Use of Instructional Design, Instructional Strategy, and Learning Theory in Mobile Learning Application Development

Abstract

AbstractNowadays, with the advancement of technology, mobile learning is becoming increasingly popular in higher education learning and teaching systems. However, the issue of integration between technical and pedagogical factors in mobile learning applications remains one of the main concerns for researchers. The aim of this systematic literature review was to investigate mobile application development, especially in light of pedagogical aspects in the context of mobile learning applications, such as instructional design, instructional strategy, and learning theory. The method used in this study was Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) involving two databases, namely Scopus and Web of Science (WOS). The study found 19 articles relevant to the objectives of the study. The main findings showed the variety of instructional design models used in mobile learning application development, with the most common model being the ADDIE model. However, most studies neither adopt any instructional strategies nor state the learning theories in their mobile application. While instructional design models and instruction strategies provide systematic procedures for developing mobile applications for educational contexts and the organisation of learning activities in mobile applications, learning theory is fundamental to both. This indicates that pedagogical aspects and their integration with technological aspects in mobile applications are still overlooked, especially in the learning contexts where the studies have been conducted. Several recommendations were proposed, namely to conduct reviews in more databases, to research on how to implement pedagogical aspects in mobile learning applications, and to assess the impact of mobile applications on students’ learning. The study concludes that instructors need specific interventions to increase their level of teaching expertise in Technology, Pedagogy, and Content (TPACK) as instructional designers so that they will be able to design learning materials effectively tailored to their students’ needs.KeywordsLearning technologyLearning theoryInstructional strategyMobile application