creators_name: Harvinder, Kaur
creators_name: Abtar, Kaur
creators_name: Insung, Jung
type: conference_item
datestamp: 2013-08-07 01:42:02
lastmod: 2013-08-18 02:35:01
metadata_visibility: show
corp_creators: Open University Malaysia
corp_creators: International Christian University, Japan
title: Does Mobile Learning Foster Self-Directed Learning?
ispublished: pub
subjects: LC5800
full_text_status: public
pres_type: paper
keywords: Mobile Learning, Self-Directed Learning
abstract: With the ever-evolving educational technology trends, distance learning is
now able to provide tremendous opportunities of learning that were barely possible
before. Despite that, distance education institutions are still continuing the battle with
one of their most challenging issue, which is high learner dropout. There is a notion
that learners will be more successful and less prone to dropout when their learning is
self-directed (Uba, 1997). Recently, research showed that mobile learning encouraged
learners to be self-directed and there was a substantial decline in dropouts (Attewell,
Savill-Smith, Douch, 2009). This paper is a further effort to investigate the potential of
mobile learning to support self-directed learning and aims to highlight the effect of
mobile learning using short messaging services (SMS) on learners’ self-direction for
learning. In the study, SMS text messages were sent to mobile phones of  science
teachers who were undertaking the Bachelor of Teaching Program at Open University
Malaysia. Data was collected using survey questionnaire as well as interview method
whereby 35 participants responded to the questionnaire and two were interviewed. The
assessment of self-directed learning was based on the theories of self-directed learning
suggested by Brockett and Hiemstra (1991) and Candy (1991). The findings show how
learners exhibited ownership of learning due to mobile learning through their goals and
plans for learning, strategies and processes of learning and self-evaluation of their
learning. The study also discusses issues that these teachers faced when using mobile
technologies for self-directed learning.  (Abstract by authors)
date: 2012-10-16
date_type: published
event_title: The 26th Annual Conference of Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU2012)
event_location: Chiba, Japan
event_dates: 16-18 October 2012
event_type: conference
refereed: TRUE
citation:   Harvinder, Kaur and Abtar, Kaur and Insung, Jung  (2012) Does Mobile Learning Foster Self-Directed Learning?  In: The 26th Annual Conference of Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU2012), 16-18 October 2012, Chiba, Japan.     
document_url: https://library.oum.edu.my/repository/884/1/library-document-884.pdf