The changing landscape of mobile learning pedagogy: A systematic literature review

ABSTRACT

With the rapid evolution of mobile technology, the adoption of mobile learning in education has also increased. Several studies have conducted various systematic literature reviews to discuss mobile learning from different perspectives, such as its advantages and limitations. However, limited attention has been paid to pedagogy in mobile learning. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic review of 165 empirical studies on mobile learning to investigate the changing landscape of mobile learning pedagogy. The findings reveal that, despite the ubiquity and flexibility of mobile technologies, most mobile learning studies were conducted in formal settings. The findings also reveal that game-based learning and collaborative learning were the most frequently used pedagogical approaches. Furthermore, redefinition is the most frequently used pedagogical functionality of technology in mobile learning, based on the Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) model. The findings of this systematic literature review could be beneficial to both researchers and practitioners in highlighting how mobile learning is designed and implemented, and what gaps should be focused on to enhance pedagogical experiences on mobile devices and thus achieve better mobile learning outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Mobile learning
• literature review
• SAMR
• pedagogical approaches
• pedagogical functionalities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ahmed Tlili

Ahmed Tlili is an Associate Professor at Beijing Normal University, China and An-Najah National University, Palestine. He is also a Visiting Professor at the Research Institute for Innovation & Technology in Education (UNIR iTED), Spain. He serves as the Co-Director of the OER Lab at the Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University (SLIBNU), China. Dr. Tlili is the Editor of Springer Series Future Education and Learning Spaces. He is also the Associate Editor of Smart Learning Environments, the IEEE Bulletin of the Technical Committee on Learning Technology, and the Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society.

Natalia Padilla-Zea

Dr. Natalia Padilla-Zea is an Assistant Professor at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR). She is a researcher at the Research Institute for Innovation & Technology in Education (UNIR iTED, http://ited.unir.net), where develops her research in different national and international projects, such as PLeNTaS, StrategyHack, OpenGame, Keystone, V-Tours or Social Seducement. Her main line of research is focused on e-learning, gamification and game-based learning. She is the current director of the Telefonica-UNIR chair on Digital Society and Education. She develops her teaching experience at the Engineering and Technology School of UNIR.

Juan Garzón

Dr. Garzón has been a full professor and researcher for more than ten years at the Universidad Católica de Oriente in Rionegro, Colombia. His teaching experience has focused on telecommunications and new learning methodologies. On the other hand, his research focuses on technology-enhanced Learning. He holds a Pd.D. in Computer Science from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has participated in numerous national and international research projects, advancing the field through the development of new learning technologies.

Yiping Wang

Yiping Wang is a researcher and senior project manager at SLIBNU-ALECSO Smart Education Joint Lab of Smart Learning Institute Beijing Normal University. Yiping has studied at Beijing Normal University and The Education University of Hong Kong. Yiping has her research interest in international and comparative education, with a focus on China, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Kinshuk Kinshuk

Dr. Kinshuk is the Dean of the College of Information at the University of North Texas. Prior to that, he held the NSERC/CNRL/Xerox/McGraw Hill Research Chair for Adaptivity and Personalization in Informatics, funded by the Federal government of Canada, Provincial government of Alberta, and by national and international industries. He was also Full Professor in the School of Computing and Information Systems and Associate Dean of Faculty of Science and Technology, at Athabasca University, Canada. After completing first degree from India, he earned his Masters’ degree from Strathclyde University (Glasgow) and PhD from De Montfort University (Leicester), United Kingdom. His work has been dedicated to advancing research on the innovative paradigms, architectures and implementations of online and distance learning systems for individualized and adaptive learning in increasingly global environments. Areas of his research interests include learning analytics; learning technologies; mobile, ubiquitous and location aware learning systems; cognitive profiling; and interactive technologies.

Daniel Burgos

Prof. Dr. Daniel Burgos works as a Full Professor of Technologies for Education & Communication and Vice-rector for International Research, at Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR). He holds a UNESCO Chair on eLearning and he is and ICDE Ambassador for Open Education. He also works as Director of the Research Institute for Innovation & Technology in Education (UNIR iTED, http://ited.unir.net/). He has published over 200 scientific papers, 4 European patents, 18 authored books and 31 edited books or special issues on indexed journals. He is or has been involved in +65 European and worldwide publicly-funded R&D projects. He is a Professor at An-Najah National University (Palestine), an Extraordinary Professor at North-West University (South-Africa), an Adjunct Professor at Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL, Colombia), and a Visiting Professor at Coventry University (United Kingdom). He works as a consultant for United Nations (UNECE), European Commission & Parliament and Russian Academy of Science. He holds 9 PhD degrees, including Computer Science and Education.