Mobile Learning and Adult Education Access in Underserved Communities in Kebbi State

This study investigates the potential of mobile learning technologies to expand adult education access in underserved rural communities in Kebbi State, North West Nigeria. The widespread adoption of mobile phones, including among adults with low literacy levels, presents an opportunity to deliver adult education content through audio, visual, and interactive SMS-based platforms in communities where physical learning centres are unavailable or inaccessible. This study uses a mixed-method design, combining a survey of 170 adults in three underserved communities in Birnin Kebbi, Argungu, and Koko-Besse local government areas with a field experiment comparing learning outcomes between mobile learning and face-to-face modalities for a basic numeracy module. Mobile phone ownership, data literacy, and network access are assessed. Descriptive statistics and independent-samples t-tests are applied. Findings reveal that 76 percent of sampled adults own a basic mobile phone, but only 28 percent have smartphones with data access. Audio-based learning content delivered via feature phones produces comparable numeracy learning gains to face-to-face instruction for participants aged under 40. Older participants show stronger preference for face-to-face learning. Network coverage gaps in two of the three communities limit mobile learning reach. The study concludes that mobile learning offers a viable supplementary adult education delivery channel in Kebbi State for younger adults where network coverage is adequate. It recommends that UBEC fund the development of structured audio adult learning modules for feature phone delivery in northern rural communities.

Keywords: mobile learning, adult education, underserved communities, Kebbi State, e-learning.