Effects of Mobile Devices Usage on Students’ Learning Success at Vocational Colleges

Author Information

Christoph Maus, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Björn Paape, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Iwona Kiereta, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Nora Brunkartz, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Sandra Golüke, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Anna Kempny, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Golo Kronenwerth, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Ville Mainz, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Vanessa Riemer, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Seyma Sahin, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Kerstin Wendt, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic can be regarded as a significant catalyst for the digitalisation of school education. The widespread availability of mobile devices, combined with the emergency pandemic-conditions, fostered a greater acceptance of their use for educational purposes among both teachers and students. As there has been no apparent decline in the use of digital technologies since the end of the pandemic, a closer examination of mobile devices from an educational research perspective appears warranted. Notably, existing literature has paid limited attention to the temporal dimension of mobile device usage in educational contexts. Furthermore, a research gap has been identified with regard to vocational schools offering economics-related subjects. Against this background, the present study investigates whether the integration of mobile devices can enhance students’ learning outcomes, and how the timing of their use specifically influences learning success. For data collection, both analogue and digital tests are administered within homogeneous educational programmes, allowing for meaningful comparison. The study involves a total of 243 students across 16 classes. These are evaluated at different points in time—at the beginning or the end of the lesson—to measure differences in performance. Overall, the findings indicate that the use of mobile devices, in and of itself, does not significantly enhance learning outcomes. Similarly, the timing of device use does not yield measurable differences in performance. Instead, the results underscore the importance of purposeful and pedagogically integrated use of mobile technologies within the learning process to achieve meaningful educational benefits.

Save as a Favourite