PLEs in Primary School - The Learners' Experience in the PIPLEP Project

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado

Explores learners’ experiences during the first phase of the PIPLEP project, focused on promoting digital literacy and independent learning through personal learning environments (PLEs). The study involved 17 primary school students in year 5, using an Interpretative Phenomenological Approach aligned with the LEX e-learning project. Findings reveal a dichotomy between technology and learning shaped by school and home contexts, grounded in recreational device use, and show that misconceptions began to shift as learners acquired new skills to use technology for learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

I. Introduction

Personal learning environments in education

Research on PLE in higher education

Research gaps in primary and secondary education

Limits of behaviour-focused studies

PLEs in Primary School: The Learners’experience in The Piplep Project Esther Nieto Moreno de Diezmas [Esther.Nieto@uclm.es](Esther.Nieto@uclm.es) Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) Pablo Dondarza Manzano [pablo.dondarza@virgendelasierra.com](pablo.dondarza@virgendelasierra.com) CEIP “Virgen de la Sierra” Abstract In this paper the experience of learners during the first phase of the PIPLEP project is explored. PIPLEP is aimed at promoting digital literacy and independent learning with the creation of personal learning environments (PLEs) as the final product. The participants were a group of 17 students enrolled in year 5 of primary school, and the main objective of the research method was to listen to the voices of the learners and their narratives about their emotions and conceptions as regards learning in digital environments, following the main guidelines of the IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Approach) as applied in the LEX (Learners’EXperiences of e-Learning) project. The findings showed that learners had constructed a dichotomy between technology and learning, developed in the setting of the school and home, and based on the recreational use they made of their digital devices . However this misconception about the educational value of technology started to change with the introduction of the PIPLEP project, due to the learners acquiring new skills to use technology to learn . Key words PLE, Learners’ experience; primary school; digital literacy, IPA. PLE en la Escuela Primaria: La experiencia del a lumno en el Proyecto Piplep Esther Nieto Moreno de Diezmas [Esther.Nieto@uclm.es](Esther.Nieto@uclm.es) Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) Pablo Dondarza Manzano [pablo.dondarza@virgendelasierra.com](pablo.dondarza@virgendelasierra.com) CEIP “Virgen de la Sierra” Resumen Este artículo explora la experiencia de los alumnos durante la primera fase del PIPLEP (Proyecto para la Implementación de Entornos Personales de Aprendizaje), cuya finalidades promover la alfabetización digital y el aprendizaje autónomo, con la creación de entornos personales de aprendizaje (PLEs) como producto final. Los participantes fueron un grupo de 17 estudiantes matriculados en 5º de educación primaria, y el objetivo principal del método de investigación era escuchar las voces y narrativas de los aprendices acercade sus emociones y concepciones del aprendizaje en entornos digitales, siguiendo las directrices principales of IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Approach) tal y como fueronaplicadas en el proyecto LEX ( Learners’ EXperiences of e-Learning) . Los resultadosmuestran que los aprendices habían construido una dicotomía entre tecnología yaprendizaje, desarrollada en el contexto de la escuela y del hogar, y basada en el uso recreativo que hacen de sus aparatos digitales . Sin embargo, esta idea equivocada sobre el valor educativo de la tecnología cambió a medida que el proyecto PIPLEP se implementaba, debido a la adquisición por parte de los alumnos de nuevas habilidades para usar la tecnología para aprender . Palabras clave PLE, Experiencia del aprendiz, escuela primaria, alfabetización digital, IPA. E. Nieto & P. Dondarza 46 Digital Education Review-Number 29, June 2016-[http://greav.ub.edu/der/](http://greav.ub.edu/der/) I. Introduction Although the digital and technological version of personal learning environments (PLEs) is new, learning has always been set in a personal environment consisting of family, friends or the school (Adell and Castañeda, 2013a) . New technologies transcend the limitations of these physical environments, paving the way towards a new interrelated and interconnected universe, which can be accessed anywhere, anytime . In this new setting, changes have been imposed on the traditional concept of learning and learner . Learning in virtual environments is constructed by means of active participation and involvement so that the student can select, process

FAQs

What is the PIPLEP project aiming to achieve?

It aims to promote digital literacy and independent learning through the creation of personal learning environments (PLEs) as the final product.

How was the study conducted and who participated?

The study listened to learners’ voices and narratives using an IPA framework, involving 17 students in year 5 of primary school.

What did the findings reveal about learners’ views of technology and learning?

Learners initially constructed a dichotomy between technology and learning based on recreational device use at school and home, and this misconception started to change with the project as learners gained skills to use technology for learning.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado