Effect of using mobile devices as an instructional tool on teachers' creativity: an interpretive phenomenological study of Pakistani teachers' experiences

1.1 Aims and objectives

Building on these considerations, this study seeks to enhance the understanding of teachers' experiences and insights into the impact of mobile devices as instructional tools on their creativity. This research aims to address the following key questions:

1. How do teachers perceive the use of mobile devices as an instructional tool to promote their creativity?

2. What features of mobile devices do teachers recognize as helpful in terms of promoting and exhibiting their creativity?

1.2 Mobile devices in education

Recent research underscores the significant potential of mobile devices to enhance educational practices. According to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report from 2013, mobile devices include a range of portable and connected technologies, including mobile phones, smartphones, e-readers, netbooks, tablets, iPads and computers. Within the realm of mobile devices, two prominent terms emerge: mobile learning and mobile teaching. These terms, though distinct, are interrelated concepts shaped by the expectations and experiences of both learners and teachers. Mobile learning refers to the use of mobile devices to facilitate learning at any location and time (Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler, 2005), while mobile teaching involves harnessing mobile devices to support instruction and teaching (Ismail et al., 2022).

Numerous studies propose that the attractive features of mobile learning render it an effective means for teachers to foster engaging and enjoyable learning experiences (Liu and Hwang, 2010; Hwang and Chang, 2011). Moreover, the integration of mobile technologies into the teaching and learning is expected to exert a profound impact on the experiences and achievements of both teachers and learners (Alvarez et al., 2011). To encapsulate this paradigm shift, our study defines mobile devices as technological tools that expand the scope of teaching, enabling learning to occur beyond traditional boundaries (Ismail et al., 2022).

Within the specific context of this study, smartphones and tablets emerge as exemplars of mobile devices, as they are most prevalently utilized by teachers for both their own instructional practices and classroom teaching within Pakistan. Consequently, our research primarily centers on investigating how smartphones and tablets serve as instructional tools to enhance teachers' creativity in their teaching.

1.3 Creativity and teachers

Individuals who are consistently seeking and exploring novel methods to enhance their teaching methods are typically regarded as creative teachers. As the creativity of teachers plays a pivotal role in shaping the effectiveness of the learning processes, creative teachers inspire students to cultivate problem-solving skills by creating engaging and suitable learning environments. In today's educational context, two significant concepts frequently under discussion are creative teaching and teaching for creativity. As emphasized by Cremin (2009), creative teaching “involves teachers in making learning more interesting and effective and using imaginative approaches in the classroom.” This approach is intertwined with the teacher's personality and how they express their creativity in their daily teaching practice. In a parallel manner, teaching for creativity “is seen to involve teachers in identifying children's creative strengths and fostering their creativity” (Cremin, 2009).

1.4 Role of mobile devices to support teachers' creativity

A number of studies have expressed the opinion that mobile devices can change the way teachers teach and their perceptions of both their pedagogy and themselves (Pachler et al., 2010). Consequently, within teaching and learning environments, mobile devices hold the potential to contribute to pedagogical innovation and transform practices (Danaher, 2009). In the context of mobile learning and teaching, teachers transition from traditional teaching methods to innovative ones as they employ a variety of media (Shepherd and Vardiman, 2014). A study conducted among teacher educators looked into how they perceive using mobile devices to showcase ingenuity in various instructional strategies. According to the findings, prospective teachers believed that mobile devices helped them become more creative by identifying when changes were needed, using them to access information and adjusting these resources to achieve improved results aligned with strategic goals (Onion, 2014). Similarly, in a study conducted by Onyema et al. (2019), it was discovered that the incorporation of mobile phones in teaching results in innovative approaches and enhanced creativity in both teaching and learning. Furthermore, Nishizaki's (2015) research indicated that the utilization of tablets and iPads within classrooms can significantly transform the landscape of teaching and learning.

The connection between mobile devices and creativity has primarily been explored in the context of students' learning experiences (e.g. Jahnke and Liebscher, 2020; Yeh et al., 2020). In a study by Kyobe et al. (2022), it was discovered that the use of smartphones by students actually enhances their creativity. Ganguin and Hoblitz (2012) delved into the interplay between innovative mobile phone usage and mobility. Their research concluded that while communicating through mobile phones, users establish connections, express ideas, create and recreate content, share knowledge and develop feedback systems. These processes, in turn, stimulate the creativity of students. Similarly, Yeh et al. (2020) discovered that practicing mindfulness through smartphone usage could enhance awareness, attentiveness and inventiveness, ultimately leading to an increase in creativity. They conducted a pilot study involving 49 college freshmen. Mobile devices have the potential to expand the scope of traditional teacher-led classroom instruction, while an innovative classroom setting empowers students to exceed the mere memorization of curriculum content (Yeh et al., 2020). According to Masrom and Ismail (2008), the abundance of diverse resources available on smartphones – including photographs, movies, music and animations – significantly influences users' innovative thinking.

