ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Learning Innovations
A Model for Sustainable Mobile Education Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
Provisionally accepted
- King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
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Mobile learning (ML) was widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its sustained use post-pandemic is not guaranteed. This study identifies the factors influencing university students' continuance intention to use ML. Using the UTAUT-2 model, data from 445 students at King Faisal University were analyzed via structural equation modeling. The results showed that attitude towards ML was significantly influenced by effort expectancy (β = 0.620, p < 0.001), performance expectancy (β = 0.521, p < 0.001), and hedonic motivation (β = 0.313, p < 0.001). For continuous intention, habit was the strongest predictor (β = 0.445, p < 0.001), followed by hedonic motivation (β = 0.471, p < 0.001) and attitude (β = 0.175, p < 0.05). Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions had no significant direct effects on continuance intention. These findings confirm habit as the cornerstone of post-pandemic ML continuance, highlighting a shift from utilitarian factors to automated use and enjoyment. Post-pandemic ML integration must strategically foster habitual use and enhance enjoyment, moving beyond utility-focused approaches. This study provides evidence-based insights for educational leaders and platform developers to guide ML's sustainable integration.
Keywords: Mobile learning, sustainability, UTAUT-2, e-learning, university students, Post COVID-19 time
Received: 01 Jul 2025; Accepted: 28 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Al Mulhem. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ahmed Abdulhameed Al Mulhem, ahamulhem@kfu.edu.sa
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