Mobile Applications Integrated in Blended Learning : A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

This systematic literature review explores the use of mobile apps in blended learning, examines the characteristics of the research areas, research objects, and research methods of empirical studies on mobile apps in blended learning, and finally summarizes and organizes the results of the existing empirical studies and suggests implications for future research. This investigation involved a comprehensive search of academic publications within the Web of Science and Scopus databases, focusing on relevant topics. The analysis of the gathered literature indicates that mobile applications serve as efficient, beneficial, and suitable tools for facilitating blended learning. In such learning environments, these applications have the potential to enhance student satisfaction with the course, bolster engagement and motivation, and foster a sense of social connection among learners.However, mobile apps can only be used as an assistive tool for face-to-face learning and cannot replace paper-based assignments or the instructor's guiding role. Future research should attempt to introduce mobile learning apps in blended learning environments and extend the length of experiments to take advantage of mobile apps in order to improve the cognitive depth and breadth of blended learning and engagement.