Unlocking potential: understanding mobile device use patterns among year 9–11 students for learning

The study examines the nature of smartphones for learning use patterns among students in grades 9–11 and its contexts in relation to personalised learning extracting risk factors associated with less mobile device use in learning. A latent class analysis (LCA) was employed. Various covariates were used to highlight groups of students at risk for effective smartphone-supported instruction. Participants were recruited for a cross-sectional online survey within the Monitoring of digital transformation series conducted in Russia in 2020/21. We identified four distinct profile groups of mobile device use among school students. Examining profile groups through the lenses of the Personalisation–Pluralisation Quadrant (PPQ) developed by Kucirkova and Littleton and the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition (SAMR) framework of Puentedura, we show that heterogeneous guidance should be provided to help students maximise the potential of smartphones for learning. This study represents a first attempt to examine the heterogeneous structure of mobile use among school students, using a latent class analysis and can be used as a reference to better understand the use of personal mobile devices among school students for educational purposes and personalised learning. The findings also result in targeted approaches to the teachers’ instruction according to the constructivism principles.