Mobile-Learning - Thai HE Student Perceptions and Potential Technology Impacts

Abstract

Higher education appears to be changing in the Thailand, as students, especially younger students whose social networking concerns match their obsession with mobile technology, may take issue with past academic teaching patterns and practices and opt for more contemporary approaches such as mobile-learning. This research used a qualitative approach and conducted a focus group of students (N=15) drawn from a target population of 256 using a simple random sampling process exploring their recent experiences of m-Learning at a small HE institution in Thailand. The major results yield a mixed response in terms of student readiness for mobile-learning (m-Learning) technology demands. The analysis would appear to suggest that there are crucial technological constraints that have to be overcome relating to mobile devices, the media used and the effects of the delivery mechanism; and that these technological constraints have a considerable impact on student’s pedagogic engagement. Future research implications and issues surrounding the development of mobile-Learning in Thailand higher education are also discussed.