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do not only enable students to access and read materials, but also, they can take pictures of abstract
concepts that are taught in class with the camera on their smartphones so that they can relate them
with concrete ideas at a later date, mostly in distance education.
The significant progression in technology has brought about tremendous benefits in human life
especially in the area of teaching and learning. “Smartphones, the Internet-enabled devices
incorporated with computer applications and software, are among the eminent breakthroughs in
this latest century” (Foen, Hassan, Nor, Malek, 2017). Most educators have adopted the use of
smartphones for teaching due to its perceived usefulness such as affordability, flexibility,
readiness, popularity and other practical functions (Ismail, Bokhare, Azizan, & Azman, 2013;
Pullen, Swabey, Abadooz, & Sing, 2015). According to Groupe Speciale Mobile Association
(GSMA) (2015), “half of the world’s population have a mobile subscription with smartphone
adoption already reaching critical masses in developed markets.” In as much as there is a sprout
in the use of smartphones among students at the tertiary level, “the extent to which this technology
has contributed to their academic achievement is still inconclusive.” In the case of Malaysia,
students were not ready for mobile learning. Hence, the use of a smartphone is not used for
learning. In works of Woodcock et al. (2012), it was demonstrated that students were always found
using their phones for playing games and other leisure activities more than for learning.
According to the researchers own preliminary investigation, it was noted that despite the
remarkable benefits of the smartphone in learning, students mostly use a smartphone on social
media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, twitter, snapchat, tango, rather using it
for educational purposes. Those who in turn use smartphones are distracted by other functions with