The use of ClassDojo in the preparation of future primary school teachers for the organization of distance learning

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Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University

The use of ClassDojo in the preparation of future primary school teachers for the organization of distance learning

Yulia Bilyk

Postgraduate Student

Abstract

classdojo teacher distance learning

The urgent transition to distance learning has necessitated the preparation of teachers to organize the educational process based on the use of information and communication technologies in emergency situations. Therefore, research on the process of preparing future elementary school teachers for distance learning in higher education institutions using learning management systems, particularly ClassDojo, is relevant. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of implementing the ClassDojo platform in preparing teachers to organize distance learning in elementary schools. The methodological basis of the research consisted of basic theoretical (analysis, synthesis, comparison, abstraction, and specification), empirical (observation, surveys, diagnostic practical work methods, pedagogical experiment), and statistical methods (variation characteristics, Student's t-test, Pearson's criterion). The article describes the main characteristics, functions, interface features, and advantages of using ClassDojo in the educational process of elementary school, namely: its positive impact on shaping behaviour, learning motivation, value orientations, character, and emotional intelligence of younger school students. The main ways of preparing future elementary school teachers to use distance learning platforms in their professional activities in higher education pedagogical institutions are presented. Examples of preparing students specializing in “Elementary Education” for organizing distance learning through practical work using the ClassDojo learning management system are described. The results of the research on the effectiveness of using the ClassDojo learning management system in preparing students specializing in “Elementary Education” at the Communal Higher Education Institution “Barsky Humanities and Pedagogical College named after Mykhailo Hrushevsky” are presented, analysed, and summarized. The effectiveness of the teaching methods used by education seekers is statistically verified. The research results demonstrate the effectiveness of the forms, methods, and techniques used in preparing teachers to organize distance learning in elementary school. The practical significance of the research results lies in their applicability by higher education institutions in the professional training of future teachers to organize distance learning and by practising teachers of elementary school classes

Keywords: distance education; primary school; teacher training; digital educational resources; learning management system

Анотація

Юлія Петрівна Білик Аспірант Вінницький державний педагогічний університет імені Михайла Коцюбинського

Використання Class Dojo у підготовці майбутніх учителів початкових класів до організації дистанційного навчання

Екстрений перехід до дистанційного навчання зумовив необхідність підготовки вчителів до організації освітнього процесу, побудованого на використанні інформаційно-комунікаційних технологій в умовах надзвичайних ситуацій, тому актуальними є дослідження стосовно процесу формування готовності майбутніх учителів початкових класів до організації дистанційного навчання у закладах вищої освіти з використанням систем керування навчанням, зокрема ClassDojo. Метою роботи було дослідження ефективності застосування платформи ClassDojo у підготовці учителів до організації дистанційного навчання у початковій школі. Методологічну основу дослідження склали основні теоретичні (аналіз, синтез, порівняння, абстрагування і конкретизація), емпіричні (спостереження, анкетування, метод діагностичних практичних робіт, педагогічний експеримент) та статистичні методи (варіаційні характеристики, t-критерій Стьюдента, критерій Пірсона). У статті описано основні характеристики, функції, особливості інтерфейсу, можливості й переваги застосування ClassDojo в освітньому процесі початкової школи, а саме: позитивний вплив на формування поведінки, навчальної мотивації, ціннісних орієнтацій, характеру та емоційного інтелекту учнів молодшого шкільного віку. Наведено основні шляхи підготовки майбутніх вчителів початкових класів до використання платформ дистанційного навчання у професійній діяльності у педагогічних закладах вищої освіти. Описано приклади підготовки студентів спеціальності «Початкова освіта» до організації дистанційного навчання за допомогою практичних робіт з використанням системи керування навчанням ClassDojo. Наведено, проаналізовано й узагальнено результати дослідження щодо ефективності використання системи керування навчанням ClassDojo під час підготовки студентів спеціальності «Початкова освіта» Комунального закладу вищої освіти «Барський гуманітарнопедагогічний коледж імені Михайла Грушевського». Статистично перевірено результативність методів навчання здобувачів освіти. Результати дослідження демонструють ефективність використаних форм, способів і методів у підготовці учителів до організації дистанційного навчання у початковій школі. Практичне значення результатів дослідження полягає в можливості їх застосування закладами вищої освіти у професійній підготовці майбутніх педагогів до організації дистанційного навчання та практикуючими учителями початкових класів

