Exploring undergraduate students’ usage pattern of mobile apps for education

• Published in: Journal of librarianship and information science Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 34 - 47
• Main Authors: Wai, Iris Shuk Han, Ng, Sara Sze Yan, Chiu, Dickson K. W., Ho, Kevin K. W., Lo, Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.03.2018; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: College students; Higher education; Multimedia computer applications; Smartphones; Technology Acceptance Model; User needs; Southeast Asia; university students; TAM; Hong Kong; mobile applications; technology acceptance model; Apps; m-learning
• ISSN: 0961-0006; 1741-6477
• DOI: 10.1177/0961000616662699

In recent years, with the general adoption of smartphones with computing power comparable to desktop computers, mobile applications (apps) have experienced a surge in popularity. However, there are few studies conducted about their educational use, especially in Southeast Asia. To close this research gap, this study aims to provide a current overview of mobile apps usage in higher education. Besides exploring the actual use of apps, the technology acceptance model was applied to examine (1) undergraduate students’ perceptions, which involve perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, towards adopting mobile apps for educational purposes, and (2) their overall attitude toward such adoption. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data from 150 undergraduate students in Business, Education, and Engineering in Hong Kong. The results show undergraduate students use mobile apps frequently to engage in learning activities related to their academic studies, with a particularly focus on communication and collaborative working, accessing academic resources, and checking a dictionary. However, the discrepancies in using apps for academic purposes are not significant between the three faculties. Meanwhile, perceived usefulness has a more positive impact on overall attitude compared with the impact of perceived ease of use. The investigation will help tertiary institutions, library service providers, and educators develop and assess strategic planning for education collaborating with mobile apps. This paper could also give app developers some suggestions for app design based on actual usage and students’ information needs.