The findings of this study show that many of today’s educational apps have incorporated research-based elements into their designs. 95% of the apps explored incorporated at least four of the six components that have been supported by research. It seems that the component that lacked most often in the twenty apps that were explored was using a game-like format in their designs. I awarded a point for this category to apps that had increasingly more difficult levels, goals to work towards, and incentives for achieving those goals. It is possible that users would be more engaged with these apps if a game-like format was used instead of a quiz-like format.

 

It was also determined that at least 80% of the app developers had some kind of expertise with the content that they had developed. Most apps were created by small business app development companies. There were a select few that were created by larger corporations, such as Disney and PBS. Information regarding the developers could not be found with four of the apps used in the study. There does not seem to be a correlation between developer expertise and how many effective computer-assisted instructional components they used in each app design. With regards to app design, developer credentials do not seem to be an issue. While developer credentials do not affect the design of the apps, further research is needed to determine their influence on the content presented.

 

While most apps used research-based components in their designs, further research is needed to determine whether or not the content presented by each app is also supported by research and aligned with learning standards. There were a few apps that I came across where research supported their designs and the components they included into their software, but did not elicit higher-level thinking. Additional research on the content that these apps are providing would give us a clearer picture on the effectiveness of each overall app.