20101002 - Brown, ..Mobile Learning...ninthe-grade students

Using mobile learning to teach reading to ninth-grade students by Brown, Lucianne, Ph.D., Capella University, 2008 , 135 pages; AAT 3330949 My Interest: 1) Mobile learning. 2) Treatment group vs Control group. 3) Validity and Reliability. 4) Theoretical framework. Action: To read specific parts of Dissertation in future. Motivation Portable technology devices such as the mobile phone offers an opportunity for students to have their own computer tool for learning and support one-to-one computer learning. Research Goal This study re-evaluated the mobile phone as a portable computer tool and investigated how ninth-grade reading students could improve vocabulary building. This mobile learning study determined whether appropriately designed frontloading techniques improved comprehension and produced a significant difference between students who used mobile phones versus students in a traditional non-digitized delivery. It also examined an increase in motivation by students using mobile phones. Methodology This study used a descriptive quantitative method to determine how much, if any, the use of mobile phones improved reading vocabulary for the test group, and an exploratory qualitative method to determine whether the use of the mobile phone created a motivational interest to continue to study. Findings Findings revealed an increase in vocabulary comprehension when ninth-grade average students used appropriately designed vocabulary frontloading techniques delivered via mobile phone. However, there was no significant difference between the treatment group that used mobile phones to study vocabulary and the control group that studied vocabulary in the traditional non-digitized method. If more time were provided for the treatment group use of the mobile phones, there might have been a difference. The treatment group's motivation increased their study of vocabulary because of using the mobile phone for learning. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 21 Introduction 21 Rationale for the Research 22 Theoretical framework 24 Research Relationship to Major Literature Themes 24 Designing a Meta-Structure for mLearning 25 mLearning with PDAs 28 Widespread Use of Mobile Phones In Different Cultures. 30 Special Projects and Pilot Projects in mLearning 33 Precursors to Beginnings for mLearning Designs 38 Choice of Reading Instruction Content for Mobile Phones 40 Summary 43 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 45 Introduction 45 Statement of Problem 45 Purpose of Study 45 Research Questions 46 Hypothesis and Null Hypothesis 46 Research Design 47 Materials 50 Teacher Training 51 Research Schedule 52 Sample Selection 53 Instrumentation and Data Collection 54 Validity and Reliability 55 Comparing Treatment Group and Control Group 55 Ethical Issues 57 Limitations of The Study 57