The use of mobile phones by students in accessing educational information. A case study of department of library and information science at the University of Zambia.

Abstract

Use of mobile phones to access and share information in higher learning institution is becoming a trend and is redefining the manner in which learning takes place. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate the use of mobile phones by students in accessing educational information. The specific objectives of the study were; to examine how the use of mobile phones by students in accessing educational information contribute to their academic performance; to establish the limitations faced by students in the use of mobile phones in accessing educational information; to evaluate how the use of mobile phones has enhanced students interactions to promote knowledge sharing; to find out whether the majority of students own smart phones. The study used quantitative method to collect data. A simple random sampling procedure was used to select students in the department of library and information science. To collect the data a questionnaire was used. Social Package for social sciences software was used to analyse the data. The major findings of the research. The major findings revealed that students’ academic performance before and after purchasing mobile phones was good. Different social media platforms are used for various reasons these reasons are sharing knowledge, getting in touch with their lecturers, to conduct online discussions, search for educational information. Mobile phones have an effect on academic performance, with the use of mobile phones one can access educational information anytime, can easily retrieve and view information as screen size is not a factor. Most students find it difficult to consult their lecturers using their mobile phones. This implies that mobile phones improves students’ academic performance. The research findings further indicated that most students find it difficult in accessing educational information using mobile phones. The main challenges students face is poor internet access, phones’ small storage capacity, small screen size, short battery life, bundles are expensive to buy and network failure. Further, it was indicated that most students in higher learning institutions use their phones to access or retrieve educational information. Educational information is retrieved and shared in different formats on various social media platforms. Most students in higher learning institutions prefer using smart phones in accessing educational information and the smart phone they are using does not hinder them to access educational information.