Studies that have explored the relationship between mobile devices and teachers' creativity have examined this connection in conjunction with other technological tools rather than exclusively focusing on mobile devices (e.g. Ridha and Fithriani, 2023; Loveless et al., 2006). Other research has focused on how teachers' use of mobile devices influences students' creativity (e.g. Jahnke, 2013). Upon reviewing the existing literature pertaining to mobile devices and creativity, it becomes evident that previous research primarily centers on the link between mobile device utilization and creativity, particularly within the context of students and their learning. Nevertheless, there is a noticeable lack of literature addressing the impact of mobile device usage on teachers' creativity. This research endeavors to bridge this gap by delving into teachers' firsthand experiences with employing mobile devices as instructional tools and its potential impact on their creativity.

2.1 Research design

Interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) was chosen as a research methodology over other qualitative methods because this research doesn't solely aim to describe the lived experiences gained from the effect of using mobile devices on teachers' creativity. It also places a strong emphasis on interpreting the experiences themselves. In light of this, IPA was selected for this research. Through the use of this method, the researchers aimed to uncover detailed insights into how teachers' creativity is impacted by their use of mobile devices. This approach provides a comprehensive understanding of their thoughts, emotions and motivations.

2.2 Theoretical framework

The theoretical basis for this research is the Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, which provides a perspective on the relationship between pedagogy, content and technological knowledge. Henriksen et al. (2016) assert that TPACK is a critical factor guiding teachers in using technology to enhance creativity in ways that align with the material and techniques being employed. TPACK centers on effective teaching with technology, demanding an in-depth grasp of subject matter concepts, pedagogical methods for content delivery via technology and understanding related to how concepts can be made easy in terms of learning and what makes them difficult. Consequently, this theoretical lens enables us to delve into the intricate relationships between technology, pedagogy and content knowledge, offering insights into how these factors converge to shape teachers' experiences and perceptions of creativity enhancement through mobile technology.

2.3 Research participants

The eligibility criteria for selecting participants for this study were as follows: (1) individuals had to be engaged in teaching at the primary or secondary level; (2) participants should be conducting online teaching sessions using either tablets or smartphones; (3) the duration of their online teaching experience must exceed 12 weeks and (4) they were required to utilize a diverse range of online tools on their mobile devices for the purposes of teaching and learning. A total of 10 individuals took part in this study, with seven being women and three being males (e.g. as shown in Table 1). All participants held a full-time teaching occupation, with a range of experience spanning from two to fifteen years. For an IPA-based study, purposive sampling was recommended by Smith and Fieldsend (2009). However, after employing purposive sampling, the desired sample size was not attained. Consequently, the researchers opted for another sampling strategy known as snowball sampling, which involves expanding the sample size by having selected participants recommend the study to other individuals (Marshall and Rossman, 2006).

2.4 Data collection

Interviews are a fundamental technique of data gathering in phenomenological studies (Smith and Fieldsend, 2009) because they enable the study participants to contribute accounts of their experiences (Moustakas, 1994). Each interview was scheduled to last from an hour to an hour and a half. After evaluating the available literature on mobile devices and creativity, semi-structured interview questions were developed. Before conducting the actual interviews, these questions were pilot-tested with three teachers. Subsequently, due to the COVID-19 lockdown, virtual interviews were conducted via Skype and recorded. Later, the first author transcribed the interviews in a secure location to ensure participant anonymity.

2.5 Instrument

The semi-structured interviews were designed after reviewing the available literature on the TPACK framework, mobile devices and creativity. No qualitative and quantitative tool was available that could be adopted or adapted for this study. Therefore, the researcher reviewed available literature and also compared and analyzed various survey questionnaires on TPACK, mobile devices and creativity. Moreover, after devising the interview questions, the researcher tool was approved by the two supervisors, and once it was approved by both of them, the pilot study was conducted.

