Mobile Devices and Meaningful Learning among University Students in Situations of Vulnerability during Remote Education due to COVID-19

Abstract

The study evaluated whether mobile devices distributed by MINEDU influenced the meaningful learning of vulnerable students from the Faculty of Business Sciences at the National University Enrique Guzmán y Valle during the 2021-II semester. A quantitative, applied research approach was adopted, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, and correlational design. The probabilistic sample included 125 beneficiary students who took courses in synchronous and asynchronous virtual modalities. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire that measured "effects of portable equipment (mobile devices provided by MINEDU)" and "meaningful learning" across its three dimensions. The analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistics, using Spearman's correlation coefficient. The empirical evidence indicated the absence of statistically significant correlations between mobile devices and meaningful learning, nor between the independent variable and the evaluated dimensions. It is concluded that, under the analyzed conditions, the provision of mobile devices constituted a necessary but not sufficient access condition to improve meaningful learning, highlighting the importance of pedagogical design and teaching mediation.