Undergraduate use of mobile devices for m-learning: Where is the niche?

The paper explores how mobile technology can be appropriated as a tool to mediate mobile learning (m-learning) in the “right space” where meaningful learning occurs. The authors propose examining m-learning under two intertwined conditions of (a) the properties of the context that enable the effectivities of the mobile technology, and (b) student capabilities and interpretations to take learning actions. When these conditions are met, mobile technology is deemed to be appropriated at the “right space”. This space is termed as the “niche” for mobile learning, and learning taking place in the space is termed as “niche mobile learning (m-learning)” in this paper. Two individual case use of the mobile technology for learning in a university has been traced and examined over a one-year period. Data was collected and triangulated for analysis. The research findings show that the two cases appropriated mobile technology as a tool for mobile learning differently due to different “niches”. Discussions are made and implications are explored. Copyright © 2016 Global Chinese Society for Computers in Education.