a sequence of points on Earth arranged in time), and

formulate problems (questions) which can be solved

using the data in the file.

The complexity of the task depended on

application pupils were trying to use for viewing the

GPX file’s contents. In a simple text editor, the text is

not structured so the task is more difficult. More

sophisticated editors do hide markup language tags

that describe the meaning of the data. The most

obvious is the display in a web browser – structured

with visible tags. In the unstructured view of the file,

pupils noticed an irrelevant link to the page of the

application that recorded the route, and “this

distracted them from the essentials, and they didn't

have enough time to examine their GPX file well.”

In the last part of the task, pupils formulated many

good questions: “Where does the route start? Where

does it end? In which state / city is the route? How

long did it take? What was the average speed? What

was the lowest and highest altitude? What is the

overall ascent/descent? What color will the route be

marked?” The most common mistakes of pupils were:

• Pupils reported that their file contained data

that was not in it. It was primarily the

information that could be calculated from the

data in the file (average speed, duration, route

length, ascent, descent, graphs). But also,

such data were mentioned that are not present

in the file at all nor they can be calculated

from the available data (map, heart rate).

• Pupils also asked questions confirming that

they did not realize the fact, the route saved

in their GPX file had been traveled and

recorded in the past (“Where am I? Where to

go? When will the route take place? How

long will my route take? How fast will

I move?”).

• Pupils gave vague or ambiguous wording of

their questions (“How high are we? What are

the coordinates?”)

Next, pupils were processing the GPX file using

a map software to answer questions formulated

before:

Task 3 (Explaining): View the route saved in your

GPX file in Google Maps. Find out where the route is

situated and name it appropriately. Study the route’s

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statistics in its description. Complete the description

with appropriate text and images.

Some solutions contained a transcript of the route

data as calculated by the map software not

corresponding to questions formulated by pupils in

previous task. The rest of pupils tried to formulate

answers to their own questions. In case of ambiguous

questions, the answers were either missing or

clarifying the question (“Altitude? - at the beginning

138 m, at the end 134 m”).

Approximately half of the pupils did not name

their route, or they gave it a neutral title, the one of

their work files (e. g. “file1”). This task was focused

on the ability to capture the essence of the file’s

contents and verbalize it concisely. For pupils, it was

either difficult or they did not consider it important.

Even teachers did not pay attention to this in their

comments.

In the phase of extending/elaborating, pupils

recorded routes using mobile devices and after

returning indoors, they visualized it in a map

software. The results varied as for their complexity –

from simple random doodles a few meters long to

routes having several kilometres representing

meaningful pictures.

Figure 3: Drawings on free space (Rose, MANGO).

Figure 4: Drawings aligned to objects (Athletic smiley,

Letter H).

Figure 5: Drawing along the roads (Figure, Seal).

Most of the drawings were recorded on larger

open areas around the school (Figure 3) or were

copying the outlines of objects situated around the

school, e. g. buildings, fences, playgrounds

(Figure 4). Longer routes were made along the roads

and pupils recorded them while cycling (Figure 5).

Teachers reported problems with procedural

knowledge in relation with this part of the teaching:

“Pupils did not know how to use the mobile

application well, they also had difficulty transferring

files.” “Surprisingly, many pupils have encountered

the need for downloading data from mobile phones to

computers for the first time.” “The map creation

(routes in Google Maps) has not yet been automated

enough.” There were also problems with bad weather

and bad GPS signals.

Teachers assessed the involvement of pupils

mostly positively: “Pupils were so focused on work

and started enjoying it, so it was a problem to get them

off the field.” “Pupils expected creating nicer

pictures, but the topic was appealing to them, and

some of them even tried the application later – outside

of class.” “Students like to work with mobile devices

and applications.”

In the final evaluating phase, pupils were asked to

fill in a self-assessment section in their worksheets.

They were indicating the achievement of objectives

by approving provided statements:

• I can name at least 3 types of files and

applications for their processing.

• I can name at least 3 types of data that a GPX

file contains.

• I can view the contents of a GPX file in

Google Maps.

• I can find out the length of the route, duration,

average speed, ascent, descent from the data

in the GPX file.

• I can record a route using tablet or

smartphone with GPS and the My Tracks or

Locus Map Free app.

• I can transfer a GPX file from a mobile device

to a computer.

Most pupils indicated that all goals had been met.

However, there were also answers in which the pupils

admitted that they had not acquired some knowledge

or skills. Most often, they could not name the file

types and applications to process them. They also

stated problems with recognizing the meaning of data

in GPX files. In the second part of the activity, some

pupils admitted that they had not learned to use

a mobile device to record a route and transfer a file

from the mobile device to a computer.

