Factors Influencing the Acceptance of Mobile Learning in K-12 Education in Saudi Arabia: Towards a Shift in the Saudi Education System vis-à-vis Saudi 2030 Vision

Fahad Alturise,Tamim Alkhalifah,Sami Alshmrany,Salem Alkhalaf

doi:10.3991/ijim.v16i01.25671

Abstract

The Saudi Arabian government is committed to updating and improving its education system. Thus, in March 2017, a project was declared to convert the existing book-based methodology to modern, mobile technology in the K-12 education space by 2021. As part of this process, a deep-dive literature review of student acceptance of mobile learning confirmed that there was limited research into what elements had an effect on how much students were likely to accept learning with mobile applications in the five to 18-year-old demographic of K-12. The conclusion of the literature review was that the Saudi Arabian Education Ministry must acquire an understanding of these elements in order to strategize the implementation of the new technology. This study approached high school students, aged 16 – 18, in Saudi Arabia, to examine the elements which would influence their acceptance of mobile learning technology. The research consolidated known elements of education, namely learning self-management, system quality, and hedonic motivation with the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to create a significant theoretical model for the new technology in a high school setting. Conclusions were drawn that societal influence did not affect the student’s approach to mobile learning, but that learning self-management, the expectancy of effort and performance, hedonic motivation and the quality of the system did affect the acceptance behaviour of the students. It was also noted that gender was not a significant factor in the study

Highlights

Mobile devices, such as smartphones, are not communication devices; they have become a catalyst for the new social ‘tribes’ that are coming into being [1]
The results indicated that there was a high proportion of mobile phone owners among high school students
The results demonstrated that the perception of ease of use, which included technology self-efficacy and usability, was crucial to understanding the recognition and usage of technology by educators

Summary

Introduction

Mobile devices, such as smartphones, are not communication devices; they have become a catalyst for the new social ‘tribes’ that are coming into being [1]. These devices allow us to speak with others over distances, but they put the world’s knowledge at our fingertips through the internet, store our data, and allow us to manage our lives and work. Training can be delivered in new and exciting ways, capability challenges become apparent when people expect their phone to be entirely bespoke to their needs [4]. It has been said that students expect to be trained at a time and pace that suits them, and not necessarily following a traditional classroom approach

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Discussion

Conclusion