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Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. In Press(In Press):e64424.
Published online 2017 December 26.
doi: 10.5812/ijvlms.64424.
Research Article
Learners’ Experiences of Mobile Learning in Vocational and Technical
Education Courses
Mehdi Mohammadi,1,* Rahmat Allah Marzooghi,2Ghasem Salimi,3and Sirus Mansoori4
1Associate Professor in Curriculum Studies, Shiraz University,Shiraz, IR Iran
2Professor in Curriculum Studies, Shiraz University,Shiraz, IR Iran
3Assistant Professor in Higher Education, Shiraz University,Shiraz, IR Iran
4PhD Student in Curriculum Studies, Shiraz University,Shiraz, IR Iran
*Corresponding author: Mehdi Mohammadi, Associate Professor in Curriculum Studies, Shiraz University, Shiraz, IR Iran. E-mail: m48r52@gmail.com
Received 2017 October 04; Accepted 2017 November 27.
Abstract
Background: Since mobile learning is emerging as an alternative approach to teaching, educational institutions have used this
approach to improve the teaching and learning process. This paper aimed at exploring learners’ experiences of mobile learning in
vocational and technical education courses.
Methods: The research method in this study was phenomenology. In this method, researchers investigated learners’ lived experi-
ences of mobile learning in vocational and technical education courses by semi-structured interviews. Participants (two classrooms:
32 people) were all learners, who attended this course.
Results: According to theme analysis of interviews, nine basic themes were identified, two organizing themes and one global theme.
Based on thematic analysis, the results showed that learners had a positive perception of mobile learning.
Conclusions: Using mobile learning, learners gain greater quality and in-depth learning and the opportunity to study anywhere
and at any time.
Keywords: Mobile Applications, Training, Vocational Education, Life Experiences
1. Background
Recently, ICT is playing serious effects in personnel’s
daily lives. Therefore, it is not surprising that virtual learn-
ing is accepted as an important tool in teaching (1). In other
words, emergence of revolutionary technologies has had a
major role on instructional design. It has enhanced the po-
tential of e-learning as a style of delivery in teaching (2). For
example, mobile learning (M-learning), as an educational
approach, is no longer a novelty. Thus a large number of
educational institutions in schools, higher education, and
workplace use this form of learning (3). For a long time,
classrooms were used with non-dynamic communication
tools to deliver content (4).
“M learning” is learning by means of wireless techno-
logical devices that can be pocketed and utilized wherever
the learner’s device is able to receive unbroken transmis-
sion signals (2). There is a need for a definition of mobile
learning that includes all the aspects of the mobile learn-
ing process (4). Nyir argues that mobile devices are re-
sponsible for undermining and, usually, eliminating the
fixity of traditional environments. M-learning is defined
differently by researchers. In early views, M-learning was
defined as the delivery of content by materials of mobile
tools, such as phones, PDAs, and digital audio players, etc.
(5). However, the term mobile refers to the possibility of
taking place in multiple situations, multiple times, and
addressing multiple texts using either static or portable
equipment. The fastest developing and rising computing
platform with an estimated 1.6 billion mobile device users
by 2013 is smart phones, mobile devices, and PDAs (6). Cur-
rently, tablet PCs allow mobile internet access with equal
or more functionality than computers. M-Learning en-
ables teachers and students to expand beyond traditional
classrooms. Mobile devices provide teachers and students
enhanced flexibility and offer new interaction opportuni-
ties. The benefits of M-Learning are as follows:
- Increase in individualized learning
- Motivation of learners
- Anytime and anywhere access to text
- Support-rich learning setting
- Support distance learning
- Enhancement of higher-order thinking skills
- Enhancement of learner-based learning
- Increase in the interaction between students and
teachers
Copyright © 2018, Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in
noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.
Mohammadi M et al.
