Mobile phones switch young people on to learning

Citation

(2003), "Mobile phones switch young people on to learning", Education + Training, Vol. 45 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2003.00445eab.005

Mobile phones switch young people on to learning

Mobile phones switch young people on to learning

Young people could soon be using mobile telephones as a learning tool to help to improve their English and mathematics, according to research by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA). In a survey of young adults' use of mobile phones, almost half expressed an interest in using a learning game on their mobile to improve their reading, spelling or maths. More than half also indicated that the mobile phone had transformed the way in which they communicate with others.

The survey set out to discover how young adults, aged 16 to 24 years, use their mobile phones, how they might use them in the future and what their likely take-up of new services and facilities might be. The findings show that mobile phones play an increasingly important role in the lives of young adults as a communication tool, and that new services, such as games designed to improve basic skills, are of interest to young adults.

The research is part of a three-year pan-European project called m-learning, to investigate the potential for mobile technologies as part of teaching and learning processes. The idea behind the project is to use the popularity of mobile phones and computer games to encourage young adults, not currently involved in education or training, to take part in learning experiences. The survey was conducted in shopping, leisure and employment centres in seven locations in the UK. A total of 746 interviews was completed with young adults aged 16 to 24 years.

The main findings were that:

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  The greatest interest in using mobile phones for improving skills was expressed by girls, 16-19 year olds and young adults educated to GCSE or A-level, or the equivalent.

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  Almost half of young people expressed an interest in using phone-based games to improve their spelling and reading (49 per cent) and maths (44 per cent). But they stressed that learning games must be appealing, relevant and fun, even addictive (in the case of maths) if they were to sustain interest, indicating that getting the design and content of learning games right is crucial. A few also expressed an interest in using phone-based games for learning a foreign language or for English as a foreign language.

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  More than half (57 per cent) considered a mobile phone had changed their life, making it easier to communicate with others at any time and in any place.

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  The majority use phones to chat to friends (88 per cent) and for text messaging (94 per cent). Half use their mobile phones to play games, typically for 30 minutes a day.

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  When asked what new services they would like to see delivered through mobile phones, 63 per cent expressed an interest in music (particularly radio). More than one-third (36 per cent) would like to receive television through their mobile phones, and just under one-third (31 per cent) videophone facilities.

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  Although only 5 per cent of young adults currently use hand-held computers, 55 per cent stated that they might use one under other conditions – if they were cheaper, could be used for music or as a mobile phone or if they had other facilities on them, for instance.

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  A total of 80 per cent were not worried about the health and safety risks of using mobile phones.

Jill Attewell, LSDA' s m-learning programme manager, commented: "Making learning attractive and fun for young adults is important. Their lifestyle choices need to be taken into account. There appears to be potential for using new approaches to engage and motivate those who may be disenchanted with traditional education, hopefully encouraging some to subsequently progress to more substantial leaming."

The overall aim of the m-learning project, which runs until September 2004, is to develop prototype learning materials for delivery via inexpensive portable technologies such as hand-held devices. It will also investigate the use of different approaches to learning using mobile devices, with individuals and groups in different environments. The project is supported by the European Commission under the Information Society Technologies (IST) programme. It involves five partner organizations: the Learning and Skills Development Agency (as project co-ordinator); Ultralab, based at Anglia Polytechnic University; Cambridge Training and Development; the Centre for Research in Pure and Applied Mathematics at the University of Salerno, Italy; and Lecando AB, a Swedish e-learning company.

More information about the m-learning project can be found on the Web site at: www.m-learning.org