A Survey on the Use and Acceptability of Smartphones for Nursing Education in Nigeria

Isaiah Owoeye; Felicity Daniels; Jennifer Chipps

doi:10.25159/2520-5293/15302

Authors

Isaiah Owoeye University of the Western Cape https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9357-2408
Felicity Daniels University of the Western Cape https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4550-7887
Jennifer Chipps University of the Western Cape https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7895-4483

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2520-5293/15302

Keywords:

nursing education, smartphone use, student, technology acceptance

Abstract

Background: The global exponential increase in technology has resulted in smartphones being used for learning in low resource settings.

Objectives: To investigate the use and acceptability of smartphones in nursing education in Nigeria.

Design and Setting: Cross sectional descriptive survey design. Five nursing education institutions in Southwest Nigeria were included in the study.

Participants: Nursing students in the setting were included (N = 1388), with a sample of 462 (university students: n = 354; college students: n = 108), allowing for an attrition rate of 10%.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire with two valid and reliable scales was used to measure use, acceptance, perceived ease of use and usefulness, attitudes, and challenges of using smartphones for educational purposes.

Results: In the 451 respondents (97.6% response rate), the mean age was 21.31 (standard deviation [SD] = 3.59) years; most were female (389, 86.3%). Smartphones were common (422, 94.2%) and most (367, 81.4%) reported using their smartphone daily for educational purposes. High levels of smartphone acceptance with high ratings for perceived usefulness (M = 3.38, SD = 0.44), ease of use (M = 3.10, SD = 0.56) were reported with mixed attitudes (M = 2.75, SD = 0.35). Most of the respondents (428, 94.9%) found it useful for learning, but suitability of mobile content, unstable Internet, and data costs were barriers.

Conclusion: Smartphones have emerged as unintended grassroots academic tools for learning in low resource settings, but challenges remain in terms of the appropriateness of educational learning material and costs.

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