Validating mobile devices in the Spanish University Entrance Exam English paper

Abstract

[EN] The Spanish University Entrance Examination underwent significant changes in 2010 both in content and pedagogical validation. This paper examines the validation of cellular phones both for the test delivery and as students' valid personal devices for test preparation. 26 high school students (19 boys and two girls), aged between 16 and 18, who attended a middle class in a rural area of Valencia (Spain) took the Spanish University Entrance examination test through mobile phone emulators. This paper intends to outline the qualitative findings and some quantitative data from student surveys, the teacher's reactions and field observations. The results indicated that the majority of the students responded to close answer questions adequately and thought that this innovation was very motivating.