To address my main research question on how training managers and sales and service staff experience the adoption of mobile learning in corporate training settings where e-learning is already firmly established, I used Mike Sharples’ framework because it ties together important components of mobile learning – learners, knowledge, and mobile and fixed devices, and is the most appropriate to study the highly contextual and collaborative mobile learning in corporate organisations.
The framework also influenced my choice of the case study method as it would enable me to obtain in-depth knowledge about the topic of my research from a select group of individuals and capture their experiences and
observations. I conducted three case studies in three corporate organisations, collecting data from training managers and sales and service staff.
I used the framework to formulate questions of the study and mapped them as under:
Research Questions Heads of Analyses
Question 1: RQ 1.4.1
How do training managers and sales and service staff experience the adoption of mobile learning in corporate training settings where e-learning is already firmly established?
• Initial experiences of mobile learning if adopted
• Kinds of communication and
conversations within mobile learning
• Contexts in which people use mobile learning
Sub-question 1: RQ 1.4.2.1
How do the training managers and sales and service staff perceive the relationship between mobile learning and wider e-learning practices?
• Kinds of communication and
conversations within mobile learning
• Contexts in which people use mobile learning
Sub-question 2: 1.4.2.2
What are the perceptions of the training managers and sales and service staff about the reasons for adopting mobile learning?
• Perceived change of their knowledge and skills as a result of mobile learning
Sub-question 3: 1.4.2.3
How do corporate training managers perceive the benefits and limitations of mobile learning approaches when used in practice, with different members of sales and service staff, in particular, the 'millennials'?
• Issues of human-computer interaction they experience (including rules imposed by the company, device features, and hardware/software problems)
• Technological tools people use to access the training
Sub-question 4: 1.4.2.4
Are there any discernible differences in perceptions of mobile learning with different members (training managers and sales and service staff)?
• The manner in which training managers and sales and service staff view mobile learning
• The way training managers and sales and service staff use mobile learning
Table 3.3 Research Questions and Heads of Analysis
I then used the framework to analyse and present the information.
The main concepts (components) of Figure 3.2 ‘A framework for analysing mobile learning’, are used in later chapters for presenting and analysing the data collected from each organisation.
4 Research Design
4.1 Introduction
This chapter on Research Design details my investigation into mobile learning in the context of corporate training, and how it is perceived by training
managers in terms of its definition, effectiveness, and appropriateness. It also discusses how the investigation relates to my epistemological position and explores the possibilities for investigating the issue in the above settings.
As mentioned in the earlier chapters, my initial interest in this topic arose from a desire to discover if mobile learning is effective in corporate training
organisations.
Typically, research in this area has been focused on learner satisfaction levels (Pollara & Kee Broussard, 2011) with few studies on mobile learning and its effect on employee performance.
Therefore, my research questions centred on the value of mobile learning as perceived by training managers and staff from the sales and service
departments.
To recapitulate, my main research question (RQ 1.4.1) was to understand how training managers and staff from the sales and service departments.
experience the adoption of mobile learning in corporate training settings
I also decided to address a few related questions about the respondents’
(training managers and sales and service staff):
• Perceptions on the relationship between mobile learning and wider e-learning practices (RQ 1.4.2.1)
• Perceptions on the reasons for adopting mobile learning (RQ 1.4.2.2)
• Perceptions on the benefits and limitations of mobile learning when used in practice with different categories of staff (RQ 1.4.2.3)
• Differences in perceptions of mobile learning (RQ 1.4.2.4)
I chose Mike Sharples’ theory because it ties together the important components of mobile learning – learners, knowledge, mobile and
fixed devices – with the learner (the central player) interacting with content, tools, and community. It also considers the defining aspect of the mobility of learners and knowledge (Sharples et al., 2006, pp. 221-247).
In this chapter, I describe how I have used this theoretical framework to empirically analyse the perceived effectiveness of mobile learning and related topics. I have placed the section of Research Ethics towards the end because I wanted the reader to understand my research strategy first and then appreciate the ethical issues that were thrown up and how they were dealt with, rather than furnish an abstract and unrelated set of ethics in the beginning.
The remaining sections in the chapter will contain:
a) Methodology: An overview of definitions, types, and the methodology that I have chosen
b) Choosing a Methodology: Why I chose the ‘case study’ as my methodology and how it connects to my theoretical framework
c) Applying the Methodology: The research cases I have chosen and why I chose them, including the research participants, sampling strategy, and research methods
d) Data collection methods: The appropriateness of the research methods used in the study
e) Data analysis approach: The data analysis process and strategy adopted