2.6 Data analysis

Following the methods outlined by Smith and Fieldsend (2009) for IPA investigations. The analysis of the data began by thoroughly reading the transcripts multiple times to deeply engage with the data. In the next step, the researchers engaged in initial note-taking, categorizing the comments into three types: exploratory comments, descriptive comments, language comments and conceptual comments. Following the three types of comments mentioned earlier, the subsequent step was to identify the emerging themes. Next, the researchers proceeded to identify connections among the emerging themes, grouping them to form clusters of emergent themes categorized under main themes.

Moving on to the subsequent phase, the aforementioned steps were repeated with each transcript one by one, following the approach outlined by Smith and Fieldsend (2009). During the final phase of the analysis, the researchers examined patterns across all the cases and established connections among them. In this phase, emergent and subordinate themes underwent reconfiguration and relabeling. Subordinate themes that didn't recur in most cases were eliminated. Subsequently, the subordinate themes were amalgamated, resulting in the creation of three superordinate themes, with each superordinate theme comprising a set of relevant and interconnected subordinate themes.

2.7 Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness was assured in this study by establishing credibility and confirmability. The credibility of this study was established through member checks. According to Smith and McGannon (2018), in member checking, participants ensure that their responses are correctly captured by making edits and corrections to the interview transcripts. Confirmability aims to establish the fact that the data and its interpretation are not the creation of a researcher's imagination (Tobin and Begley, 2004). The researcher set aside all her preconceived ideas, notions, biases and thoughts regarding the phenomenon, which allowed her to capture the meaning of the participants' true description of their lived experience.

3.1 Camera

The majority of the participants highlighted the significance of the camera feature, emphasizing how it served as a powerful tool for them to express their creativity in their teaching methods. Participant 5 while sharing her experience mentioned,

One day, I was baking a cake at home while also teaching a lesson. I let my students know that I'd be back in five minutes because I noticed my cake was emitting some smoke during that lesson. I informed them that I had a pancake cooking in the microwave. It was an enjoyable experience for both me and my students, as I carried my tablet to the kitchen and showed them the cooking process. The camera of my tablet allowed me to conduct my lesson in this way. Soon, I started receiving comments from students, asking why we couldn't conduct the whole class in that interactive way.

The participant's comment demonstrates that the camera feature of mobile devices enabled her to teach with creativity by integrating real-life situations into her lessons. She shared an interactive approach that was made possible by the camera, not only adding an element of excitement to the lesson but also allowing her students to witness a practical scenario in real-time. Similarly, Participant 4 mentioned,

if we want to show an experiment, we can record a video of that experiment with our phones. As you know, now everybody has a mobile phone. Everybody does not have a camera as it is very expensive. But in our mobiles, there is a feature of the camera and it plays a significant role to make creativity explicit.

The camera feature of mobile devices empowers teachers to visually enhance their teaching and create unique and engaging learning opportunities. It allowed them to capture real-life scenarios, experiment demonstrations and interactive activities, making the learning process more immersive and creative.

3.2 Portability

This theme underscores that the participants saw the devices' portability as a factor that affected their creativity. It also suggests that the portability feature reduced the inconvenience of waiting for resources for their students. The participants were able to search for materials and resources at any time and at any location. This ready-to-access resource, no matter when or where, had an impact on their creativity. Participant 2 mentioned,

Firstly, these gadgets can be carried everywhere we go. Furthermore, since they are in our possession, there is no need for us to wait. They provide us with immediate access to search for everything.

She could perform an instant search due to the portability of these devices. Her time was saved because browsing and searching became easy. Similarly, Participant 1 stated, “If you want to record, these gadgets are accessible everywhere.” Participant 8 mentioned, “Our principal expects us to create diverse activities when we integrate mobile devices into teaching. Mobiles are incredibly convenient since we carry them all the time. We can easily use Google to search for various exercises and activities.”

This suggests that the device portability enabled participants to search for things whenever they wanted. The portability of these devices enhanced creativity by giving users the freedom to use them wherever they wish rather than being restricted to a specific location.

• Themes 2: From conventional to creative: mobile devices transforming teaching practices

This theme highlights the shifts in teaching approaches brought about by mobile devices. The participants outlined that the utilization of mobile devices as an instructional tool unleashed their creativity and provided them with various opportunities to experience and express creativity. Furthermore, this theme included the subthemes: opportunity to express creativity, making a lesson interesting and idea generation.

