Mobile Learning Usage and Preferences of Vocational Secondary School Students: The cases of Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany

Antun  Biloš; Davorin  Turkalj; Ivan Kelić

Antun Biloš
Davorin Turkalj
Ivan Kelić

Keywords: mobile learning, secondary school education, online teaching, student mobile device usage, m-learning, mobile teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to determine the current status of mobile device usage and mobile learning adoption in vocational education and training (VET) secondary schools in three European Union countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany). The research focused on exploring students’ mobile device usage habits, their attitudes toward education in the context of mobile application support, and preferences regarding mobile learning features. The research confirmed a high level of mobile device usage among secondary school students on a daily basis; smartphones and laptops were the most commonly used devices. The vast majority of participants perceived themselves to be advanced mobile device users, but reported a deficit of ICT-assisted mobile learning experience. However, the majority of respondents with prior ICT-assisted education experience described it as a positive or very positive experience. In addition, study participants tended to agree that mobile learning will play a significant role in education in the future. The paper also explored the reported differences among the students in the three countries and suggested several implications for understanding students’ views of mobile learning. The findings provide insights into possibilities of m-learning implementation while creating a framework for m-learning application development in the VET secondary school environment.

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Author Biographies

Antun Biloš

Faculty of Economics in Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia
E-mail: abilos@efos.hr

Antun Biloš, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing, Faculty of Economics, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia. His main research and lecturing interests include digital marketing, e-business, e-commerce, and marketing-information systems. He is the author or co-author of 20 scientific papers and 2 books and has participated in various domestic and international scientific and professional conferences. He has been a member of the Croatian Marketing Association (CROMAR) since 2007.

Davorin Turkalj

Faculty of Economics in Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia
E-mail: davorin@efos.hr

Davorin Turkalj, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek, Department of Marketing. His field of scientific and professional study includes digital marketing, multimedia marketing, management of services in a contemporary setting, and information and communication technologies in the service of agricultural marketing. As an author and co-author, he has published 25 scientific papers and 2 editions of e-marketing books. He also holds the position of vice director of the postgraduate program in marketing.

Ivan Kelić

Faculty of Economics in Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia
E-mail: ikelic@efos.hr

Ivan Kelić, Ph.D., has been employed by the Faculty of Economics in Osijek since 2011 as a teaching and research assistant in the Department of Marketing. Since 2011, he has participated in teaching different classes at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek (Marketing in Tourism, E-marketing, Mobile Marketing, Multimedia Marketing, and Management of Services). He has published 15 scientific papers in the field of implementing new technologies in contemporary business activities.

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