MOBILE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A SURVEY OF ARABIC STUDENTS’ USE OF MOBILE PHONE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The mobile phone has entered students' lives as a necessary ingredient, not only for socialization and 
communication but even for studying. In this research, the perceptions of Arabic students on the use of mobile 
phones as learning tools at two Nigerian universities were examined: one public (Alayande University) and one 
private university (Al-Hikmah University). The purpose of the study to investigate common usage of mobile phones 
in learning Arabic, determine perceived effectiveness of mobile phones as Arabic learning tools, discover challenges 
students encounter, and examine differences between the public and private university environment. A descriptive 
survey research design was adopted, and 150 undergraduate students were selected from both universities. Data was 
gathered using a structured questionnaire, and the analysis involved descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, 
frequency, and percentage) and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test). Findings showed that students 
made consistent use of mobile phones for academic purposes such as accessing e-books, online reading of scholarly 
materials, use of education apps, and messaging with other students and lecturers. Students also discovered that 
mobile phones were effective in supporting their learning at academia through improved comprehension, flexibility, 
and motivation. Some of the difficulties encountered, however, were low data connectivity, data affordability, 
distraction by social media, and device limitation. The t-test revealed that there existed a disparity between private 
and public university students in the frequency of using mobile phones, where public university students used them 
more frequently. No disparity, however, was observed in satisfaction among the students with the learning 
efficiency of mobile phones between the two institutions. The study concludes that mobile phones are significant in 
enabling Arabic students' learning activities but are hindered by infrastructure and technology limitations. It 
suggests increased digital infrastructure, embracing mobile-friendly learning platforms, student training on academic 
mobile device use, and institution support to maximize the learning potential of mobile technology in Nigerian 
universities.