3.3 Unlocking innovative potential

This subtheme highlights how mobile devices unlock the innovative potential of teachers, inspiring them to abandon conventional methods in favor of more innovative and creative pedagogies while, at the same time, making their subject-related content interesting and engaging. By using mobile devices, teachers found new ways to teach that were different from before. It was their first time using these devices for teaching, so they experimented with various ways to teach students using these devices.

Participant 3 mentioned, “In Pakistan, the education system primarily imparts theoretical knowledge to students, lacking diversity and experimentation. Physics experiments undertaken by students are often basic. However, there are tools and applications for designing and simulating physics experiments. My awareness of these tools developed through my use of mobile devices. Presenting physics experiments to students in this manner offers a valuable and effective teaching approach. I learned to conduct such experiments with students when I used mobile devices as an instructional tool.”

Participant 3 highlighted the constraints of traditional classroom teaching without any technology integration. However, the use of mobile devices offered diverse opportunities to instruct subject contents in novel, innovative and interesting ways, resulting in unlocking teachers' creativity. Furthermore, many participants highlighted instructional techniques that they had never used before, but when they employed them, their creativity increased. Similarly, Participant 5 proposed a novel strategy for students who participated in virtual classrooms. When she spoke,

“Amid the pandemic, I went shopping and noticed a sale happening on certain products. The idea struck me to hold a live class right there, using the opportunity to teach my students about various marketing techniques. So, I initiated a live video session on the spot. The experience was enjoyable for both my students and me, as I showcased real-life products on sale. This unique teaching approach was something I hadn't tried before”.

The participants didn't have experience using these tools, so their teaching methods were limited. They kept teaching in the usual way, with less interest in trying new things. Using mobile devices for teaching was new to them. They tried different ways to teach, like using new teaching strategies, approaches and pedagogies, to see what helped their students the most.

3.4 Idea generation

This theme emphasizes how the use of mobile devices as an instructional tool allowed the participants to generate more ideas related to the content they teach. Participants explored several materials, tools and resources on their mobile devices that helped them generate new ideas. Participant 2 remarked, “I found a lot of new ideas on the internet that I hadn't thought about before. With mobile devices, we can see teaching materials from teachers all around the world. They give us their plans for teaching, and we can learn from what they do. So, I don't only have my own ideas, but I also get ideas from other people. These ideas actually ignited fresh ideas within my own mind”.

By using mobile devices, they gained access to teaching materials and strategies shared by educators globally. This exposure to a diverse range of ideas from others sparked their creativity. They not only had their own original ideas but also drew inspiration from the ideas shared by other educators. Likewise, Participant 7 said, “Utilizing mobile devices helped me generate more ideas. For instance, I taught my primary class students how to send emails. Typically, students learn to send emails after the 10th grade. I conceived this idea while teaching using mobile devices…..because it allows you to easily come across resources and material which help you to get brainstormed about the topic and get more ideas”.

The participants' ability to easily access a wide range of information and resources fueled her generation of ideas. With the availability of mobile devices, they could conveniently search for all sorts of information. Moreover, having access to abundant resources easily enabled them to generate ideas about how to deliver lessons and activities in unique ways.

• Theme 3: Possessing creativity

This theme highlights that utilizing these devices as a teaching tool helped teachers develop self-motivation, confidence and communication skills. The respondents' creativity was stimulated by such abilities.

3.5 Communication and knowledge sharing

This theme highlights how the participants' creativity benefited from exchanging information and communicating with one another. Through collaboration and the sharing of ideas, they were able to generate fresh concepts and discover new ways to use mobile devices for teaching purposes.

Participant 5 shared, “Whenever we needed to share something, we had options like Zoho and WhatsApp. Similarly, when we needed to communicate information, we often used Zoom among us teachers. Sharing ideas and communicating has become convenient and easy with mobile devices. I believe this has significantly enhanced our creativity.”

This demonstrates that she could accomplish more due to information sharing. She suggested using two tools, WhatsApp and Zoom, for interacting with each other. These platforms allowed her to share her thoughts and expertise. Participant 3 also mentioned,

“Many of my friends live abroad. They have already taught online, so I reached out to them and we talked about the tools, websites and online resources they found helpful. Certainly, from these conversations, I gained insights into how I could enhance my online teaching and better engage students. And, of course, mobile devices like smartphones have made long-distance communication much more convenient and this thing has impact on my overall creativity”.

She was able to communicate and share information with people from different countries using portable devices and also with her colleagues. She discussed with them what strategies were successful for them and what might not work for others. This communication and exchange of information helped her gather more ideas for conducting lessons.