Mobile learning experience and self-directed learning readiness on mobile task-based activity performance: a case study among postgraduate students

Mobile devices have a wide array of capabilities, including accessing unlimited information and self-learning for students. This study aimed to identify postgraduate students' experiences performing task-based activities on mobile devices and preparing for self-directed learning. This mobile task-based activity is an educational practice that combines education and assessment. The researcher used a targeted sample of 34 postgraduates from a public university in Malaysia. This study used a mixed-method case study design with qualitative and quantitative data for triangulation. The researcher gathered quantitative data through online questionnaires and evaluations based on mobile devices. Questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-sample analyses, while mobile-based assessments were analyzed using a rubric. Qualitative data were collected through learning logbooks, reflective writing, and semistructured interviews and analyzed thematically. The survey results of descriptive statistical analysis have shown that students’ prior knowledge and learning experience using mobile technology is more modest. However, post-study findings prove that students who use laptops and smartphones for task-based activities on mobile devices gain more experience. The Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks test showed that students’ post-test readiness for self-directed learning was more significant than the pre-test. Assessments of mobile devices indicate that students perform at an advanced and competent level. Thus, this study shows that mobile task-based activities can improve students’ learning experiences in a significant way and develop self-directed learning skills. These results could assist further studies on mobile devices for learning and assessment purposes. The implications of this research are to cultivate students' experience of meaningful mobile learning and self-directed learning skills.