Student satisfaction, learning outcomes, and cognitive loads with a mobile learning platform

Abstract

After working with a number of scholars for two years, a university designed a mobile learning platform referred to as ‘College English IV,’ where learners could have easy access to various kinds of learning resources through installing the program in their smart phones. This study aims to identify whether this platform could significantly improve the proficiency of English as a foreign language (EFL), yield learner satisfaction, and reduce learners’ cognitive loads in EFL classes. Randomly selected 340 tertiary students participated in the study. After quantitative multivariate analysis and qualitative interview data analysis, it was concluded that: (1) In EFL classes, participants with the mobile learning platform were more satisfied than those without it; (2) In EFL classes, learning outcomes of participants with the mobile learning platform improved significantly more than those without it; and (3) In EFL classes, cognitive loads of participants with the mobile learning platform were significantly lower than those without it. Interdisciplinary research may be needed in future research.

Keywords:

• Satisfaction
• learning outcomes
• cognitive loads
• the mobile learning platform
• College English IV

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the people who help this study and the projects which financially support this study.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 All individuals listed as authors qualify as authors and have approved the submitted version; The work is original and is not under consideration by any other journal; The work has permission to reproduce any previously published material.

Additional information

Funding

The projects which financially support this study: Jiangsu Provincial Social Science Fund in 2016 ‘Effect of College English flipped classroom in Jiangsu’ (16YYB004); The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2018B22214); and Chinese fund for the humanities and social sciences (Chinese Academic translation) (17WSS005).