Abstract
The use of mobile devices in secondary education schools is an emerging issue; however, empirical evidence regarding secondary education teachers’ perceptions on mobile technology and mobile learning is still limited. This study investigated Greek secondary school teachers’ perceptions of mobile phone and tablet use in classrooms, focusing on their perceived benefits, constraints and their concerns. A questionnaire with open-ended questions was administered to 64 teachers of different specializations. The primary perceived benefits were associated with students’ involvement/motivation and active participation, the interactive-enjoyable lesson, the easy access to information and students’ familiarity with technology. Teachers’ perceived barriers were mainly related to the lack of equipment and the current legislation (regarding mobile technology usage in school settings). Key concerns regarded students' abusive behavior and the difficulty in controlling them, the noise-disruption in class and students’ distraction. Implications and recommendations for teachers, students, school policy and educational policy makers are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Al-Jarrah, J. M., Talafhah, R. H., & Al-Jarrah, T. M. (2019). ESL teacher perceptions of using educational mobile applications to develop the language skills of ESL elementary school students. European Journal of Foreign Language Learning,4(1), 65–86. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2257442.
Anshari, M., Almunawar, M. N., Shahrill, M., Wicaksono, D. K., & Huda, M. (2017). Smartphone usage in the classrooms: Learning aid or interference? Education and Information Technology,22, 3063–3079. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-017-9572-7.
Ashfaq, M. S., & Mirza, N. A. (2018). Uses of mobile for teaching and learning, effects and influence among secondary level schools in Pakistan. International Journal of Distance Education and E-learning,4(1), 57–64.
Baek, Y., Zhang, H., & Yun, S. (2017). Teachers’ attitudes toward mobile learning in Korea. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology,16(1), 154–163.
Bai, H. (2019). Preparing teacher education students to integrate mobile learning into elementary education. Tech Trends,6, 723.
Baydas, O., & Yilmaz, R. (2018). Pre-service teachers’ intention to adopt mobile learning: A motivational model. British Journal of Educational Technology,49(1), 137–152. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12521.
Black-Fuller, L., Taube, S., Koptelov, Α., & Sullivan, S. (2016). Smartphones and pedagogy: Digital divide between high school teachers and secondary students. US-China Education Review A,6(2), 124–131.
Chang, C. Y., & Hwang, G. J. (2019). Trends in digital game-based learning in the mobile era: A systematic review of journal publications from 2007 to 2016. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation,13(1), 68–90. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMLO.2019.096468.
Chee, K. N., Yahaya, N., Ibrahim, N. H., & Noor Hassan, M. (2017). Review of mobile learning trends 2010–2015: A meta-analysis. Educational Technology & Society,20(2), 113–126.
Christensen, R., & Knezek, G. (2018). Reprint of readiness for integrating mobile learning in the classroom: Challenges, preferences and possibilities. Computers in Human Behavior,78, 379–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.07.046.
Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Crompton, H., Burke, D., & Gregory, K. H. (2017). The use of mobile learning in PK-12 education: A systematic review. Computers & Education,110, 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.03.013.
Dinsmore, B. (2019). Contested affordances: Teachers and students negotiating the classroom integration of mobile technology. Information, Communication & Society,22(5), 664–677. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2019.1568518.
Ekanayake, S. Y., & Wishart, J. (2015). Integrating mobile phones into teaching and learning: A case study of teacher training through professional development workshops. British Journal of Educational Technology,46(1), 173–189. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12131.
Elaish, M. M., Shuib, L., Ghani, N. A., Mujtaba, G., & Ebrahim, N. A. (2019). A bibliometric analysis of m-learning from topic inception to 2015. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation,13(1), 91–112.
Ertmer, P. A., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2010). Teacher technology change: How knowledge, confidence, beliefs, and culture intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education,42(3), 255–284.
Eschenbrenner, B., & Nah, F. (2019). Learning through mobile devices: Leveraging affordances as facilitators of engagement. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation,13(2), 152–170.
Fu, Q. K., & Hwang, G. J. (2018). Trends in mobile technology-supported collaborative learning: A systematic review of journal publications from 2007 to 2016. Computers & Education,119, 129–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.01.004.
Grant, M. M. (2019). Difficulties in defining mobile learning: Analysis, design characteristics, and implications. Educational Technology Research & Development,67(2), 361–388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-09641-4.
Hwang, G. J., Lai, C. L., Liang, J. C., Chu, H. C., & Tsai, C. C. (2018). A long-term experiment to investigate the relationships between high school students’ perceptions of mobile learning and peer interaction and higher-order thinking tendencies. Educational Technology Research and Development,66, 75–93.
International Telecommunication Union (ITU). (2018). Measuring the information society report 2018. ITU. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/publications/misr2018/MISR-2018-Vol-1-E.pdf.
Kafyulilo, A. (2014). Access, use and perceptions of teachers and students towards mobile phones as a tool for teaching and learning in Tanzania. Education and Information technologies,19(1), 115–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-012-9207-y.
Kalogiannakis, M., & Papadakis, S. (2019). Evaluating pre-service kindergarten teachers' intention to adopt and use tablets into teaching practice for natural sciences. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation,13(1), 113–127.
Khlaif, Z. (2017). Factors influencing teachers’ attitudes toward mobile technology integration in K-12. Technology, Knowledge and Learning,23(1), 161–175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-017-9311-6.
Khlaif, Z. (2018). Teachers' perceptions of factors affecting their adoption and acceptance of mobile technology in K-12 settings. Computers in the Schools,35(1), 49–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2018.1428001.