Ключові слова: дистанційна освіта; початкова школа; підготовка учителів; цифрові освітні ресурси; система керування навчанням

INTRODUCTION

The development of digital technologies, innovation, informatization of the educational process, the dynamism, and mobility of modern life are driving the growing popularity of distance learning in the global education system, which has continued to grow in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the forced quarantine caused by the coronavirus pandemic. For primary schools, distance learning has become a real challenge, as primary school students are not yet sufficiently independent, need adult help with organizational and technical issues, and do not have a sufficient level of information and digital competence (Stakhanova & Yemets, 2023). This necessitates changes in teaching methods adapted to the current conditions of the pandemic, martial law, based on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and digital resources, which encourages the pedagogical community to find solutions and strategies for turning distance learning into an interesting, developmental process, establishing fruitful online communication of all participants in the educational process in primary school (Watini et al., 2022).

The transition from full-time education to distance education is based on the use of ICT tools, their integration into the teaching of the New Ukrainian School subjects and support for motivation to learn (Alkan, 2022). Among the tools of a modern primary school teacher designed to support distance learning and engage students are categories of resources for: organizing webinars (Zoom, Google Meet, Skype); conducting surveys, testing and controlling knowledge (Kahoot! Quizizz, Quizalize, Classtime, Google Forms); visualization and creation of presentations (Easel.ly, Prezi, Mindmeister, Mindomo, Wordle, Wordwall, LearningApps, etc.); management of collaborative and group work (G Suite, Microsoft Teams), virtual digital whiteboards (Padlet, Miro, Twiddla, IDroo), learning management systems (Classroom, ClassDojo, Human), other web resources, social networks, specialized software and much more (Hrynevych et al., 2020). One of the factors in the successful functioning of any school community is the interaction of all participants in the educational process. In the context of distance learning, this important aspect takes place within a virtual communication environment, the construction of which, according to L. Prykhodko & L. Royko (2021), is often hampered by certain problems: technical, organizational, issues of feedback and psychological unpreparedness of students for independent and individual work, and compliance with academic integrity during knowledge control. Therefore, there is a need to train primary education specialists who have the necessary competencies to effectively organize distance learning for primary school students using modern digital tools and ICT.

Practical experience shows that the effectiveness of distance learning and the involvement of students in this process increases if all disciplines are taught on one platform. In conformity with the study by N. Smolianiuk & Y. Domylivska (2021), one ofthe most convenient e-learning platforms that is widely used in primary school is ClassDojo.

According to H. Luthfiah et al. (2023), it is most suitable for use by primary school students because the platform is simple and easy to use. ClassDojo is a learning management system built as a virtual classroom designed for communication between participants in the educational process. In addition, thanks to the original feedback system and customization features, this tool is easy and convenient to use not only for distance learning but also for face-to-face learning, as a digital resource during classes. The functionality and capabilities of digital resources in distance learning and the preparation of teachers for their integration into the educational process attracts the attention of both teachers and researchers. The purpose of the article was to study the possibility of using ClassDojo in the educational process of primary school and its effectiveness in preparing future primary school teachers for the organization of distance learning. The tasks included a description of the main characteristics and possibilities of using the ClassDojo platform for teaching primary school students, a description of the ways to prepare future primary school teachers for distance learning using ClassDojo, research and statistical testing of the effectiveness of practical training of students majoring in Primary Education based on ClassDojo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To conduct the research, general scientific methods were utilized: analysis, synthesis, comparison, abstraction, and specification were employed to establish the state of the researched issue and form the theoretical basis of the research; observation, methods of practical mastering of the ClassDojo learning management system, surveys, testing, diagnostic control (practical) work methods, and pedagogical experiment were utilized to develop the pedagogical toolkit and verify the effectiveness of the developed methodology for preparing future teachers to organize distance learning in elementary schools based on the use of the ClassDojo platform; mathematical statistical methods (variation characteristics: mean score, range, mean linear deviation, sample variance, standard deviation, coefficient of variation; Student's t-test; Pearson's criterion) were used for quantitative and qualitative analysis, interpretation, and generalization of research results. The participants of the research, which was conducted throughout 2023, were 136 students of the 3rd and 4th years of the educational qualification level “Junior Specialist” and the 1st and 2nd years of the educational level “Junior Bachelor” in the speciality “Elementary Education” at the Communal Higher Education Institution “Barsky Humanities and Pedagogical College named after Mykhailo Hrushevsky.”

