Identifying the key success factors for the adoption of mobile learning

Abstract

There is evidence that sustainability and efficiency are challenges for mobile learning adoption methods. The objective of this study is to identify, categorize and evaluate the critical factors that shape the adoption and sustainable use of mobile learning.. The study will investigate the factors that affect mobile learning adoption, how they can be categorized and what is the prioritization of these categories in the context of Catalonia. The research in this study was designed according to a mixed methods paradigm applying a mixed research approach weighted toward quantitative data, including a literature review, a systematic review, and an expert judgement. A total of 361 factors were identified by reviewing 74 studies; twenty-six studies were included in the systematic review; and seven Catalan experts participated in the expert trial, including three school leaders, two university experts and two education inspectors. This study provides a taxonomy to categorize and orchestrate the factors affecting the adoption of mobile learning providing a holistic and coherent vision.. This categorization contributes to improving sustainability in the adoption of mobile learning. Overall, participants prioritize the five categories from the most challenging to the lowest impact as follows: leadership; personal character, attitudes, and ethics; digital literacy; pedagogical; and technological resources. The major limitation of this study is the lack of contextualization of the proposed categorization. Future research should offer different perspectives in order to generalize the results. Findings may vary with technological advances. The findings are expected to be useful both in academia and for school stakeholders as insights for further research and efficient and sustainable mobile learning adoptions.