Kim, H. J., & Kim, H. (2017). Investigating teachers’ pedagogical experiences with tablet integration in Korean rural schools. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher,26(1–2), 107–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-017-0331-8.
Kousloglou, M., & Syrpi, M. (2018). Perceptions of secondary school teachers on the use of handheld devices in schools as learning tools. In 5th Pan-Hellenic Educational Conference of Central Macedonia ‘ICT use and integration in educational practice’ (pp. 39–62), April 27–29, 2018 (in Greek)
Leem, J., & Sung, E. (2019). Teachers' beliefs and technology acceptance concerning smart mobile devices for SMART education in South Korea. British Journal of Educational Technology,50(2), 601–613. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12612.
Lenhart, A., Ling, R., Campbell, S., & Purcell, K. (2010). Teens and mobile phones. In Pew internet & American life project, 20. Retrieved December 15, 2018, from https://www.pewinternetorg/Reports/2012/Teens-and-smartphones.aspx.
Lucas, M. (2018). External barriers affecting the successful implementation of mobile educational interventions. Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.05.001.
Montrieux, H., Courtois, C., Raes, A., Schellens, T., & De Marez, L. (2014). Mobile learning in secondary education: Teachers’ and students' perceptions and acceptance of tablet computers. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning,6(2), 26–40. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijmbl.2014040103.
Montrieux, H., Vanderlinde, R., Schellens, T., & De Marez, L. (2015). Teaching and learning with mobile technology: A qualitative explorative study about the introduction of tablet devices in secondary education. PLoS ONE,10(12), e0144008. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144008.
Moore, R., & Vitale, D. (2018). High school students’ access to and use of technology at home and in school. ACT. Retrieved August 15, 2019, from https://act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/R1692-tech-device-access-2018-07.pdf.
Msuya, O. (2015). Using mobile phones in teaching and learning in secondary schools in Tanzania. International Journal of Education and Research,3(5), 207–218.
Nikolopoulou, K. (2018). Mobile learning usage and acceptance: Perceptions of secondary school students. Journal of Computers in Education,5(4), 499–519.
Nikolopoulou, K. (2020). Mobile devices and mobile learning in Greek secondary education: Policy, empirical findings and implications. In A. M. Quinn & T. Hourigan (Eds.), International handbook. New York: Springer.
Nikolopoulou, K., & Gialamas, V. (2016). Barriers to ICT use in high schools: Greek teachers’ perceptions. Journal of Computers in Education,3(1), 59–75.
Nikolopoulou, K., Gialamas, V., Lavidas, K., & Komis, V. (under review). Teachers’ readiness to adopt mobile learning in classrooms: A study in Greece. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, under review.
Nikolopoulou, K., & Kousloglou, M. (2019). Mobile learning in science: A study in secondary education in Greece. Creative Education,10(6), 1271–1284.
O'Bannon, B., & Thomas, K. (2014). Teacher perceptions of using mobile phones in the classroom: Age matters! Computers & Education,74, 15–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.01.006.
Ofcom (2019). Children and parents: Media use and attitudes report 2018. Making sense of Media.
Olufadi, Y. (2015). A configurational approach to the investigation of the multiple paths to success of students through mobile phone use behaviors. Computers and Education,86, 84–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.03.005.
Ozdamli, F., & Uzunboylu, H. (2015). M-learning adequacy and perceptions of students and teachers in secondary schools. British Journal of Educational Technology,46(1), 159–172. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12136.
Somekh, B. (2008). Factors affecting teachers' pedagogical adoption of ICT. In J. Voogt & G. Knezek (Eds.), International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 449–460). New York: Springer.
Sullivan, T., Slater, B., Phan, J., Tan, A., & Davis, J. (2019). M-learning: Exploring mobile technologies for secondary and primary school science inquiry. Teaching Science,65(1), 13–16.
Taleb, Z., Ahmadi, A., & Musavi, M. (2015). The effect of m-learning on mathematics learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,171, 83–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.092.
Thomas, K., O’Bannon, B., & Bolton, N. (2013). Cell phones in the classroom: Teachers’ perspectives of inclusion, benefits, and barriers. Computers in the Schools,30(4), 295–308. https://doi.org/10.1080/07380569.2013.844637.
Thomas, K., O'Bannon, B., & Britt, V. (2014). Standing in the schoolhouse door: Teacher perceptions of mobile phones in the classroom. Journal of Research on Technology in Education,46(4), 373–395.
UNESCO. (2012). Mobile learning for teachers in Europe: Exploring the potential of mobile technologies to support teachers and improve practice. Paris 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2018, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216167.
Wexler, N. (2019). How classroom technology is holding students back. MIT Technology Review. Retrieved January 23, 2020 from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614893/classroom-technology-holding-students-back-edtech-kids-education.
Whyley, D. (2018). Barriers to mobile learning advancements in the United Kingdom. In J. Voogt, G. Knezek, R. Christensen, & K. W. Lai (Eds.), Second handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 807–816). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53803-7_53-1.
Wishart, J. (2018). Mobile learning in schools: Key issues, opportunities and ideas for practice. NY: Routledge.
Zhang, Y. A. (Ed.). (2015). Handbook of mobile teaching and learning. New York: Springer.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the teachers who participated in this study.
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nikolopoulou, K. Secondary education teachers’ perceptions of mobile phone and tablet use in classrooms: benefits, constraints and concerns. J. Comput. Educ. 7, 257–275 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-020-00156-7
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-020-00156-7