- Reduction in cultural and communication barriers (3,
6-8)
Mobile learning through easy access to information
leads to improvement in learner’s performance. M-
learning increases reciprocal interaction where it sup-
ports direct communication between learners and teach-
ers. Also, teachers of large groups can use the direct inter-
action as a way of providing special teaching to all learners
(6). In summary, since mobile learning is emerging as an
alternative approach to teaching, educational centers have
started to use this approach to improve teaching and learn-
ing processes (9). Therefore, this paper aimed at provid-
ing an application for the BMS course. Moreover, for eval-
uation of software, learner’s perceptions were explored by
in-depth interviews. The main concept of the article was to
determine the learner’s lived experience of their course by
mobile learning.
2. Methods
The research method in this study was phenomenol-
ogy. In the first step, researchers developed a mobile learn-
ing software and then implemented it for learners and
explored learners’ lived experiences of mobile learning.
Semi-structured interviews were used for gathering the
data.
The participants were Persian Gulf electronics and elec-
trical training center students in Shiraz city. For this pur-
pose, the researchers selected the building management
system course (N = 32) and used purposeful sampling to se-
lect the sample. Overall, 27 learners, who had experience
in a mobile learning course were selected. Therefore, the
criterion for selecting participants was attendance to the
Building Management System, based on mobile learning,
course. The interviews lasted 20 to 40 minutes, and were
then analyzed by two expert analyzers.
Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Thematic
analysis is an efficient method of qualitative analysis. In
this research, 2 organizing themes and 9 basic themes were
extracted.
Data validity in this study was addressed through use
of an external auditor and clarification of researcher bias.
Although results of the study are not generalizable to other
populations, the uniqueness of the experiences provide
rich detail for those, who want to understand the lived ex-
periences and perception of students, who were taught by
mobile learning.
For the interview, the researcher informed participants
about the interview goal, and each participant provided
their consent. Also, participants could drop out of the
study at any time. In addition, all 27 interviews were kept
confidential.
2.1. Educational Software
In this part, a view of the software that was imple-
mented for the BMS course is illustrated (Figure 1):
As indicated, this software has the ability of running
on a smart phone. Since smart phones are more benefi-
cial than computers, many educational software are de-
signed for android systems. For example, in Iran more than
20 million people in 2015 used the Telegram application
(http://www.ana.ir). It seems that the number of people is
increasing and so this statistic is on the rise. It is obvious
that these users use their smart phone to access Telegram,
thus it could be assumed that Iranians more commonly
use smart phones rather than computers. Therefore, it is
recommended to IT experts to develop educational soft-
ware for smart phones rather than computer software. In
the following picture, topics of BMS course in the mobile
learning software are portrayed (Figure 2).
As indicated, the table of contents is regulated in such a
way that learners can select any learning unit by touching
on the desired learning units. In other word, by selecting
any of the units, the learners could go straight to the in-
tended learning unit and study it. In addition, through on-
line communication between trainers and learners, their
interaction is easily achieved (Figure 3).
As indicated by Figure 3, a page is available on the soft-
ware, from which users can view integration and interac-
tion of photographer, IT Expert, and tutor in content ar-
rangement. Also, in other slides and pages, it is possible to
provide skills and conceptual knowledge in picture format
and in a step by step manner. This format is appropriate for
instructions based on constructivism theory and situated
learning.
2.2. Course Implementation
After developing the mobile application, the mobile
learning course was implemented. The duration of the
BMS course as an experimental course was 5 weeks (includ-
ing 32 hours of theoretical content and 10 hours of practi-
cal work). Since mobile phones were used as an e-learning
tool in the educational course, 10 hours of course duration
was provided in the mobile application, and during these
hours, instructions were given through discussions and
feedback on mobile social networks. Also, practical ambi-
guities were also discussed in the workshop. The final expe-
riences of learners about the process of learning in mobile
learning was extracted after the end of the course.
3. Results
According to theme analysis of interviews, there were
9 basic themes, 2 organizing themes, and a global theme.
2Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. In Press(In Press):e64424.
Mohammadi M et al.
Figure 1. A View of the BMS Software on a Smart Phone
Before description of themes, participants’ demographi-
cal information is presented. Participants in this study
were male students of Persian Gulf electronics and electri-
cal training center with their demographical information
presented in the table below (Table 1).
