How useful are smartphones for learning? Perceptions and practices of Library and Information Science students from Hong Kong and Japan

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of higher education students’ experiences in using smartphones for learning purposes, and their perceptions of the suitability of smartphones for learning. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research method is applied to data collection and analysis by following the grounded theory approach. Data were gathered by an online focus group involving Library and Information Science (LIS) students from University of Hong Kong and University of Tsukuba (Japan). Findings – LIS students at both universities regularly use smartphones for communication, socializing, entertainment and other daily information needs. The findings show that LIS students commonly use smartphones for learning and consider smartphones to be very useful for their academic work. They use smartphones to access course materials, search library catalog, discuss course assignments with peers, take notes, etc. Although both academic libraries involved offer a variety of services for mobile devices, these services are still not used frequently. A major barrier to using smartphone for academic learning is the smartphone’s small screen. Research limitations/implications – The study relies on a convenience sample, restricted to students from two universities, one from Hong Kong and the other from Japan. Further research on a larger sample is recommended. Originality/value – The study adds to the knowledge of smartphone actual use for learning purposes and provides study participants’ insights on the usefulness of smartphones for learning.