Open distance electronic learning students with disabilities' mobile learning use and psychological factors inherent in the Technology Acceptance Model influencing mobile learning use

Abstract

This study aimed to gain insight into the psychological factors that influence m-learning usage among students with disability (SwD) enrolled at an open distance and e-learning (ODeL) institution (UNISA) during the year of 2023. An unexplored area in the literature regarding mlearning use amongst SwD hinders this HE institution in effectively designing both educational material and technological solutions for SwD. This highlights a challenge in UNISA’s ability to support SwD and presents a problem in developing effective e-learning tools which include these students. This study aimed to contribute knowledge in this area in order to promote educational equity for SwD. Using an adapted TAM, a quantitative research method was applied, which made use of an online, non-experimental cross-sectional survey to investigate m-learning use, the prevalence of m-learning and to examine the relationship between mlearning use and the psychological constructs of perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and attitude. Given the prolific nature of TAM, its use in educational settings and its flexibility, it was chosen as the basis of the theoretical framework of this study. In order to answer the research questions, data from the research instrument was analysed in SPSS using two frequency analyses, a Spearman's Rho correlation, and two Kruskal-Wallis tests. Although TAM is widely used to understand technology use, its application in m-learning contexts, especially among SwD in ODeL, remains largely unexplored. Results indicate the majority of respondents reported using mlearning either daily or weekly (90.5%; n = 199). Further results revealed no significant relationship between m-learning use and PBC, PEOU or attitude. A significant correlation was, however, found between m-learning use and PU. These results bring to the fore the importance of emphasising the benefits of m-learning in educational settings to enhance SwD’s perception of its usefulness, thereby encouraging greater adoption and integration into their learning routines. Furthermore, the significance of PU indicates that this psychological construct is of the utmost importance for this population of students and that future technology acceptance models would do well to use PU as a basis, excluding PEOU, PBC and attitude. Additionally, results revealed no significant difference between m-learning use and type of disability or mlearning device used. This implies that educational institutions and policymakers can adopt a versatile approach to m-learning implementation for SwD, accommodating a variety of devices to students with various types of disabilities.