Competency levels and influential factors of college students’ mobile learning readiness in Thailand

Abstract

One of the key successes of learning through mobile technology comes from the competencies of learners. This study aimed to investigate the overall competency levels of mobile learning readiness and four influential factors (connectivist learners, technology readiness, self-directed learning, and netiquette) that may impact college students’ mobile learning readiness in Thailand. The surveys were given to 583 Thai college students who came from various fields such as Social Science, Agriculture, Engineering and Computer Science, and Science. Descriptive statistical procedures were used to generate overall mobile learning readiness and the confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine whether the competencies of connectivist learners, technology readiness, self-directed learning, and netiquette influence the mobile learning readiness of college students in Thailand. The results showed that overall mobile learning readiness among Thai college students was at a high level in which learners’ competency in technology readiness was the most influential factor related to their mobile learning readiness, followed by the competencies of self-directed learning, netiquette, and connectivist learners. The results of this study could provide useful guidance for instructors in designing effective instruction, activities, and learning materials that encourage learners to be successful in the mobile learning environment. The future study may explore other related factors such as learners’ cultural backgrounds, educational systems, or government supports that may influence mobile learning readiness among learners in higher education in different countries.