| dc.description.abstract | These days, teaching and learning methods around the world have been changed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In some areas with the high spread of the virus, schools have been closed so that learners should learn at home. As a result, mobile technology, e.g., mobile apps, is needed to facilitate learners’ learning. Authentic contextual learning (ACL) with mobile apps is one promised learning design, which can enhance learners’ learning faster than traditional classroom learning. Learners who engage in ACL with mobile apps could learn anytime and anywhere by exploring familiar contexts in their surroundings. However, it is possible for the use of mobile apps and the way learners learn to cause anxiety or issues with acceptance, either for the learners or their parents. Moreover, even though many studies had implemented ACL with mobile apps in educational practices, no empirical study had addressed the evaluation of ACL with mobile apps based on a specific model of ACL because no such model had existed in the literature. The aims of this research were to implement ACL supported by mobile apps to facilitate learners’ learning under the COVID-19 situation and investigate the issues related to the anxiety and acceptance of learners and parents. Additionally, one model, namely the sustainable and scalable authentic contextual learning (SSACL) model, was developed and validated to get a good specific model that can be used to evaluate ACL in future related studies. As a result, three studies were conducted by researchers to fulfill these research aims.
Statistical results of the first study showed parents’ acceptance of authentic contextual learning with a mobile app, U-Geometry, influenced learners’ acceptance of that in the technological and pedagogical aspects. Parents’ perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness influenced learners’ perceived ease of use and positive attitude in relation to the technological aspect seeing U-Geometry as a learning tool to facilitate learners’ ACL. In the matter of the pedagogical aspect, parents’ perceived ease of use positively mediated the relationship between learners’ perceived ease of use and positive attitude; additionally, parents’ intentions to use mediated the relationship between learners’ positive attitudes and intentions to use. It means that parents’ acceptance toward the implementation of ACL with a mobile app at home was strongly related to the acceptance of learners; thereby, involving parents in learners learning activities in an authentic context is worth to be done. The second study examined the issue related to anxiety, acceptance, and demographic factors of learners and parents. Based on the results, it showed that parents’ anxiety was significantly lower than learners’ anxiety after they engaged in ACL with U-Geometry near home. The third study showed the most important results of this long research that was taken up a specific model of SSACL with mobile apps. According to the results, six essential factors, i.e., learning by applying, healthy learning, collaborative learning, cognition, sustainability, and scalability, were addressed to evaluate the success of learning activities in ACL supported by mobile apps. Researchers recommend that learning by applying is the based point of ACL activities, letting learners develop cognition while learning in authentic contexts. Aside from fulfilling the conditions in learning by applying, healthy learning, collaborative learning, and cognition, we can also fulfill the ideals of sustainable and scalable learning to facilitate learning in authentic environments. Sustainable learning ensures that learners keep learning; scalable learning is denoted by an increase in the scale of learning contexts and places. | en_US |