The use of interactive screencasts to promote active and engaged learning in the further education functional skills mathematics classroom: An evaluative case study from North-East England

Abstract

This study examines issues within the lifelong learning sector, where insufficient funding and curricular challenges, such as outdated teaching methods or lack of resources, always result in low student motivation, disruptive behaviour, and a lack of active learning and engagement.
For over a decade, the UK government have been keen to ensure that all adults have a minimum level of 'functional skills,' including mathematics. As a result, in further education colleges, many students must study functional skills in mathematics alongside their main subject programme, even when motivation is low. This vision creates a pressing need for innovative teaching approaches that address different learner needs, emphasising educators' responsibility and commitment to their students.
The research investigates whether information learning technology, specifically interactive screencasts, can improve motivation, active learning and engagement among students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in functional skills mathematics classes.
This research adopts a mixed approach, combining case study and action research. It works with a group of learners, their lecturer, and learning support assistants in a college in North East England.
The preliminary results indicate that these learners struggle with motivation and engagement. Consequently, the interactive screencast intervention was administered to the learners in the classroom and evaluated for its impact.
The results and feedback from the post-test indicate that while the interactive screencast effectively increased engagement and motivation for most learners, some kinaesthetic learners experienced high-stress levels, sensory overstimulation, and math anxiety that reduced its impact. These results suggest that although interactive screencasts offer significant benefits, a blended learning approach may be necessary to fully address the different needs of all learners in the further education functional skills maths classroom, offering an optimistic education future.

Date of Award	24 Jul 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Northumbria University
Supervisor	Becky Strachan (Supervisor), Alison Pickard (Supervisor) & Jonathan Sanderson (Supervisor)