Abstract:

Smartphones and advanced technology applications, such as Socrative and Kahoot, have made their way in nowadays University classrooms. A number of studies acknowledged benefits of using these online tools for learning and teaching purposes. However, only few studies focused on its disadvantages and associated risks. This study aims at shedding some new light on both advantages and disadvantages of use of smartphones and online quizzes in University classrooms through a double qualitative-quantitative approach. Students from 20 different countries participated in the study. The data were collected among students of the Consumer Behaviour course at the Faculty of Economics, University of Valencia in Spain in December of 2018. A qualitative study through focus groups was first conducted for in-depth analysis of Socrative, followed by a quantitative study that embraced a larger number of respondents and provided additional information on student assessment of its use in the classroom. A number of weaknesses and strengths of Socrative and smartphones emerged from the focus groups. Quantitative analysis further revealed that, despite several perceived risks of these tools, students recognized a number of its benefits and highly encourage the use of Socrative quizzes in Higher Education Institutions.

Keywords:

Socrative, smartphones, university students, qualitative-quantitative research.