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357

The pupils' problems they indicated in the self-

assessment rubric matched the problems reported by

teachers. From their point of view, the least

problematic was the using of digital map (pupils

could view the routes and reading the statistics).

Teachers mentioned only some technical issues

related to signing into the Google accounts.

3.3 Discussion

RQ1: What is the knowledge level of lower secondary

pupils as for the field of data representation and tools

for their processing?

The results of the analysis of pupils' products

(completed worksheets, recorded routes) give us

a picture of their knowledge level. Numbers of

responses in individual categories depicted in

Figure 2 correspond to the experience of pupils in the

7th or 8th grade – they have the most experience with

text documents, followed by pictures, computer

presentations, multimedia, and tables. In these

categories, pupils usually did formulate the correct

answers using the appropriate terminology, which

indicates knowledge at high levels of BT – they know

the specific data files, understand that a file is a set of

data of some kind, know data files of different types

as well as the applications suitable for their

processing. Their knowledge is not formal, it is based

on experience from lessons.

We expected a larger share of answers in the

category of program code files, given that the topic of

programming makes up about a fifth of the computer

science curriculum in Slovakia. We explain this by

saying that if pupils use an online environment for

programming (e. g. Scratch), projects are

automatically saved in the cloud, so pupils have no

explicit experience of saving them to files.

Responses in other categories mostly represented

knowledge gained through informal learning. In these

responses, we noted more frequent cases of

misconceptions and uncertainty in terminology. We

rate these answers as naive without deeper

understanding. The only exceptions were HTML

files, which pupils usually named correctly (age-

appropriate), even though this is not the content of the

formal lower secondary computer science education.

In classes with problems reported, the teachers

pointed out, that “pupils know how to work with files

(delete, move from folder to folder), but to define

what a file is, they have a problem with that”. Thus,

they have procedural knowledge of working with

files, but lack a deeper conceptual knowledge of files

and data types.

The proposed methodology gave us a good

opportunity to explore pupils' higher levels of

knowledge and cognitive skills (file data analysis,

abstraction of essential data from the file, data

structure recognition) as well as the generic skills

(critical thinking, question and answer formulation,

technical skills, and creativity).

From the analysis of pupils' responses and

feedback from teachers, we conclude that the task was

appropriate to the age and abilities of the targeted

group. In other words, the pupils can achieve a level

of knowledge about data representations and tools for

their processing at higher levels of abstraction.

For example, some teachers reported that pupils

“were able to analyse the contents of GPX files with

ease and used suitable application to obtain

information from data in the GPX file”, “managed to

work with files, found an application that opens

a GPX file and independently evaluated provided

data”. As part of this activity, pupils gained their own

experience in interpreting structured data expressed

in a markup language that is readable by both the

computer and the human being.

According to the results of the data analysis, the

most challenging task for pupils was to formulate

questions (“It was problematic to formulate questions

that can be answered using data from the GPX file.”).

One teacher explained his evaluation like this:

“Finding the answers, which we can find out from the

available files, was initially embarrassing – pupils

expected "ready-made" information.” The teacher's

comment is rather optimistic as the attitude of pupils

had been changed and was caused by the lack of

experience with the IBL method.

Mistakes in the wording of questions revealed

misunderstandings of the concept of one's motion

path recording, but also a lack of generic skill to

clearly formulate the problem.

When working with mobile devices, we found that

although pupils use tablets and smartphones in their

personal lives, their technical skills are limited to

working with selected applications. Capturing and

recording data to a file and transferring them from

a mobile device to a computer for further processing

was a new experience, which contributed to the

development of their technical skills in working with

mobile devices. Some pupils discovered new features

of the mobile route recording application

independently (“They changed color and thickness of

the route being drawn.”), installed the application into

their own mobile phones and recorded other routes in

their free time. Drawing with GPS develops pupils’

creativity.

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RQ2: How is the proposed methodology

beneficial for developing the conceptual knowledge

at higher levels of BT?

The effectiveness of the proposed IB

methodology depends to a large extent on its correct

implementation. In the first year of verification, we

received feedback from teachers, in which teachers

confirmed the achievement of goals, but also those

that described problems and failures.

We will describe one case of an unsuccessful

implementation of the methodology in practice. In the

first phase of engaging, the teacher was to involve

pupils in researching what data GPX files contains

and what software is applicable for displaying and

processing it. Pupils were to consider different types

of files and applications. The pupils' involvement was

aimed at systematizing their knowledge of computer

science, recalling types of files with which they have

age-appropriate experience (they have worked with

them in class) and preparing a suitable context for

discovering a new type of data in a GPX file. In his

report, the teacher stated that he considered this

learning activity unnecessary because “it did not

pursue the main goal, which was geolocation data.”