Surveys using an anonymous questionnaire titled “ClassDojo as an Effective Tool for Organizing Distance Learning in Elementary School” were conducted in both face-to-face and distance formats due to the mixed form of education of seekers for education. Respondents were informed about the purpose and objectives of the research, its structure, and relevance in modern conditions. The questionnaire contained 14 test questions of various types. Questions 1-2 (open-ended and closed-ended) aimed to identify students' theoretical knowledge and required answers regarding known learning management systems and the principles of the ClassDojo platform. Questions from 3 to 14 provided answers of “yes”, “no”, or “don't know”. Questions 3 and 10 focused on identifying experience with ClassDojo, including during the study of various disciplines. Questions 4, 9, and 13 addressed students' attitudes toward using ClassDojo, interest in its use in professional activities, and its effectiveness as an application for distance learning in elementary school. Questions 6, 8, and 12 covered the impact of the ClassDojo learning management system on increasing the motivation, activity, and positive behaviour of education seekers. Finally, questions 5, 7, and 11 related to the use of ClassDojo during formative assessment, monitoring of student performance and attendance, feedback, and collaboration with parents. During the survey, the authors adhered to all provisions of the Declaration of Helsinki (2013).

Another part of the work involved studying diagnostic practical work and control testing of future teachers to determine their acquired level of knowledge and skills regarding organizing distance learning using the ClassDojo platform. Comprehensive assessments based on survey results, testing, and practical work were converted into a five-point scale and processed using built-in statistical functions of the MS Excel spreadsheet software. During the quantitative analysis, the mean score was calculated, indicating the typical level of knowledge and skills acquired by students. However, as it does not explain how each of the individual results groups around it, variation indicators were used. To preliminarily assess variation, the range was calculated - the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the variant. The mean linear deviation provided us with an idea of the average size of fluctuations in the feature around the arithmetic mean. Variance and its square root, namely the standard deviation, characterize the scattering of values around the arithmetic mean. In the process of finding the ratio of the standard deviation to the mean score, the coefficient of variation was obtained. Calculation of variation indicators allows drawing conclusions about the increased uniformity of the obtained results and, consequently, the effectiveness of the work conducted. To confirm the non-randomness of the results obtained during the research, the Student's t-test was used to compare indicators before and after the experiment, and Pearson's criterion was used to compare the obtained results with the average academic performance of higher education seekers.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

