Transformative Potential of Mobile Learning in Reaching Marginalised Learners in Conflict-Affected Communities in North East Nigeria: A Longitudinal Ethnography

This study examines the transformative potential of mobile learning interventions in reaching educationally marginalised learners in conflict-affected communities in North East Nigeria through a longitudinal ethnographic methodology spanning three years. The Boko Haram insurgency has displaced millions and severely disrupted formal schooling in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States, creating urgent demand for flexible alternative learning pathways. This study followed 60 internally displaced young learners aged 12 to 22 who participated in NGO-led mobile learning programmes across three IDP camp education centres in Maiduguri. Longitudinal ethnographic data were collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews conducted at six-month intervals, learning artefact analysis, and facilitator reflective journals. Critical pedagogy and transformative learning theory framed the analysis. Findings reveal that mobile learning provided not only skill acquisition but also identity reconstruction, social reconnection, and future aspiration rebuilding among severely trauma-affected learners. However, transformative outcomes were contingent on facilitation quality, trauma-informed programme design, and community social trust. Device durability, solar charging dependency, and facilitator attrition posed significant operational challenges. The study makes an original contribution to educational technology scholarship by producing contextually grounded theory on the conditions under which mobile learning achieves transformative, not merely functional, outcomes in humanitarian settings. Keywords: mobile learning, marginalised learners, conflict-affected communities, North East Nigeria, transformative learning