Skip to main content
Log in

Learning About Mobile Learning: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
TechTrends Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This exploratory research project characterised the degree of adoption of mobile learning devices among 149 fourth year pre-service teachers (PST) studying education. It also examined the impact of perceptions about possibilities and constraints in the adoption of mobile devices in schools. The findings reveal that pre-service teachers were generally at the fourth of a six-stage continuum of technological adoption that can be characterized as familiarity and confidence which was one level higher than academic staff. Some of those constraints appear to reside on equity issues, lack of mobile learning support resources, pedagogically unproductive use of mobile tools and student distractedness. Gender did not have a major impact on participants’ opinions but access to a mobile tablet did.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bai, H. (2019). Preparing teacher education students to integrate mobile learning into elementary education. TechTrends, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00424-z.

  • Baran, E. (2014). A review of research on mobile learning in teacher education. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 17(4), 17–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bei, L., & Simpson, E. (1995). The determinants of consumers' purchase decisions for recycled products: An application of acquisition-transaction utility theory. In F. Kardes & M. Sujan (Eds.), Advances in consumer research (pp. 257–261). Provo: Association for Consumer Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burnard, P., Dragovic, T., Jasilek, S., Biddulph, J., Fenyvesi, K., Durning, L., & Rolls, L. (2018). The art of creating possibility spaces for fostering STEAM practices in primary education. In X. Du and T. Chemi (Eds.) Innovation and change in education cross-cultural perspectives special issue: Artsbased Methods in Education Across the World (pp. 245-279). https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.37978.

  • Campbell, C. (2013). Pedagogies afforded by new technologies: The introduction of iPods in one secondary school. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 8(3), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.5172/ijpl.2013.8.3.169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christensen, R. (1997). Effect of technology integration on the attitudes of teachers and their students. Doctoral dissertation, University of North Texas. Available at http://courseweb.unt.edu/rhondac/research/dissert/index.htm. Accessed 31 Aug 2019.

  • Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. London: Routledge Falmer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Goos, M. E. & Bennison, A. (2007). Technology-enriched teaching of secondary mathematics: Factors influencing innovative practice. In J. Watson and K. Beswick, Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australia. Mathematics: Essential Research, Essential Practice, Wrest Point Hotel Casino, Hobart, TAS, (315–324). 2–6 July, 2007.

  • Goos, M., & Bennison, A. (2008). Surveying the technology landscape: Teachers’ use of technology in secondary mathematics classrooms. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 20(3), 102–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handal, B. (2015). Mobile learning makes learning free: Building conceptual, professional and institutional capacity. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Handal, B., & Cavanagh, M. (2011). Factors leading to the adoption of a learning technology: The case of graphics calculators. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 61(2), 70–75. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.974.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Handal, B., Chinnappan, M. & Herrington, T. (2004). Adopting graphics calculators in NSW. Proceedings of the 2 ndNational Conference on Graphing Calculators (pp. 29-43). University Sains Malaysia.Handal.pdf.

  • Handal, B., MacNish, J., & Petocz, P. (2013). Academics adopting mobile devices: The zone of free movement. In H. Carter, M. Gosper and J. Hedberg (Eds.), Electric Dreams. Proceedings ASCILITE 2013 Sydney. (pp.350–361). Retrieved from: http://www.ascilite.org/conferences/sydney13/program/papers/Handal.pdf. Accessed 31 Aug 2019.

  • Handal, B., Campbell, C., Cavanagh, M. & Dave, K. (2014). Appraising maths apps using the TPACK model. 15th Australasian Computer Education Conference (pp. 169-187), Adelaide, South Australia.

  • Hwang, G., & Tsai, C. (2011). Research trends in mobile and ubiquitous learning: A review of publications in selected journals from 2011 to 2010. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(4), E65–E70. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01183.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kearney, M., Burden, K., Schuck, S., & Burke, P. (2019). Principles underpinning innovative mobile learning: Stakeholders’ priorities. TechTrends, 1–10.

  • Macquarie Dictionary. (2004). International English dictionary: Complete and unabridged edition. Sydney: Bloomsbury Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merriam-Webster (2015). Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Last accessed on 30 March 2015 from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictionary. Accessed 31 Aug 2019.

  • Muijs, D. (2010). Doing quantitative research in education with SPSS (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng, W. (2012). Can we teach digital natives digital literacy? Computers and Education, 59(3), 1065–1078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.04.016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Russell, A. L. (1995). Stages in learning new technology: Naive adult email users. Computers & Education, 25(4), 173–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharples, M., Taylor, J., & Vavoula, G. (2007). A theory of learning for the mobile age. In R. Andrews & C. Haythornthwaite (Eds.), The sage handbook of e-learning research (pp. 221–247). London: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Twyman, J. S., & Heward, W. L. (2018). How to improve student learning in every classroom now. International Journal of Educational Research, 87, 78–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.05.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valsiner, J. (1987). Culture and the development of children's action. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valsiner, J. (1997). Culture and the development of children's action: A theory of human development (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vázquez, J. P. G., Vargas, M. A. A., Ezkauriatza, M. G., Juarros, V. I. M., Corral, L. E. V., Espinoza, J. M. O., & Doolan, M. A. (2018). Instructional strategies and information technologies used for supporting the undergraduate mathematics teaching process: Scoping review protocol. International Journal of Educational Research, 90, 27–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2018.05.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. (1935). Dinamika umstvennogo razvitiia shkol’nika v sviazi s obucheniem. In Umstvennoe razvitie detei v protsesse obucheniia. Moscow-Leningrad: Gosuchpedgiz.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (M. Cole, V. John- Steiner, S. Scribner & E. Souberman, Trans.). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whalley, W. B., Mauchline, A. L., France, D., Park, J., & Welsh, K. (2018). The iPad six years on: Progress and problems for enhancing mobile learning with special reference to fieldwork education. In H. Crompton & J. Traxler (Eds.), Mobile Learning in Higher Education: Challenges in context (pp. 8–18). New York: Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, L. H. (2012). A learner-centric view of mobile seamless learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(1), E19–E23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01245.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaichkowsky, J. (1985). Measuring the involvement construct. The Journal of Consumer Research, 12(3), 341–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Boris Handal.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Handal, B., Campbell, C. & Perkins, T. Learning About Mobile Learning: Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives. TechTrends 63, 711–722 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00430-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00430-1

Keywords

Navigation