Why e-learning matters: developing early elementary school students' understanding of the Seasons

E-learning is one of the important fields of research in education. In recent years, the Education Bureau of Hong Kong has been supporting e-learning and technology use across the school curricula. A series of major initiatives including the Pilot Scheme on E-Learning in Schools in 2012, the E-Textbook Market Development Scheme (EMADS) in 2014, and the Support Scheme for E-learning in Schools in 2014 have been implemented to pioneer the deployment of e-learning at the classroom level through enhancing the technological infrastructure and enriching e-learning resources, and signifies the government's commitment to the promotion of e-learning in schools (Education Bureau, 2014).

The purpose of this study was to explore how Hong Kong's early elementary school students constructed an understanding of the seasons through e-learning. Specific focus was placed on understanding young learners' prior conceptions of the seasons, and their e-learning process of using data or information for explaining season distribution. The findings of this study can be useful for promoting early elementary school students' conceptual changes and their awareness and skills of evidence use in scientific explanations in an e-learning environment.