3.1. Learners’ Perceptions of the Mobile Learning Course
Based on analysis of interviews and open question-
naire, 9 basic themes were identified, 2 organizing themes
and a global theme that was titled as “comparison to
traditional teaching courses and positive perspective to
this approach”, “cost saving”, “greater studying possibil-
ity and thus improvement in learning”, “anytime and any-
place content”, “readiness before introducing a new learn-
ing unit”, “improving teaching quality”, “interactive soft-
ware”, “paying attention to procedures with the help of
films” and “recommended to be offered for similar cours-
es”.
3.1.1. Positive View Factors to the Mobile Learning Package
One of the organizing themes that were derived from
the basic themes at the end of the learning process was
positive view factors towards the mobile learning package.
The basic themes of this organizing theme includes com-
parison to traditional teaching courses and positive per-
spective to this approach, cost saving, further study and
further learning improvement, anytime and anyplace con-
tent, readiness before introducing a new learning unit,
and improvement of teaching quality.
1-A. Comparison to traditional teaching courses and
positive perspective towards this approach
One of the themes extracted from interviews at the end
of the implementation of the mobile learning course was
Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. In Press(In Press):e64424. 3
Mohammadi M et al.
Figure 2. A Picture of the Software Content
Table1. Participants Demographic Information
Variable No. (%)
Age
20 - 25 years old 13 (48.14)
26 - 30 years old 7 (25.92)
31 - 35 years old 5 (18.52)
36-to up years old 2 (7.41)
Academic degree
Associate degree 7 (25.92)
Bachelor degree 14 (51.85)
Master degree 6 (22.22)
Employment situation
Employed 8 (29.62)
Unemployed 6 (22.22)
Student 13 (48.14)
the comparison of mobile learning with face to face learn-
ing and the positive sense of this approach. For example,
one of the trainees said: “this method was very good and
appropriate, because one of our educational system weak-
nesses is the lack of study of supplementary content out-
Figure 3. A View of an Available Page on the Software
side the textbooks, so learning material are converted only
into a stereotypical preservation and can be erased from
the students’ mind. Many of the lessons are matched with
a pamphlet, but this approach can encourage students to
study more and create a mentality that only books and
lessons provided, do not stand up”. Another trainee said:
“The mobile learning course was one of the best courses I
have experienced so far,blending the presence at the work-
shop and studying with a smartphone and discussing top-
ics that we read personally”.
One of employed trainees said: “We had identified
some of the sessions and instead of going to the educa-
tional center, we were reading pages ourselves, and usu-
ally we discussed it on WhatsApp on the same night. So,
not spoiling one day at an educational center, it would save
you time and money; especially for that part of the course,
which was theoretical, it could be read by ourselves”. An-
other trainee said: “It’s all a waste of paper and books,
and traffic because of the traditional teaching method. So
what? I think that all technical and vocational educat-
ing courses should be held in the workshop for practical
4Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. In Press(In Press):e64424.
Mohammadi M et al.
work and with application software for theoretical learn-
ing. If we want to learn practical work, it is only possi-
ble through face to face sessions, and the rest of theoret-
ical units could be taught with new technologies like the
smartphone, which is a lot easier”.
1-C. Further study and further learning improvement
One of the trainees said: “Apps that are installed on
Smartphones though Android and IOS are more useful
than other software that work on a computer, because
they are always available and more time could be spent on
them. For this course, this was helpful because if the soft-
ware was in the form of CD, the students would not spend
their time on it, but as it was available on our phone, some-
times we had a glimpse of it “. Another trainee said: “I fully
agree with this method, because in this way, you can re-
view the content before the face to face class, with this dif-
ference, which is that the application is always accessible
for students, and can be easily searched by key words in
the title of the application pages, while this is not possi-
ble for pamphlets and books. Therefore, when we entered
the classroom, we were fully prepared to discuss the top-
ics that were taught, and we had to review these before the
start of the class”. Another trainee said: "It was a very inter-
esting and influential idea that led to BMS course not just
ending up in a face to face class, and every time had extra
time, we were studying using our mobile phone and so one
of the benefits of the software was that there was no need
to go to the classroom, and when we could not be present
in face to face classrooms due to problems, we could learn
the lesson with a mobile phone, because in fact you know
what part you will be taught, so you cannot get back”.
