Research on mobile learning has given much attention to (a) the affordances of mobility that mobile devices offer, and (b) how these devices are used in classroom learning. Less attention has been paid to how students/learners perceive and use mobile devices. This exploratory study focuses on developing an understanding of how undergraduate learners’ interpret learning using their smartphones, in particular learning that is not initiated by a teacher. The study used a qualitative grounded-theory approach to analyze data collected from 28 undergraduate learners in an introductory educational psychology course. Analysis of the data suggests that the learners’ perception of the phenomenon of learning with smartphones appears to have three properties: What is learned, why, and when. Each property can be further characterized along one or two dimensions. We see this study as being a first step towards identifying the nature of learning using mobile devices and its varying dimensions.

1. Learning Using Smartphones:
Analyzing What Current
Learners Think and Do
Sandra f. Sawaya
SITE 2013
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2. Context
• Smartphones almost ubiquitous
• Mobility
• Creating the potential for learning on the
go
• Typical definition of mobile learning
• Techno/device-centric definition
• More complex than that
• Learning beyond classroom walls
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3. Context
The widespread ownership of smartphones
and their mobility allow learners to take
control and
“take the lead and engage in activities
motivated by their personal needs [and
interests] and circumstances of use”
(Kukulsha-Hulme & Shield, 2008, p. 272)
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4. Problem
There is a need for research on how
learners perceive and capitalize on the
learning affordances of their smartphones
and use them for their own self-initiated
learning
(Gikas, 2011)
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5. Purpose
• Exploratory
• First step
• Analyzing learners’ interpretation of
learning using smartphones
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6. Research Questions
• How do undergraduate students interpret
the phenomenon of learning using their
smartphones?
– What are the properties and dimensions of
that phenomenon?
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7. Data Collection
• Undergraduate students
• Class assignment
1. How do you use your smartphone?
2. How do you use your smartphone for
learning
3. Look back at the last week or so and recall
instances of when you used your
smartphone for a learning-related task.
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8. Data Analysis
• Grounded theory
1. Isolating instances of learning
a. How do you use your smartphone for learning?
b. Using learn or synonym
c. Alluded to gaining knowledge/learning
2. Listing learning activities
a. Instances of learning that occurred at least three
times
3. Identifying properties of learning
4. Characterizing property dimensions
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9. Findings – Learning activities
Sending email to and
receiving email from
classmates and
instructors
Checking social media
websites
Checking store hours
Checking the course
management system
Checking the weather Checking the time
Reading or reviewing
class-related material
Checking the news Looking up directions
Looking up school-related
information
Checking dorm cafeteria
website
Looking up song lyrics
Taking or recording
class notes
Looking up word
definitions, synonyms,
spelling, translation,
etc…
Looking up information of
personal interest or need
Performing mathematical
calculations
Checking movie times
Looking up information
regarding a topic of
current conversation or
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10. Findings – Properties & dimensions of
learning
• What was learned: Nature of the
information
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stable changin
g
scholastic
non-scholastic
I have a thesaurus app
to help me when I am
writing my papers to
get a variety of words
I used my smartphone
for learning by looking
at my grades on angel
I also learn on
pinterest a recipe
for mosaciolli that
I’ve been wanting to
make
checking the weather
using the weatherbug
application

11. Findings – Properties & dimensions of
learning
• Why was it learned: Motivation for learning
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needing wanting
While discussing movies with
my family we were talking
different quotes in movies. I
grabbed by phone and used
my IMDB app which is a movie
app with quotes, characters,
episodes, etc. Having this
application on my phone I was
able to learn more quotes from
movies that I had not previously
known
I used my smart phone last week to
get directions on how to get to a
certain place... I chose to use my smart
phone for directions because it was
easier than using a map or asking
for directions. The phone called out
the directions as we went so there was
no confusion on how to get where we
needed to be…Stopping for directions
wouldn’t have helped much because
we didn’t know the area as it was and
we would have never remembered all
the turns that they would have
explained.

12. Findings – Properties & dimensions of
learning
• Where was it learned: Location for
learning
Mobile Stationary
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on the go
on the bus
walking to
class
in class
in my dorm
room
at home

13. Conclusions & Implications
• Non-traditional learning activities
• Perception of learning as access to
information
• Does the device affect how learners think
about learning?
• How can we educate on the learning
affordances that go beyond access to
information?
• Shift from mobile learning to learning using
mobile devices 13

14. Thank you!
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sawayasa@msu.edu