ClassDojo is a service that closely simulates the school environment for home learning. It is designed to facilitate communication among participants in the educational process, engage younger school-age students through gamification, animated avatars, and a reward system of positive ratings, which positively impacts students' motivation and activity levels (Shynkarenko et al., 2021; Kholodova, 2023). ClassDojo as an effective educational environment is quite popular in European and North American countries. For example, in the United States, it is used by 95% of elementary and middle school classes, with over 50 million teachers and students using it in 180 countries and in about 35 different languages (Alkan, 2022; ClassDojo, n.d.). The resource is available in a web version on the website or as an app that can be installed on smartphones or tablets (Garcia, 2015; Dillon, 2016). In ClassDojo, users can register as a teacher, student, parent, or school administrator (Soya & Kosovets, 2021). By creating a new class, a teacher adds students, whose avatars initially appear as eggs and hatch into ClassDojo Monsters when students join their class. Students can easily customize the appearance of their monsters as they wish. Each class and each student has their own story, which can be used to convey all kinds of educational information, documentation, and announcements (Barahona Mora, 2020). The app allows teachers to create various types of assignments, through which students can upload videos, photos, files, or their own drawings created in the built-in graphic editor. Students can log into their profiles using a QR code, text code, their own or their parents' Google accounts, or an individual link. For their work, students receive feedback (points, badges) - positive (“Participating”, “Making an Effort”, “Well Done”, which include skills such as helping others, completing tasks, participating, perseverance, teamwork, etc.) and negative. Additionally, the teacher can add their own feedback. These points are automatically saved, analysed, and compiled into student progress reports, which teachers can share with other teachers, parents, and students with appropriate permissions. Daily, weekly, or monthly reports can be viewed and printed in a graphical format (Watini et al., 2022).

Since points are added or deducted based on achievements in class, teachers and parents can take measures to correct students' behaviour (Cetin & Qetin, 2018). Therefore, the collective authors G. Kaplan et al. (2021) consider the points system in ClassDojo as a tool for shaping students' behaviour and positive attitude toward learning, providing the opportunity to adapt the program's functions to the emotional development level of younger students. The effectiveness of ClassDojo in maintaining motivation is confirmed by the research of N.P.L. Santos & M.C. Velez Ruiz (2021). After implementing the learning management system into the educational process, participants, namely elementary school students, demonstrated a significant difference between preand post-tests. According to the authors, the ClassDojo program allows education seekers to “learn, interact, and have fun simultaneously”. Additionally, the teacher can create portfolios, comment on posts, inform students about assignment deadlines, or share materials and news with parents. The integration of the ClassDojo platform supports transparency in assessment and engages parents in class management. They can track students' scores, activity in class, and behaviour. Parents can be invited to the class by entering their email address or phone number. In addition to basic functions, the ClassDojo platform also provides additional features to support interactive and effective student learning during lessons. This additional feature has many menu items, such as a timer (which allows students to complete their tasks within a specified time), automatic grouping, music, notes, a voice meter, and random selection (Mashuri et al., 2022).

The functionality of the program helps the teacher to manage the class and specific lessons, form subgroups, apply interactive teaching methods, including adapting them to the distance learning format. According to Y. Derkach & Y. Levytska (2022), the ClassDojo platform can also be used as a social network with the ability for students to communicate on the class page: after the teacher creates a post, students can comment on it. This means that one of the advantages of ClassDojo is its ability to instil values through the assessment of behavioural aspects and activity, contribute to character and emotional intelligence formation, which affects the improvement of practical skills in digital learning, not just teaching a specific subject. According to E. Garcia & D. Hoang (2015) and R. Annisa et al. (2022), ClassDojo contributes to improving student behaviour precisely through the point accrual (feedback) system, which works when students have a sense of value for such incentive points, which researchers suggest exchanging for prizes or additional leisure time.

Therefore, the use of the ClassDojo learning management system during distance learning for younger students in elementary school has the following advantages:

• ease of use, with a bright, user-friendly, and intuitive interface for both teachers and younger students and their parents;

• free and easy access to the platform via the online version or mobile app from any device: smartphone, tablet, or personal computer;

• different levels of access to the application: student, teacher, parents, or school administrator;

• monitoring and reporting capabilities for student learning outcomes with visual representation in graphical format;

• promotion of students' self-regulation skills;

• participation in the educational process and parental awareness of their child's success and activity through portfolios and newsfeeds;

• gamification of the learning process through an attractive interface, animated student avatars, and class news presented in the form of social media posts;

• quick, instant feedback and convenient commenting on student activities;

• implementation of formative assessment and principles of the new ukrainian school;

• ability to influence behavioural aspects and activity levels of younger students, shaping values through a pointbased system for individual students and the class as a whole;

• support for motivation and interest in learning, which is particularly important in times of conflict from a psychological perspective.

