Guest Editors
Stefanie Vanbecelaere (KU Leuven, Belgium)
Dr Laura Benton (University College London, UK)

Introduction
A change in the current pedagogical practice is needed to better meet the needs of all learners. While in the past whole-class instruction (one-size-fits-all) was commonplace, with increased diversity in the classroom there has been a gradual shift to the individual, addressing different learner needs by providing tailored learning content and support, often referred to as personalised learning. It has been argued that if we take children’s differences into account when we develop learning environments, it will benefit learning outcomes, experience, and attitudes towards particular subjects. Recent developments in digital technologies have resulted in greater opportunities and interest in the provision of personalised digital learning environments. In light of the current widespread disruption to young children’s education across the globe as well as the increased use of digital learning technologies due to the ongoing pandemic this is a particularly pertinent and beneficial topic for research.

This BJET special section will seek to map out current research and future directions in the domain of technology-mediated personalised learning for younger learners and highlight opportunities for inclusive learning within mainstream primary education. We welcome a variety of submissions for this special section: theoretical perspectives, methodological developments and high quality empirical research, preferably focused on the formative early years of education (ages 4-11 years). We encourage contributions that address the following key areas: the concept of technology-mediated personalised learning; the design of personalised technologies; evaluation methodologies exploring the effectiveness of personalised learning; the impact of technology-mediated personalised learning on pedagogical practice, learning experiences and/or the teacher-learner relationship. 

Abstracts (+-250 words) to be submitted by August 14th 2020 and emailed directly to stefanie.vanbecelaere@kuleuven.be.

Manuscript submission deadline: 1st of November 2020
Expected publication date: July 2021