1-D. Anytime and anyplace content
One of the trainees said: Generally, using software and
learning with a smartphone is useful for better learning
and better performance because mobile phone is a widely
used and is an always available device that allows learners
to use it whenever and wherever. Almost everyone has a
smart phone. It is natural that mobile phones are more
accessible rather than other resources, such as books and
pamphlets, and are always with the learner. In fact, the con-
tent of the course was with us anywhere, and at any time
we had some issue about the course, we could go back to
the software”. One of learners said “smart phones and IOS
programs are more useful than computer software, as they
are more evaluable. In this course, this issue was effective,
because if this software was in the form of a CD rum, I think
the students would not use it”.
1-E. Readiness before introducing a new learning unit
An MA student said: “The benefit of the software was to
prepare trainees for further learning and self-confidence
in future classroom sessions, because the person, who is
supposed to learn the next topic has at least a glimpse at
its content in the application and has a positive feel for the
class, which I thought was one of the benefits of this soft-
ware in the course”. Another student said: I fully agree with
this method, because in this way you can review the con-
tent before the face to face class, with the difference being
that the application is always accessible for students, and
can be easily searched by key words in the title of the appli-
cation pages, while this is not possible in pamphlets and
books. Therefore, when we entered the classroom we were
fully prepared to discuss what topics were to be taught,
and we had to review these before the start of the class.
Another trainee said: “Learning through mobile phones in
combination with face to face classroom works in a com-
plementary manner, and it was a good idea because the
student could use it before the classroom meetings with a
pre-class study through the software and can use the class
room to ask questions and solve problems, while this is not
the case for face to face courses and students attend the
class without the readiness”.
1-F. Improving Teaching Quality
One of trainees said: “Look at other courses. Both in
technical and vocational courses as well as in university
courses, the teacher and trainer transfers their knowledge
and students write notes and, in the end of the course,
the learner repeats the reservations on an exam paper.
Of course, a part may also be practical learning. But in
this course, our attention was to class debates”. This led
to reflection and discussion about provided contents in
the classroom. Another trainee said: “I think that in this
method, the real time of the class increases and the teacher
can be taught more easily, and as a result, the student’s
ability to learn is increased because he is not supposed to
note all the introduced theoretical material in the class-
room, because he has already read the content before the
start of class”. Another trainee said: “I learned a lot in this
instructional course; the combination of classrooms and
mobile application increased the amount of information
and practical work. The mobile learning course reduced
costs and waste of time spent to travel to the institute and
led to effectiveness of the course
2. Focus on suggestions for improving the software
and providing similar technical and vocational courses.
Although almost all trainees had a positive opinion
about the instructional process at end of the course, the
data analysis showed that some participants suggested the
use of a more effective application such as an interactive
software and use of videos, while others recommended the
use of such software for similar technical and vocational
courses.
2-A. Interactive software
According to participant’s statements, an interactive
software is needed in the information and communica-
Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. In Press(In Press):e64424. 5
Mohammadi M et al.
tion world. An interactive software leads to greater learner
participation in the learning process. For example, one of
trainees said: "I think the software should have chat func-
tionality. [The user will say] Hey guys I did it here. Really,
go there, sign in. I think the application must have chat
functionality, group chat, and individual chat and upload
of movie. [For example] Yesterday, I was surfing the inter-
net, I found a PDF, let’s upload it, and have it available for
other students as well ...” Another trainee said: "If the soft-
ware made it possible to provide messaging and online
chat, it would probably be better, because in this situation
it would help resolve issues”.