One of the important conditions for the effectiveness of distance learning in elementary school, especially during times of conflict, is motivation and interaction, and the use of ClassDojo in elementary school helps maintain motivation and attention, fostering creative abilities, explained by its gamification-based design and effective feedback. The advantages of the ClassDojo platform, based on constructivist philosophy, also include time, cost, and human resource savings, as well as the promotion of digital literacy and creativity among participants in the educational process.

One of the conditions for preparing future teachers to organize distance learning in elementary school is mastery of digital technologies and the formation of information and digital competence and digital literacy. The task of higher education pedagogical institutions to prepare future elementary school teachers for effective and quality organization of distance learning using modern platforms and digital resources. The preparation of future teachers of elementary grades for organizing distance learning at the Communal Higher Education Institution “Barsky Humanities and Pedagogical College named after Mykhailo Hrushevsky” is carried out by expanding the disciplines “Methods of teaching subjects of the informatics educational sector” and “Methods of teaching the subject 'I explore the world: informatics sector'” with sections providing familiarization with theoretical and methodological foundations of organizing distance learning in lectures and seminars, practical classes aimed at developing skills in planning, designing, and filling distance courses, organizing online communication of educational process participants, solving technical problems that arise during synchronous and asynchronous modes of distance learning, taking into account sanitary-hygienic, ergonomic, psychological, age, and health-saving requirements for organizing distance learning of younger students, familiarization with normative-legal principles of distance learning implementation and information security principles, historical and philosophical roots of distance learning in Ukraine and the world, etc.; introducing the course “Organization of distance learning in educational institutions” into the training of junior bachelor's degree students in the speciality “Elementary Education”; using elements of distance education during pedagogical practice in general secondary education institutions (conducting online lessons and educational events), etc. To ensure the teaching of these disciplines, the website and the educational-methodical manual are functioning (Bilyk, 2023; Website of Bilyk Y., n.d.). Informal education is carried out through independent work of students, distance learning on the Classroom platform, completion of online courses (Barna, 2017). Students' readiness for organizing distance learning in elementary school is also promoted by their creation of information and digital products, didactic materials using resources such as LearningApps, Wordwall, Canva, Word Art, Google Forms, practical work with shared Google Documents and virtual boards Padlet, Twiddla, etc. (Fig. 1)

Figure 1 Samples of practical tasks in Google Classroom Source: developed by the author

In order to develop the information and digital competence of students majoring in “Elementary Education” at the Communal Higher Education Institution “Barsky Humanities and Pedagogical College named after Mykhailo Hrushevsky” and to prepare them for conducting distance learning, a series of practical works has been proposed, including “Designing a Distance Course”, “Registration,

Course Creation, Adding Students” and “Course Content Development” using the ClassDojo platform, where education seekers needed to register as both teachers and students (Fig. 2). Students create their own virtual classroom, add students - their classmates, create tasks from various school subjects and classes of elementary school, and perform them in the classrooms of their colleagues - future teachers.

Figure 2 Example of classes created in ClassDojo Source: developed by the author

In order to assess the effectiveness of using ClassDojo in preparing students majoring in “Elementary Education” a study was conducted using the author's questionnaire “ClassDojo as an Effective Tool for Organizing Distance Learning in Elementary School” and evaluating the practical skills of future teachers, namely: the ability to create a class, add students to it, develop tasks of various types, provide feedback, monitor and evaluate student performance. After collecting data using the author's questionnaire and analysing the practical activities of the students, descriptive statistical data comparing academic outcomes before and after the experiment and the average score of students were obtained (Table 1).

