Examining the Research Gap in Mobile Learning for Teacher Professional Development in Nigerian Rural Schools

Mobile learning through smartphone-based content delivery and interaction offers potential for reaching rural teachers excluded from traditional professional development infrastructure, yet the specific evidence base for mobile learning PD effectiveness in Nigerian rural school contexts is almost entirely absent. This study examined the research gap in mobile learning for teacher professional development in Nigerian rural schools through systematic review and primary research. A systematic scoping review identified 11 publications from 2018 to 2024 on mobile learning for teacher PD in sub-Saharan Africa, of which only 2 were conducted in Nigerian rural settings and neither reported outcome evaluations. Original qualitative research comprised in-depth interviews with 20 rural primary school teachers from Kwara (NC), Yobe (NE), and Cross River (SS) States, exploring their existing mobile technology use for professional development and barriers to engagement. Results confirmed that 90.0 percent of rural teachers possessed basic smartphones. WhatsApp group learning was used by 65.0 percent but was unstructured. Structured mobile learning PD had been offered to none of the 20 respondents. Barriers included data cost, battery access, and lack of guidance on available educational content. The study identifies six specific research priorities, proposes an original experimental design for evaluating WhatsApp-based structured PD in rural Nigerian schools, and provides a conceptual model for low-bandwidth mobile PD that could be evaluated in future research.

Keywords: mobile learning, teacher professional development, rural schools, Nigeria, smartphone pedagogy