University Students’ Opinions about Mobile Learning: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis by ENTREQ Statement (2000 - 2020) / Mišljenja sveučilišnih studenata o mobilnom učenju: kvalitativna metasinteza prema ENTREQ izjavi (2000. – 2020.)

Abstract

The place and significance of technology in education concerning concepts like e-learning, mobile learning, distance learning, and flipped classroom have been the focus of research for a long time. Moreover, during the recent pandemic due to Covid-19 outbreak in the world, the distance education model turned up as an alternative to traditional face-to-face education system. Above all, most universities worldwide have adopted distance education, and the use of mobile technologies has become a requirement. This way, the importance of mobile learning has become all the more evident. This study aimed to interpret and discuss the findings of existing qualitative research into university students’ mobile learning practices and reasons behind why they do or do not prefer mobile learning, by employing a systematic method of research, that is,  meta-synthesis. As a result of this meta-synthesis research (N = 10), the university students’ reasons for preferring mobile learning were classified as educational reasons, reasons regarding communication, making life easier, and belief. On the other hand, their reasons for not preferring mobile learning were classified under the categories of technical problems, economic problems, ergonomic problems, belief, and reliance on face-to-face education. Besides yielding similar results to those in the literature, this study drew attention to creating opportunities for using educational mobile learning applications, the issue of personal data security, and the educators’ resistance to technology. It was also concluded that a two-way understanding of mobile learning existed, i.e., it was regarded as saving or wasting time.

Key words: meta-synthesis; mobile learning; qualitative findings; university students.

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Razmatrajući koncepte poput e-učenja, mobilnoga učenja, učenja na daljinu i obrnute učionice, mjesto i važnost tehnologije u obrazovanju već su dugo vremena fokus istraživanja. Štoviše, tijekom recentne pandemije uzrokovane pojavom COVID-19 virusa u svijetu, model obrazovanja na daljinu pojavio se kao alternativa tradicionalnom obrazovnom sustavu učenja lice-u-lice. Iznad svega, većina sveučilišta širom svijeta usvojila je obrazovanje na daljinu i upotrebu mobilnih tehnologija kao neophodne, pa je tako važnost mobilnoga učenja postala još očitija. Ovim se istraživanjem nastojalo objasniti i raspraviti o rezultatima postojećih kvalitativnih istraživanja praksi sveučilišnih studenata i razloga zbog kojih prednost daju mobilnome učenju ili ga ne preferiraju, upotrebom sustavne istraživačke metode, tj. metasinteze. Rezultati ovoga istraživanja pokazuju da se razlozi preferiranja mobilnoga učenja mogu klasificirati u sljedeće kategorije: obrazovani razlozi, komunikacijski razlozi, olakšavanje života i uvjerenja. S druge strane, razlozi nepreferiranja mobilnoga učenja klasificirani su u kategorije tehničkih problema, ekonomskih problema, ergonomskih problema, uvjerenja i oslanjanja na obrazovanje licem-u-lice. Osim podudarnosti dobivenih rezultata s onima u literaturi, ova je studija usmjerila pozornost na stvaranje prilika za upotrebu obrazovanih aplikacija mobilnoga učenja, na pitanje sigurnosti osobnih podataka i otpor edukatora prema tehnologiji. Jedan od zaključaka ovoga istraživanja je i postojanje dvojakoga razumijevanja mobilnoga učenja, tj. percepcije m-učenja kao uštede ili gubitka vremena.

Ključne riječi: kvalitativni rezultati; metasinteza; mobilno učenje; sveučilišni studenti.