University students' experience with mobile learning during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The study focuses on mobile learning at universities, with emphasis on the changes brought by the quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic (the first and the second wave) in which only distance education was possible. The participant sample consisted of Slovak university students (N = 48; age 20-25 in 2020 and N = 45; age 20-25 in 2021). Qualitative design and narrative method were chosen to find out the individuals' experience of concrete events embedded in a socio-cultural context. The data was analyzed using a holistic-content perspective in combination with a thematic analysis. The results showed the key moments linked to the university students' experience in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: nostalgia, shock - sudden change, and adaptation. In the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the key moments were: nostalgia, uncertainty, and short-term planning. The important phases for the sustainability of m-learning were related to the comparison between nostalgia, the recovery from the shock after a sudden change in lifestyle, and the adaptation to new living conditions. This was reflected in the key topics focused on the main phases, with an accent on life enjoyment, self-centring, and stress before the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper fulfills the gap in the research focused on understanding students' feelings, attitudes, values, and use of m-learning during forced distance education. Qualitative design research allowed going deeper into students" psychological aspects during national quarantine. The results allow us to prepare the universities and state policies on working with students during future crises and emphasize sustainable mobile learning.