Behaviors and attitudes towards mobile learning during course work and scientific research among dental, medical and non-medical undergraduates: a cross-sectional study

Mobile learning is a valuable supplement to traditional education methods, but the current research on mobile learning is still insufficient. This study aimed to assess dental undergraduates' behaviors and attitudes towards mobile learning during course work and scientific research and to compare these findings to those of medical and non-medical students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduates at Sichuan University, China. Participants completed an online questionnaire covering demographic information, mobile learning behaviors in course work and scientific research, and attitudes towards mobile learning. A total of 849 valid responses were collected, including 290 dental students, 307 medical students, and 252 non-medical students. The average behavior scores for using mobile devices in course work and scientific research were 3.02 and 3.09 (out of 5), respectively. Smartphones were the most frequently used devices for course work across all majors, while laptops predominated for scientific research. Mobile device preferences for various learning activities were similar across all majors, with minor variations. Over 80% of dental students reported using mobile learning for more than one hour daily for course work, and they had the highest proportion of daily mobile learning exceeding 90 min. Overall, students demonstrated positive attitudes towards mobile learning, with average attitude scores of 3.58, 3.66, and 3.47 (out of 5) for dental, medical, and non-medical students, respectively. Result show that dental undergraduates used mobile learning extensively and exhibited positive attitudes towards it for both course work and scientific research. This study highlights mobile device preferences and their alignment with various academic activities, which can inform the strategic development of educational technologies in dental curricula.