Review of Trends in Mobile Learning Studies in Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Abstract. The field of mobile learning is growing an exponential rate. To best understand this field, it is crucial to gain a collective understanding of the research that has taken place. There are a number of recent studies which looked at collective trends in mobile learning across subjects. However, these results do not provide insight into specific subject areas. This meta-analysis reveals the trends in mobile learning in mathematics with a comprehensive analysis and synthesis of 48 studies from the year 2000 onward. Major findings include that most of the studies focus on effectiveness, followed by learning design. Mobile phones are currently the most widely used device used. Also, the use of mobile devices for mathematics learning is most common in elementary (5-11 years old) school settings.Keywords: mathematics, literature, mobile learning, mlearning, meta-analysis, research. IntroductionMobile learning is now receiving increasing attention as a way to transform and rejuvenate educational practices [1,2,3]. To better understand the field of mobile learning, the research needs to be compiled to gain a complete picture of the field. This review of the literature will provide information on the trends and patterns of the development and the usage patterns of mobile technologies and learning. This will provide a springboard for future studies. There are those who have completed a recent mobile learning meta-analysis with a learner focus [e.g.4, 5] and those who have focused on the device and software [e.g. 6]. Although these meta-analyses provide a rich source of information on mobile learning, they do not provide a wealth of data on a particular subject. Therefore, the meta-analysis can only be used as generalizable information. The purpose of this study is to conduct a meta-analysis on mobile learning as it relates to mathematics. The researchers will parse out pertinent information to provide a comprehensive examination of this topic. Other recent meta-analysis [e.g. 4, 6, 5] have used only peer reviewed articles. This is problematic as journals on average take eight to nine months to be published.

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“…It has been found that the spread of mobile phone apps is very common in various university context specifically university primary studies. The study has also found that most previous studies and researches had focused on designing mobile learning systems while there is a necessity to conduct the effects of mobile learning (Crompton and Burke, 2014).…”

Mobile technology and mathematics: effects on students’ attitudes, engagement, and achievement

“…Mobile technologies have provided various approaches to learning: engaging learners in contextualised learning environments using the plethora of sensors built-in on these mobile technologies (Tangney, Weber, Knowles, Munnelly, Watson, Salkham and Jennings, 2010) using the mobile phone to journal math learning (Project Tomorrow, 2011); and connecting learners through mobile phones and social media (Roberts, 2009). Crompton & Burke's (2014) survey of mobile learning in mathematics showed that there is a growing interest in terms of its effectiveness and that 75% out of the 48 studies reported positive learning outcomes. However, this number is rather small in comparison to the amount of research that utilised other existing educational technologies like computers and calculators.…”

Comparative Analysis of Mobile Learning Trends of Physical Education Teaching Students: Republic of Kosovo and Russia Example

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