Abstract:

Mainland China scores the most mobile phone usage worldwide with 1.3 billion users (The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, 2016). More than half of the mobile users are on social media (International Data Corporation, 2014). The aim of this study is to explore the styles of social media and smartphone usage in higher education to enhance learning among Chinese students. Our finding supports informal use of m-learning in China.

Methods:
Data were collected via five focus group sessions, and completion of workbook prior to each session. The process allowed gathering individual perceptions as well as group consensus. Each focus group comprised of at least four undergraduate student of Surrey International Institute (SII). SII is a Sino-foreign Joint-Cooperative School run by Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE) China and University of Surrey, UK. Therefore, data comprise of thirty-six workbook completion and six focus group transcripts. Homogeneity of participation was deemed necessary; discussion would be enriched if the participants had a degree of shared life experiences. Participants were dual degree students aged 18-25 with 40 % male and 60% were females. Focus groups sessions were conducted with the moderation shared by the researchers and externals- to reduce researchers’ bias. Content analysis of transcripts form analytical technique.

Results:
Our result shows evidence for m-learning where students use mobile phone to support in-class learning, by taking photos of lecture slides and recording class room discussion. These activities were noted as individual and informal. The result also indicate that the use of smartphones and social media lacks formalization at the institutional level. Additionally, participants voiced Chinese web is strictly regulated and a few big players dominates social media, such as Tencent through its comprehensive WeChat application.

Conclusions:
M-learning among undergraduates appears to be ubiquitous, that students engage in these activities organically. M-learning thus requires attention institutionally and education to formalise use of smartphone and social media. Our study successfully identified informal use of smartphone in class-room learning. The study calls for the participation of both students and staff for the achievement of learning objectives linked to degree programs in a higher education. These results, obtained in a qualitative study, opens up new avenues in terms of understanding m-learning in Chinese cultural context.

Keywords:

Technology, smartphone, social media, m-learning, China, WeChat, mobile.