The teacher's failure to identify with IB method had

been reflected in pupils' work: “Not only were the

pupils demotivated at first because they could not

move on their own (I had to intervene), but some also

eventually skipped the task to complete it at the end

of the lesson.”

By omitting the engaging phase, conditions were

not created for pupils to examine the contents of the

GPX file independently, and the problems continued.

According to the teacher, “the inquiry method is not

very effective in this case, because it is a relatively

difficult task, which is also problem for older pupils.”

Instead, the teacher suggested a traditional

explanation of “how to open a GPX file than just

asking pupils what software we can display it with”

that would be more effective. However, in terms of

developing conceptual knowledge, pupils would gain

additional isolated, specific knowledge without being

placed in a more general context.

In the exploring phase, after viewing the contents

of the file in Notepad, based on the teacher's

instructions, “pupils identified different information

in a tangle of different tags and actually guessed it”,

so they managed to discover what data is recorded in

the file. However, the teacher added a note to his

report that formulating the questions we can answer

based on the data in the file is a very similar task to

finding out what data is in the file, and “pupils could

have legitimate objections as to why they should

write questions, when they already know what the file

contains.” The teacher does not realize that by

processing the data, additional data may be obtained

that is not in the source file. This task has been

included in the methodology to stimulate analytical

and synthetic thinking about how much information

is contained in the data. Instead, the teacher suggests

formulating ready-made assignments for pupils –

what pieces of information they should look for in the

data.

Since pupils did not formulate the questions that

would require processing of the file by a map

software, the teacher no longer continued in this part

of the activity. He went with pupils outdoors to record

routes. Data on whether his pupils know how to

process a GPX file with a map software and whether

they know how to record a route using a mobile

device was not provided.

After analysing this case of unsuccessful

implementation of the methodology in practice, we

implemented an intervention in the research – we

updated the methodological guidelines for teachers to

better clarify the objectives of individual activities,

we supplemented the recommendations for solving

documented problems.

The other teachers applied the IB methodology

according to our instructions and described only

partial problems. As the benefits of the IB

methodology and outdoor teaching, they stated:

Content innovation:

• a new type of data – geolocation data:

“Despite the fact that pupils now have a lot

of information, the topic of the lesson was

new to them and obviously interesting to

them.”,

• new applications – digital map, route

recording application,

• working with mobile devices: “Pupils had

the opportunity to work with a device other

than a computer within a computer science

lesson, they used a different operating

system.”

Innovation of the work form:

• outdoor learning: “creating a space for

learning outside the classroom using one's

own mobile devices”, ”reviving

stereotypical lessons”,

•

homework: “voluntary and leisure

activities”,

• learning in groups: “the team's work in the

exterior was very popular with pupils as well

as with me (the teacher)”.

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Innovative methods:

• discovery: “Structured inquiry research

designed in the methodology appropriately

guided students to solve tasks and meet

goals.”, “IBL method motivates students

and leads them to creativity and thinking.”.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Pupils have knowledge of different types of data from

formal education at school as well as from informal

learning outside the school. Their knowledge and

skills in using mobile devices are mostly acquired

through informal learning in everyday personal life.

The results of our study suggest that the knowledge

gained in an informal way is not systematic and is

mostly limited to practical procedural knowledge of

working with specific applications and data types. In

formal school teaching, the conceptual knowledge is

cultivated. Pupils gain new experiences from a wider

area than in everyday life as they are being involved

in situations purposely designed for achieving better

understanding and systematization. Pupils' thinking

and their ability to express themselves using proper

terminology is cultivated as well.

The lesson scenario from our study is based on

IBL principles and was designed to develop pupils'

analytical and synthetic thinking, the ability to

formulate problems, to suggest solutions by

promoting an active constructive way of learning.

The data collected during the scenario’s

implementation at several schools in Slovakia show

that the IB methodology was successful in achieving

educational goals at higher levels of BT. Feedback

from the teachers who were involved in the research

implies that outdoor teaching of computer science and

working with mobile devices is an interesting

alternative to traditional lessons taught in

a classroom.

Although teachers reported some difficulties

related to preparing such a form of teaching (issues of

hardware, software, weather, and lack of time), they

were confirming that this change in form brings

a significant benefit of stimulation of pupils' interest

in the subject of teaching.

Our research was aimed at determining the

success of one learning scenario. Though the findings

are promising, they have limits as for the possibility

of generalization. The presented study is part of a

wider action research, which aims to design quality

scenarios of outdoor computer science lessons with

meaningful use of mobile devices.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research was supported by project KEGA

018UMB-4/2020.

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