Using Mobile Phones to Improve Educational Outcomes: An Analysis of Evidence from Asia

Athabasca University. 1200, 10011 - 109 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 3S8, Canada. Tel: 780-421-2536; Fax: 780-497-3416; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.irrodl.org

Y

24

Pilot Projects; Outcomes of Education; Educational Quality; Educational Indicators; Foreign Countries; Access to Education; Internet; Handheld Devices; Synchronous Communication; Computer Mediated Communication; Teleconferencing; Educational Improvement; Evidence; Developing Nations; Learning Strategies; Learning Processes; Teaching Methods; Educational Trends; Instructional Innovation; Inservice Teacher Education; Rural Education; Educational Games; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Mathematics Instruction; Literacy; After School Programs; Secondary School Teachers; Instructional Effectiveness; Educational Technology; Electronic Learning; Computer Assisted Testing; Computer Uses in Education; Distance Education; Nonformal Education; High School Equivalency Programs; Health Services

Asia; Bangladesh; India; Mongolia; Philippines; Thailand

1492-3831

Despite improvements in educational indicators, such as enrolment, significant challenges remain with regard to the delivery of quality education in developing countries, particularly in rural and remote regions. In the attempt to find viable solutions to these challenges, much hope has been placed in new information and communication technologies (ICTs), mobile phones being one example. This article reviews the evidence of the role of mobile phone-facilitated mLearning in contributing to improved educational outcomes in the developing countries of Asia by exploring the results of six mLearning pilot projects that took place in the Philippines, Mongolia, Thailand, India, and Bangladesh. In particular, this article examines the extent to which the use of mobile phones helped to improve educational outcomes in two specific ways: 1) in improving access to education, and 2) in promoting "new learning." Analysis of the projects indicates that while there is important evidence of mobile phones facilitating increased access, much less evidence exists as to how mobiles promote new learning. (Contains 7 tables and 3 endnotes.)

As Provided

36

2010

EJ881581