The increase in the average result (by 65.4%) and a significant decrease in the range (from 4.6 to 2), variance and standard deviation confirm the increase in student activity and performance, and therefore the productivity and effectiveness of the chosen methods and forms of teaching. And since the coefficient of variation is less than 30%, it is possible to conclude that the sample was homogeneous after the experiment. The calculated statistical indicators indicate a positive trend in theoretical and practical skills of students. Comparative analysis using Student's t-test t = -26.50 revealed significant differences at p<0.01. t. = 2.58 (p<0.01), which indicates that the results of the pedagogical experiment are not accidental. Let's check whether the results obtained correlate with the average score of students by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient (r-Pearson). With the tabulated value of r₀₀₁ = 0.31, the value of r_emp = 0.52 is got, which demonstrates that there is a statistically significant correlation between the parameters at p<0.01. The data in Table 1 and the results of comparing the Student's t-test with the critical value indicate the effectiveness of the practical work carried out using ClassDojo in preparing future primary school teachers for the organization of distance learning.

Both Ukrainian and foreign scholars have conducted research on the methodological and practical aspects of using digital resources in distance learning. Most studies on the use of ClassDojo in primary school focus on the impact of the application on the level of learning motivation, activity, behaviour, and academic success in selected subjects studied by primary school students. A study by M.T. Chiarelli et al. (2015) examined the use of ClassDojo to determine whether it successfully helps students recognize and self-manage their learning behaviour. The study found that the use of ClassDojo had a positive impact on behaviour and awareness of strategy choices among younger students. The results of the study by N.T. Hong Minh (2022) showed that ClassDojo significantly improves online English language learning interactions in terms of learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-content interactions. The majority of learners claimed that using ClassDojo had a wide range of benefits, including improved classroom interaction, increased learning activities, a more comfortable environment, and better management of learner progress. A study by H. Qetin & I. Qetin (2018) aimed to identify the opinions of 206 students about the Class Dojo educational technology used in mathematics teaching. In general, students expressed a positive opinion that the Class Dojo application increases their motivation (61.7 per cent) and activity (79.6 per cent).

The purpose of the study by A. Nuriyawan & S. Wibawa (2021) was to compare the advantages of the Socrative and Classdojo platforms, as well as the features of their use in primary school. The results of the study showed a greater interest among students in using the ClassDojo platform (29%) compared to Socrative (12%). The study by N. Luthfiah et al. (2023) also confirms the effectiveness of the ClassDojo platform in distance learning for primary school students, with an efficiency level of 88.9%. And the study by D.K. DiGiacomo et al. (2021) is aimed at studying the experience of working with ClassDojo, in particular, participants in the educational process confirmed the overall positive impact of the platform on grades (51.7%), behaviour (65.9%), and student well-being (49%). The work of A. Alkan (2022) studied the impact of using ClassDojo on students' academic achievement. The results of the t-test showed a statistically significant difference between the average scores of the control and experimental groups at the level of p<0.001, indicating a significant positive relationship between high academic achievement and the use of ClassDojo.

The positive impact on the performance and behaviour of 75% of students is also described in B. Charles (2019). The positive dynamics of primary school students' performance in learning English and more responsible behaviour in completing tasks was also demonstrated by R. Homer et al. (2018), which involved 120 primary school students from eight different grades. However, the researchers found significant positive results of using ClassDojo in grades 3-4, while students in grades 1-2 were equally positive about traditional teaching methods. With regard to teacher training using ClassDojo, the study by S. Watini et al. (2022) found that the learning management system received 72% of recommendations from educators as a teacher training programme due to a set of features that facilitate communication between participants in the educational process. These results partially confirm the data obtained in the current study. The analysis of scientific sources shows that there is a lack of research on training future primary school teachers to use ClassDojo in terms of organizing distance learning for primary school students, and therefore the issue of training future teachers to organize distance learning in primary school using digital resources and distance learning platforms, including ClassDojo, remains insufficiently covered in modern Ukrainian pedagogical research.

Table 1

The value of statistical indicators