SMS-based learning in tertiary education: Achievement and attitudinal outcomes

SMS delivery platforms are being increasingly used at the university level to enhance student achievement as well as traits and attitudes related to the learning process. SMS delivery provides access to learning materials without being limited by space or time and sophisticated technological advances in SMS delivery have led to enhanced learner motivation, learner curiosity, learner autonomy, learner self-efficacy, learner technological self-confidence when learning language, vocabulary and concepts. In addition SMS delivery of learning materials has been shown to lead to flexible, user-friendly, controlled and adaptive learning as reported by university students in various research studies. The present study is another in a series of research studies designed to examine the relationship between SMS delivery and cognitive and affective aspects of university level learning. In the present study two groups of first year university students who studied cultural concepts in an elective 14 week long (semester) course were exposed to two different modes of concept delivery. The first group of students received weekly lists of cultural concepts sent via SMS messages to their cell-phones and the second group received weekly lists of cultural concepts sent via hardcopy snail mail messages to their homes. The definitions of cultural concepts studied by SMS and hardcopy delivery strategies were identical and the students received 25 cultural concept definitions on a weekly basis for a period of 14 weeks. At the end of this period the students in the two groups were tested on a standardized cultural concepts learner achievement test and responded to a questionnaire that examined the levels of learner creativity, learner flexibility and learner self-image as perceived by the students' in the two groups. Results of the study indicate that there were no significant differences between students in the SMS delivery group and those in the hardcopy delivery group on the standardized cultural concepts achievement test. However, there were significant differences between the students in the two delivery groups regarding their levels of learner creativity, learner flexibility and learner self-image. The students who received cultural concepts via SMS delivery were characterized by significantly higher levels of learner creativity, learner flexibility and learner self-image than their counterparts who received lists of cultural concepts via hardcopy messages. It appears that SMS delivery of cultural concepts enhances traits and attitudinal variables such as learner creativity, learner flexibility and learner self-image which have a positive effect on the learning experience Thus SMS delivery of learning materials can in fact become a viable technological mobile delivery system in the university learning process and should be considered as a valid pedagogical tool in the university learning process.