Students' Readiness towards M-Learning: A Case Study of Pre-Service Teachers in Palestine

Abstract

This study examines pre-service teachers' (PST) attitudes towards, readiness to use and the nature of usage of mobile technologies. The main objective of the study is to explore the different aspects of M-devices in terms of the actual use, attitudes of use and willingness to use in learning context of PST in College of Education and Teacher Preparation (CETP) at An Najah National University (NNU) in Palestine. The results of the study could inform NNU administrators and faculty members about the possibilities of integrating M-devices in the teaching/learning process. Data was obtained from a sample of 71 PSTs enrolled in "Computers in Education" course in the second semester of 2013/2014 academic year. The results revealed that many PSTs owned one or more mobile devices. For most students, the use of mobile devices is a routine part of their own lives with limited placement in their educational environment. Data suggest that NNU administration and PSTs teachers need to consider the availability of M-devices in the hands of students and to explore these emerging technologies for teaching. The results of this study can be used to inform NNU and other institutions the capabilities and willingness of students to use mobile devices in their learning.

Students' Characteristics Influence Readiness to Use Mobile Technology in Higher Education

“…Nowadays, mobile devices are one of the leading innovative technological tools of communications and are considered a part of the lives of the young generation including students (Shaqour, 2014). The advent of these devices is accelerating and enhancing the trends of integrating such devices in education which provide flexibility in the overall education system.…”

“…In addition, these factors also affect students' satisfaction of the technical aspects. Some researchers indicated that quality technical aspect of mobile learning affects students' satisfaction and use of mobile learning (Affouneh et al, 2020;Ibrahim et al, 2016;Shaqour, 2014).…”

Exploring children experience with educational mobile technology

“…Moreover, the number of sales is growing each day. Mobile devices are one of the leading innovative technological tools of communication which can be considered part of the lives of the young generation including students (Shaqour 2014). The development of mobile technology has been attracting children's attention to 3 (page number not for citation purpose) meaningful whole' (p. 6).…”

Usability Aspects Related to the Use of M-Learning in Elementary Schools in Palestine

“…Furthermore, according to the recent strategic plan (2017-2022), the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Palestine moves towards -digitalizing education to make milestone change in the educational process‖ 1 . There were several attempts to propose different mobile based solutions and investigating students' readiness to use m-learning [25], [26]. For instance, the work reported in [25] investigated the teachers' willingness to and attitudes towards the use of m-learning applications in a higher education institution.…”

“…Also, lack of resources and applications for content, limited connectivity and unreliable Internet connection with Wi-Fi and 3G/4G networks in Palestine were also mentioned by the participants. Another study [26] shows a high percent of students who are aware of mobile learning and are willing to use it in their courses. However, the previous mentioned studies are conducted in the context of higher education institution rather than elementary schools.…”