Systematic review on the effects of mobile teaching applications in improving student’s physics performance

Background: Anemerging and innovative method of applying technology in teaching is the use of mobile applications for learning. This meta-analysis aimed to provide evaluative data about several experiments that explore the effects of mobile applications in instilling knowledge, skills, and attitudes among students. Methods: In order to investigate these effects, this study scrutinized—using specific inclusion criteria—six full-text articles searched in academic databases. Effect sizes were computed for each research, and the mean effect size for all the studies was obtained. The review’s findings reveal that the six research articles involved 1,483 study subjects, with6 effect sizes determined accordingly. Results: The mean effect size of 2.32 reveals that mobile teaching applications produce remarkable improvement in knowledge, skills, and attitude outcomes relevant to physics education. Android-based applications are observed to produce the largest effect size (9.95) while integrating mobile devices with learning management systems produced the lowest effect size (–1.84). Conclusions: Consistent with educational and learning theories, the results of this academic synthesis provide convincing and converging evidence as to the wisdom of incorporating mobile applications in the teaching-learning milieu of physics students, in particular, and the academic community, in general.