The present study explores iPad apps to determine whether research supports their designs, and if they are being used to the potential offered by the iPad's hardware. Many students are outgrowing traditional forms of instruction, and are longing for a new, innovative tool that can sustain their attention for longer periods of time. The iPad and its supplemental apps have the power to accomplish such a task. Further exploration of app design will inform us of whether or not some of the most popularly downloaded apps are research-based and whether app creators are taking advantage of the smart effects Apple has integrated into the iPad's hardware that make it such an appealing device for universal learners. App developer credentials will also be considered.

 

A content analysis is the basis for this study as app contents will be observed and analyzed at length to determine what specific elements are present within them. Recent research has discovered positive findings regarding implementing iPads into the classroom, but it remains unknown whether the support comes from the iPad itself or from the apps that the students are using. In order for this study to take place, recent literature will be examined to determine what makes the iPad not only a desirable, but effective tool for its users. After that is determined, twenty featured apps under the "Education" and "Special Education" subheadings in the Apple App Store will be downloaded onto an iPad device. While the focus remains in the special education category, it must be noted that the “Special Education” section of the App Store only contains apps under the categories of communication, emotional development, seeing and hearing, language development, literacy and learning, diagnostics and reference, organization, life skills, and sensory and visual perception. It does not contain apps that address Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) in the core content areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. For this reason, apps categorized under general education in these areas will also be considered.

 

The twenty chosen apps were downloaded to an iPad device and explored to determine the extent to which they incorporated the components found in research to be effective. While the apps were chosen at random, it must be noted that the cost of the apps also played a factor in which ones were used. All apps used in this study retailed under $5.00. Apps were rated in the following six categories: (1) presenting information in multiple modalities, (2) chunking tasks into manageable pieces, (3) offering repeated trials, (4) sharing immediate feedback, (5) allowing users to learn at a self-paced rate, and (6) whether they use game-like formatting. After each app was downloaded to an iPad device, time was spent using the app in order to determine which of the above characteristics were present. Each app received a “yes” or a “no” for each of the six components. The apps received one point for each “yes” response, to earn a maximum of six points. Points were then totaled for each app and divided by six to calculate a percentage. This percentage indicated the extent to which each app incorporated the six research-based traits. The website link in Section II will provide a categorized list of which components were present in the apps used.