2-B. Paying attention to procedures with the help of
videos
Some participants acknowledged the need for some
of the work procedures in the technical and professional
field to be presented in a visual manner. For example,
one of the trainees, with an associate degree, who was 23
years old and unemployed said: “In my opinion, while
the software was attractive, it should have a professional
and user-friendly design, and use video, audio, photo and
other types of media alongside the text. Because some-
times work procedures are of great importance and should
be taught with the help of videos”. “Another trainee said:”
A professional software should have attractive and appeal-
ing graphics, so that the user is not tired when using it and,
on the contrary be interested in continuing to use it. Thus,
aesthetic issues in software and photography and videos
should also be taken into consideration. If this software
also made it possible to view the videos, it might have been
better. “Another trainee said: “... For example, you can up-
load movies. Yesterday, I was on the Internet. I found a
PDF file, I thought it would be good if I could upload it
and share it with my classmates...”. One of trainees said:
“In general, if the software is designed with a variety of
professional features and user friendly and attractive form,
it could attract everyone. Exactly like games that often
have hidden educational goals, but because of their user-
friendly environments and the simplicity of working with
them attract a lot of people with any level of information
and education. In this software, I was dealing mostly with
text that was comprehensive, but it would be better if it
was written in a text-movie based mode”.
2-C. Recommendation to offer similar technical and vo-
cational courses
One of the trainees regarding his positive opinion
about the mobile learning process said: “The classroom
was great, and support by Whatsapp and Telegram groups
along with the software was excellent. I think, this is
the best way of learning, because combination of both
the practical work in workshops and mobile application
can be attractive”. Another trainee said: “I think this
method should become a routine method, and over time,
its strengths and weaknesses will be identified, also im-
plementers of the technical and vocational education lim-
ited this approach for this course. I will make such soft-
ware, it is not costly. Developing a software can be used at
any time”. Another trainee pointed out that "the use of this
teaching method for other courses could also be useful”.
4. Discussion and Conclusion
Mobile learning has become an important field of re-
search. In this study for evaluation of mobile learning,
a phenomenology by interview of participants was con-
ducted. The results showed that participants had a posi-
tive view of mobile learning. Therefore, teachers should
adopt technology in their teaching strategies. Also, learn-
ers should be prepared to develop a more active role in
learning processes. Mobile technologies have started to
make compelling contributions to mobile learning within
training institutes in developing countries, such as Iran.
Similar to other studies by Kumar et al. (10) and Bilos et
al. (11), learners stated mostly positive attitudes towards
use of mobile devices for various activities, including mo-
bile learning. This situation suggests a vast space for im-
provement of the classroom experience with mobile de-
vices, such as smart phones.
The findings of the research regarding learning expe-
riences showed that the design of this software will have
many benefits and as a result, the learners expressed a posi-
tive attitude towards the mobile-learning process and soft-
ware. The results of the current research are in agreement
with the results of Billy and Morris (12), Chen and Jones (13),
Pereira et al. (14), and Akiounella and Yilmaz Soyla (15), on
students’ satisfaction with the combination of teaching-
learning. In general, the results of the current study sug-
gests the use of different methods of learning, online and
software resources, as well as classroom and face-to-face in-
teractions, as part of education courses for better learning
of students. Furthermore, this work also suggests that peo-
ple do not learn in the same way. Therefore, the use of dif-
ferent methods for training is considered necessary. Con-
sequently, it could be said that learners, who are interested
in e-learning and attracting electronic resources through
their mobile software learn more through the study of soft-
ware content, while learners, who are interested in learn-
ing in-person prefer classroom learning and this diversity
of training leads to a significant increase in learners’ per-
formance in a combined learning process than in other
courses, such as in-person training. Accordingly, the sug-
gestions of this study for policymakers and managers in
the field of vocational training are as follows:
6Interdiscip J Virtual Learn Med Sci. In Press(In Press):e64424.
Mohammadi M et al.
- Developing curriculum for vocational training
courses with emphasis on mobile apps
- The use of mobile education (mobile-based) rather
than using computers due to the flexibility and capacity in
vocational training courses.
Footnote
Conflicts of Interest: None declared.
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