International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

This paper reflects on a research that was carried out in Turkish secondary schools where tablets were supplied to students across the country by the government. There is a growing number of research trying to explain students’ attitudes towards using tablets for in-school activities, however, the literature is very limited in showing students’ attitudes to using tablets outside the school and the pattern of usage. As ‘mobility’ is the main attribute of mobile learning, it is equally important to understand the use pattern outside the school context. This paper will examine and explain how and why the tablets were / were not used by the students in their free times while comparing the use pattern with that of computers and smart phones. Data was gathered through questionnaires and student focus groups. Results show that, contrary to our expectations, students do not use their tablets in their free times and smart phones are still the first choice of mobile while computers remain to be the main tool for school works.